2025 Jeep Wagoneer S Review + Video

In spite of what the naysayers will tell you, electric vehicles (EVs) still matter.

And while there’s no denying the complexity involved with developing new ones, delivering unfinished examples only serves to disenfranchise the shoppers who might actually buy them — a matter of particular importance as sales stagnate and pessimism spreads across the market. It’s enough to leave a promising product like the 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S bogged down by its own unfulfilled potential, with a sense that the brand’s first-ever EV was rushed to the finish line.

Practicality 8 / 10

It might borrow its name from the biggest model in the Jeep lineup, but the Wagoneer S is a lot closer in size to the longstanding Grand Cherokee (and, indeed, it looks an awful lot like a futuristic reimagining of one). The space inside is similar as a result, with comfortable confines front and rear, although the 866 L behind the tailgate is less than the similarly sized Lexus RZ offers (966 L), not to mention the Grand Cherokee (1,068 L).

Styling 9.5 / 10

The Wagoneer S is an undeniably stylish sport utility, with the look of a concept vehicle that snuck its way onto the production line. The seven-slot light bar serves as an homage to Jeep’s iconic grille design, while the overall shape is akin to that of a next-gen Grand Cherokee. It’s only the 20-inch wheels that look surprisingly small under the low and wide body, which is made more obvious in this tester’s high-contrast motif.

Meanwhile, the optional red upholstery ($1,000) that’s exclusive to the $29,000 Premium package is the sort of aesthetic upgrade that works exceptionally well. It lends a richness to the space and plays nicely with the various other shapes and surfaces found throughout. It also helps distract from the assortment of screens in use here, which feels very much in vogue (if not a little excessive and unnecessary).

User-Friendliness 5 / 10

Indeed, the gratuitous application of digital displays is all the rage in the industry these days, and there’s no shortage of them here. There’s a 12.3-inch touchscreen in the middle of the dash, a slightly smaller one below that’s used for climate and, in the case of Premium-equipped examples, front-seat massage control, and a digital instrument display; plus the optional Luxury Group of features ($2,000) adds a head-up display and passenger-side touchscreen.

Not only is it all a little much, but their combined effectiveness is hampered by a flawed user experience that’s uncharacteristic of the operating system Jeep parent company Stellantis has offered for years with great success. In this case, Uconnect 5 — the latest iteration of the software at the time of this writing — was prone to voice recognition issues, slow loading times, and sputtering performance when cycling between features and functions.

Other oddities include a state-of-charge indicator that doesn’t remain on any of those numerous screens when the vehicle is plugged in. As anyone who has spent time at a public charger can attest, being able to quickly glance down at the instrument or infotainment display for a status update is all but imperative to the process. You shouldn’t have to open an app on your smartphone to find out how full the battery is.

Add to the list of imperfections the way the regenerative braking functions. While there are two strength levels to choose between, minimum and maximum, the system defaults to the former each time the vehicle is restarted; yet the so-called “creep mode” that allows the vehicle to be brought to a stop by easing off the accelerator (otherwise known as one-pedal driving) remains on or off — whichever it was last set to.

The system also proved difficult to modulate during this test, feeling like two magnets pulling together the closer the Wagoneer S came to a complete stop. It was enough to make low-speed manoeuvres like parking particularly jarring as it proved all but impossible to smoothly roll forward and back below, say, three km/h. And while it would be acceptable in isolation, it’s emblematic of a user experience that lacks polish.

Power 10 / 10

Underpinning the Wagoneer S is a 100.5-kWh battery pack bookended by a pair of electric motors, meaning it has all-wheel drive. Output depends on the features it’s been fitted with, with the Limited package ($23,000) making 500 hp and 524 lb-ft of torque and the top Premium kit uncorked to 600 hp and 617 lb-ft of torque. (That’s thanks to a so-called Power Group that can be added to the Limited pack for an extra $2,500.)

