Covert CDJR Bee Cave
Two Very Different Jeeps
The Grand Cherokee starts at $38,920 and the Grand Wagoneer at $63,995. One is a unibody five-seater that parks anywhere and tows 6,200 lbs. The other is a body-on-frame eight-seater that tows 10,000 lbs in the right configuration. We sell both, and they are not rungs on one ladder.
A household that spends its weekends pulling a boat up out of a lake basin and its weekdays threading a parking garage is asking two different vehicles two different questions. That is the one structural fact that reframes this comparison: the Grand Cherokee and the Grand Wagoneer are not the same vehicle at two prices. One is a unibody midsize SUV; the other is a body-on-frame full-size flagship on a steel frame. They are built differently, they weigh differently, and they are for different lives.
We sell both at Covert CDJR Bee Cave, which means we have no stake in talking you up or talking you down. This page puts them side by side honestly, cheapest first, and argues each one the way somebody who would actually buy it would argue it.
The quick take: the Grand Cherokee is the right buy for most households, at $25,075 less to start, 4 MPG better, and towing 6,200 lbs while fitting a normal garage. The Grand Wagoneer earns its price in three specific cases: you need eight seats, you need real cargo behind a third row, or you tow heavy. Heavy towing means ordering it as a 4×4 with the 3.92 axle, because a base rear-drive Grand Wagoneer tows about what a Grand Cherokee does. Match the vehicle to the job and both are excellent at theirs.
A unibody midsize SUV, 193.5 inches long, five seats, from $38,920. Two engines: a 293-horsepower 3.6L V6 or a 324-horsepower 2.0L Hurricane turbo, both on regular fuel, both rated to tow 6,200 lbs properly equipped. It returns up to 21 MPG city and 27 highway, holds 70.8 cubic feet with the seats folded, and turns in 38.0 feet. It is the Jeep that does ninety percent of what a full-size SUV does, in a package that fits your garage and your fuel budget. The three-row Grand Cherokee L extends it to seven seats for $2,000 more.
A body-on-frame full-size flagship on a steel frame, 216.1 inches long, from $63,995. One engine: a 3.0L Hurricane Twin Turbo inline-six making 420 horsepower and 468 lb-ft through a TorqueFlite 880RE eight-speed. Three rows as standard, seven seats on captain’s chairs or eight with the optional bench. Properly equipped in the right configuration it tows 10,000 lbs. It offers a McIntosh MX1375 system with 23 speakers, and Jeep positions it as the brand’s flagship. For 2026 Jeep discontinued the standard Wagoneer and folded the lineup into the Grand Wagoneer, cutting the entry price substantially in the process.
| Spec | Grand Cherokee | Grand Wagoneer |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | Unibody | Body-on-frame, steel frame |
| Engines | 3.6L V6 or 2.0L Hurricane Turbo | 3.0L Hurricane Twin Turbo I-6 |
| Horsepower | 293 hp or 324 hp | 420 hp at 5,200 rpm |
| Torque | 260 lb-ft or 332 lb-ft | 468 lb-ft at 3,500 rpm |
| Transmission | 8-speed automatic | TorqueFlite 880RE 8-speed |
| Drivetrain | RWD standard, 4WD $2,000 on four trims | RWD standard, 4WD optional |
| Fuel | Regular 87 octane | Regular 87 acceptable; Jeep recommends 89 mid-grade |
| EPA, 2WD | 21 / 27 / 23 (turbo) | 17 / 24 / 19 |
| EPA, 4WD | 20 / 25 / 22 (turbo) | 17 / 23 / 19 |
| Curb weight | 4,692 pounds (L Limited 4×4) | 5,730 pounds (2WD base) |
The Grand Wagoneer’s inline-six makes 96 more horsepower and 136 more lb-ft than the Grand Cherokee’s best engine, and it carries about 1,000 more pounds of vehicle to move with it. The Grand Cherokee’s answer is 4 MPG combined, and a tank of regular instead of Jeep’s recommended mid-grade. EPA ratings for both are published at fueleconomy.gov.
This is where the headline numbers need reading carefully, because “10,000 lbs” is true for exactly one Grand Wagoneer configuration:
| Configuration | Max trailer weight |
|---|---|
| Grand Cherokee, either engine, properly equipped | 6,200 lbs |
| Grand Wagoneer, 2WD, 3.55 axle | 6,210 lbs |
| Grand Wagoneer, 4WD, 3.55 axle | 6,030 lbs |
| Grand Wagoneer, 4WD, 3.92 axle | 10,000 lbs |
Read the table before you shop. A base rear-drive Grand Wagoneer tows 6,210 lbs, which is essentially what a Grand Cherokee tows for $25,075 less. The 10,000-lb rating requires four-wheel drive and the optional 3.92 axle ratio together. If heavy towing is why you are looking at the Grand Wagoneer, that specific combination is the vehicle you need to order, and it is worth being precise about on the lot rather than discovering later.
| Spec | Grand Cherokee | Grand Wagoneer |
|---|---|---|
| Seating | 5 across 2 rows | 7 standard, 8 with the bench |
| Overall length | 193.5 in | 216.1 in |
| Wheelbase | 116.7 in | 123.0 in |
| Width, mirrors | 84.6 in | 94.0 in |
| Width, body | 77.5 in | 83.6 in |
| Turning circle | 38.0 ft | 40.2 ft |
| Ground clearance, standard | 8.4 in | 7.4 in |
| Ground clearance, air suspension | Available Quadra-Lift | 10.1 in in Off Road 2 mode |
| Cargo, seats up | 37.7 cu ft behind row 2 | 27.9 cu ft behind row 3 |
| Cargo, behind row 2 | 37.7 cu ft | 70.8 cu ft |
| Fuel tank | 23.0 gal | 26.5 gal |
The number that decides more of these purchases than any other is 94.0 inches. That is the Grand Wagoneer across its mirrors, and it is 9.4 inches wider than the Grand Cherokee. In a limestone-country parking structure or an older garage, that is the difference between fitting and not.
