No exterior wood-panelings on the new Jeep Grand Wagoneer

KUALA LUMPUR: For so long, FCA has been promising the comeback of the Jeep Grand Wagoneer, a luxury full-size three-row SUV that spanned from 1963 to 1991. And finally, after 29 years of absence, the automaker unveiled the next-generation Grand Wagoneer concept last month with the plans of starting the production next year.

The new Jeep Grand Wagoneer makes a convincing first impression with the modern-looking aesthetics featuring boxy shape, bulging fenders, subtle curves, and creases, but it misses on something which was remarked as one of the most distinctive design traits of the previous Wagoneers. Yes, we are talking about the wood panelings seen in the last generations. A designer named  Abimelec Arellano created the following rendering in expectation of Grand Wagoneer’s concept returning with the wood panels on the sides.

But as we can see the actual concept images, this could not happen. In a recent conversation with Gear Patrol, Ralph Giles, the design chief of FCA spoke about the design process of the new Grand Wagoneer and the decision of avoiding an overly retro design.

He told the publication, “We actually had a few themes that were emulating the last version, from 1991.”  The early designs were much like the 1991 version. "It was almost too retro. We quickly got off that bandwagon," he added.

Instead of this, the team decided to go with clean, straight lines that seem to embrace its size, “We think we found a nice blend of simplicity [and> gorgeous details. It looks impenetrable, almost like a fortress in a way — but still elegant,” Gill said. To complement its more modern, and fresh look, the decision of no wood paneling has been taken.

“I know I’m gonna get a lot of crap about not getting the wood on the sides,” he says. The design team even tried the wood panels theme mostly as a jest “for a hot minute,” the chief says. “Then I killed it.”

Although the Grand Wagoneer concept does not get a woody exterior, the interior is loaded with an abundant amount of heat-treated lacewood trims on the instrument panel as well as front doors.

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