That kind of instantaneous torque is enough to send this 2,570-kg (5,666-lb) EV from a standing start to 100 km/h in less than four seconds — and it’ll do it while smoking all four all-season tires it rides on. But more importantly, it’s easy to parse out the stuff that makes it go in a much more manageable way. In fact, it isn’t entirely like the slightly larger Cadillac Vistiq for the way in which it calmly cruises around.

Fuel Economy 8 / 10

The official range estimate is 473 km — just short of where it probably should be. (A recent study cited more than 600 km as the magic number for Canadians to consider EVs.) Regardless, it isn’t difficult to drive the Wagoneer S efficiently, with this late November test turning in an indicated average of 20.7 kWh/100 km across a total of nearly 600 km compared to a combined rating of 22.5.

Maximum charging speeds are capped at 203 kW, with the benchmark 20-to-80 per cent jump taking a claimed 23 minutes in ideal conditions. During this test, it took a little more than 27 minutes to charge from 32 per cent to 80 per cent — not bad considering the ambient temperature was just above freezing and there were two other EVs charging at an adjacent station. Level 2 sessions should take about six hours to get the same boost.

Features 10 / 10

While most other automakers have already switched to Tesla’s charging interface or are in the process of doing so, Stellantis is among the few remaining outliers. (In November 2025, it announced plans to transition to the Tesla system starting the following year, although it made no mention of an adapter for existing owners.) That means there’s a single Combined Charging System (CCS) port on the rear driver’s side.

Included with the Limited package is wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless phone charger, built-in navigation, subscription-based satellite radio, a nine-speaker stereo, and a heated steering wheel and front seats. Meanwhile, the Premium pack adds 10 more speakers for a total of 19, plus ventilated and massaging front seats, and heated and ventilated rear ones. And, of course, there are those upgrade kits.

Value 6 / 10

This EV’s pricing structure is a bit deceiving, since Jeep lists the base price at $59,995 before freight ($2,695) and tax — except the Wagoneer S can’t be had without either the Limited or Premium package. The former means the cheapest version is actually $82,995, while the latter adds another $6,000 to the asking price. In the case of this tester, a couple other options were enough to make it nearly $95,000 before tax.

For the sake of comparison, the similarly sized Cadillac Lyriq starts at $71,999 and goes to $82,499, although that’s for all-wheel drive; skipping the extra traction cuts $4,500 from each of them. Then there’s the slightly larger Cadillac Vistiq that features standard all-wheel drive and a third set of seats. It starts at $92,999, although the top trim is a whopping $117,499 before freight ($2,600) and tax.

Safety 9 / 10

The advanced safety suite is the same no matter how the Wagoneer S is equipped, with everything from surround-view cameras to forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning and keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control. However, unlike others in its price range, there’s no hands-free highway driving assistance.

Comfort 7 / 10

Ride quality is what you might expect a Grand Cherokee that’s been saddled with a bunch of extra mass to feel like. There’s some suppleness to be sure, but it’s often overshadowed by the big and bulky battery pack mounted beneath the body, with pressure cracks and potholes feeling more pronounced than they would be without it. But then the 20-inch wheels and relatively low profile tires they’re wrapped in don’t help matters.

Driving Feel 8 / 10

It’s worth reminding you that those are all-seasons rather than the stickier performance tires that usually come equipped on a 600-hp EV such as this, which is at least part of the reason why it’s so easy to light them up with a heavy foot on the throttle. But then the ones up front aren’t entirely devoid of feel when driving with enthusiasm along a winding backroad, plus the low centre of gravity keeps it firmly planted to the surface below.

The Verdict

But then this isn’t a sporty EV — it’s the kind that’s meant to move around in comfort and serenity, and all without burning any gas. And in that way the 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S is just OK, feeling like the brand was in a hurry to get it into customers’ hands at the cost of the kind of user experience that should reasonably be expected considering how long it took to get here, not to mention how much it costs.

The optimistic outlook is that some of this EV’s issues could be straightened out through software updates. But then they could just as easily be used to deem the Wagoneer S a failure before it truly has a chance to establish itself in a market that hasn’t exactly been kind to electrification lately. Some generous incentives would undoubtedly help enhance its appeal, but in the meantime there are more intriguing products for the price.