The other one worth pausing on: 27.9 cubic feet behind the Grand Wagoneer’s third row is roughly what the Grand Cherokee offers behind its second. If you carry seven people and their luggage regularly, that is not a close contest.
One honest note on clearance: the Grand Wagoneer’s standard suspension actually sits an inch lower than the Grand Cherokee’s at 7.4 inches against 8.4. It gets to 10.1 inches with the air suspension in Off Road 2 mode, but that is a specific configuration in a specific mode, not the number the base truck rides at.
| Base Price, excluding destination | Grand Cherokee Laredo 4×2 | Grand Wagoneer 4×2 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Price | $38,920 | $63,995 |
| Destination charge | $1,995 | $2,795 |
| Four-wheel drive | $2,000 on this trim | Optional |
Both Base Prices are Jeep’s own figures on the same basis, both excluding destination, both for a rear-drive base trim. On that matched basis the derived gap is $25,075. Note that the destination charges themselves differ, $1,995 against $2,795, so if you compare prices with destination included the gap widens to $25,875. Pick one basis and stay on it. MSRP excludes destination, taxes, title and registration fees; see our live inventory for current pricing.
For context on the Grand Wagoneer’s own ladder, it climbs well past $90,000 at the Summit Obsidian end. Jeep has not published a full per-trim price list for 2026, so call us for what is actually on the ground.
Route by what you actually do, not by what you can stretch to:
| If this is you… | Buy |
|---|---|
| You tow a boat or a camper under 6,200 lbs | Grand Cherokee. Shop Grand Cherokee inventory |
| You tow a big trailer, a horse trailer or a large camper | Grand Wagoneer, 4WD with the 3.92 axle. Shop Grand Wagoneer inventory |
| You carry eight people | Grand Wagoneer. Nothing else in the Jeep range seats eight |
| You carry six or seven | The Grand Cherokee L from $40,920, or the Grand Wagoneer if you also tow heavy |
| You park in a structure or an older garage daily | Grand Cherokee. Measure your opening against 94.0 inches before you commit to the other |
| You want the flagship cabin and the McIntosh system | Grand Wagoneer, and it is a genuinely special place to sit |
| Fuel and running costs matter | Grand Cherokee, 4 MPG combined better and on regular fuel |
The trap to avoid in both directions: do not buy a base Grand Wagoneer expecting 10,000 lbs of towing, and do not talk yourself out of a Grand Cherokee because you tow a bass boat twice a year. Tell us what you actually pull and how often, and we will point you at the right one even when it is the cheaper one.
Standing next to both is worth more than any table on this page, and the width difference in particular does not land until you see it. We keep both at 16501 Sweetwater Vlg Dr Building 3, an easy drive from Round Rock and Georgetown, worth the run from New Braunfels or Kerrville, and a short hop from the Hill Country Galleria if you want to test the width question in a real parking structure first. Bring your trailer’s weight and your garage measurement. Plenty of our buyers make the call after one run out TX-71 in each. Call (512) 900-6192 or schedule a test drive online.
They are different classes of vehicle. The Grand Cherokee is a unibody midsize SUV, 193.5 inches long, five seats, from $38,920, towing 6,200 lbs. The Grand Wagoneer is a body-on-frame full-size flagship on a steel frame, 216.1 inches long, seating up to eight, from $63,995, towing up to 10,000 lbs in the right configuration.
$25,075 more to start, comparing Jeep’s Base Prices for a rear-drive base trim of each, both excluding destination. If you compare with destination included the gap is $25,875, because the destination charges differ at $1,995 against $2,795.
In one configuration: four-wheel drive with the optional 3.92 axle ratio. A rear-drive Grand Wagoneer with the standard 3.55 axle tows 6,210 lbs, and a four-wheel-drive one with the 3.55 axle tows 6,030 lbs. If heavy towing is the reason you want one, order the 4WD with the 3.92 axle specifically.
Measure before you buy. It is 94.0 inches across the mirrors and 83.6 inches across the body, against the Grand Cherokee’s 84.6 and 77.5. It is also 216.1 inches long and turns in 40.2 feet. That combination is genuinely tight in older garages and in structured parking.
The Grand Cherokee, by about 4 MPG combined. Its turbo rates 21 / 27 / 23 in rear-wheel drive against the Grand Wagoneer’s 17 / 24 / 19, and the Grand Cherokee runs on regular 87 octane while Jeep recommends 89 mid-grade for the Grand Wagoneer’s Hurricane six.
No. For 2026 Jeep consolidated the lineup, absorbing the standard Wagoneer models into the Grand Wagoneer and cutting the entry price substantially in the process. The Grand Wagoneer is now the whole full-size range.
The Grand Cherokee L if you need up to seven seats and tow under 6,200 lbs; it starts at $40,920 and drives like a Grand Cherokee. The Grand Wagoneer if you need an eighth seat, real cargo behind the third row, or heavy towing. The L is roughly $23,000 less to start.
We stock both at Covert CDJR Bee Cave. Bring your trailer weight and your garage measurement.
