Jeep Grand Wagoneer vs Subaru Ascent

The 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer shared its frame and body shell with the standard Wagoneer, resulting in a similar traditional SUV styling. It featured a tall hood, broad shoulders, trapezoidal wheel arches, and an upright profile, reminiscent of the smaller 2021 Grand Cherokee L. The Grand Wagoneer distinguished itself with a standard black roof, model-specific hood, front fascia, and grille. Its grille leaned forward slightly, with laser-etched knurling in the slots, and the wheel center caps had an acrylic glass covering to protect the “Wagoneer” logo. The vehicle's body-on-frame architecture, shared with the Wagoneer, allowed for independent front and rear suspension, while aluminum and composite materials helped save weight.

Inside, the Grand Wagoneer shared styling features with the Wagoneer, such as an integrated infotainment touchscreen, a large rotary shift knob, and a two-spoke steering wheel. However, it offered more convenience features and higher-quality materials, including 24-way power front seats with memory, massage, lumbar support, and four-way power headrests. Heated and ventilated seats for the first and second rows, a heated steering wheel, and Nappa leather upholstery were standard, with higher-grade Palermo leather available. The interior also featured aluminum and American Walnut wood trim, with seat controls placed high on the doors, and “Grand Wagoneer” spelled out on the dashboard.

The 2022 Subaru Ascent introduced a new Onyx Edition trim level, which featured a blacked-out exterior trim and badges, black 20-inch aluminum wheels, a unique grille design, and special interior trim. The Onyx Edition was priced at $37,995, with an optional package for an additional $2,000 that included a panoramic moonroof, navigation system, and cargo cover. The Ascent's styling, particularly in the Onyx Edition, gave it a sporty appearance that it previously lacked. Inside, the StarTex upholstery came in a gray two-tone scheme with light gray stitching, and metallic trim on the dashboard and door panels set an appropriate mood.

While the gray interior color was appreciated, the StarTex material had a tendency to trap sweat against the body, making ventilated seats a desirable feature, though they were only available on the Ascent Touring. The Ascent's interior was equipped with triple-zone climate control, heated front seats, heated side mirrors, and a wiper de-icer, making it ready for winter weather. The second-row seat was easy to load, thanks to wide rear doors that opened nearly 90 degrees, and captain’s chairs were available with every trim level. The Ascent offered plenty of storage, with a useful shelf running the width of the dashboard and large cupholders in the second row.

The 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer was powered by a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 engine, producing 471 horsepower and 455 lb-ft of torque. It featured cylinder deactivation for improved fuel economy and was paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. This setup allowed the Grand Wagoneer to accelerate from zero to 60 mph in six seconds, despite its hefty weight of approximately 6,400 pounds. The Grand Wagoneer came standard with four-wheel drive, utilizing the Quadra-Drive II system with a two-speed transfer case and electronic limited-slip differential. It also included Jeep’s Selec-Terrain system with five drive modes: Auto, Sport, Rock, Snow, and Sand/Mud.

The Grand Wagoneer featured a standard Quadra-Lift air suspension system, which was height-adjustable for off-roading, reducing aerodynamic drag on highways, or easing ingress and egress. With the suspension at its maximum height, the vehicle offered 10 inches of ground clearance, a 25-degree approach angle, a 24-degree departure angle, and a 22-degree breakover angle. It could ford up to 24 inches of water and was equipped with skid plates for protection. Despite its powerful engine, the Grand Wagoneer was best driven at a stately pace, as higher speeds resulted in a bouncy ride and imprecise steering.

The 2022 Subaru Ascent was equipped with a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, delivering 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. It featured a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and all-wheel drive as standard. The Ascent achieved an EPA fuel-economy rating of 22 mpg combined with 20-inch wheels, though testing averaged 20.5 mpg. The engine's horizontally-opposed layout, also known as a flat-four or boxer engine, provided a lower center of gravity for improved handling. The CVT offered eight programmed ratios and manual shift control, allowing for brisk acceleration and commendable passing power.

Subaru’s X-Mode off-road traction control system was standard, offering different settings for various road surfaces. Hill descent control and 8.7 inches of ground clearance provided more off-roading capability than many competitors. In urban and suburban settings, the Ascent's responsive acceleration, agreeable CVT, excellent visibility, and absorbent suspension made it nimble and maneuverable. On country and mountain roads, the Ascent demonstrated unexpected athleticism, though its compliant suspension and tall height resulted in more body motion. On highways, the Ascent's driving satisfaction depended on the use of lane-keeping and lane-centering assistance technologies.

The 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer offered seating for seven with standard second-row captain’s chairs or eight with an optional third-row bench seat. It provided more third-row headroom and second-row legroom than competitors like the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, and Infiniti QX80, though space up front was more limited. The Grand Wagoneer offered 27.4 cubic feet of cargo space with all three rows in place and 70.9 cubic feet with the third row stowed. With all rear seats folded, it provided 94.2 cubic feet of cargo space, which was less than some rivals. The Grand Wagoneer had a maximum towing capacity of 9,850 pounds, slightly less than the standard Wagoneer due to its extra weight.

The Grand Wagoneer came with a standard sunroof and four-zone automatic climate control, as well as large storage bins in the first and second rows. Forward visibility was somewhat limited by the hood, but the standard 360-degree camera system helped mitigate this issue.

The 2022 Subaru Ascent could carry up to eight people with a second-row bench seat, though the third row was best suited for children. The Ascent offered a comfortable and commanding driving position, with features like triple-zone climate control, heated front seats, heated side mirrors, and a wiper de-icer. Loading the second-row seat was easy, thanks to wide rear doors, and captain’s chairs were available with every trim level. The Ascent provided ample storage, with a shelf running the width of the dashboard and large cupholders in the second row.

The Ascent offered 17.8 cubic feet of cargo capacity behind the third-row seat, with a shallow storage area under the floor. With the second-row seat folded, it provided 47.5 cubic feet of cargo space, and the maximum capacity with both rows folded was 86.5 cubic feet. Versions with the panoramic sunroof had slightly less cargo space.

The 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer featured a standard 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster with 3D graphics, dual touchscreens, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a McIntosh audio system, and simultaneous pairing for two Bluetooth-enabled phones. It also included a 4G-LTE WiFi hotspot supporting up to eight devices. Second-row passengers had a 10.25-inch center console touchscreen for climate control, and an optional rear-seat entertainment system added two 10.1-inch screens. The Grand Wagoneer had a larger touchscreen than the standard Wagoneer and a second screen for functions like seat massagers.

The Grand Wagoneer could be equipped with a separate 10.25-inch touchscreen for the front passenger, controlling navigation and the optional rear-seat entertainment system. Amazon Alexa connectivity linked the vehicle to smart-home functions, and Fire TV for Auto allowed passengers to stream content. The Uconnect 5 infotainment system featured an Android-based operating system and over-the-air software update capability, though the screen was sometimes slow to respond.

The 2022 Subaru Ascent came with a standard 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system, featuring Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, HD Radio, satellite radio, and a CD player. The Premium trim added an 8-inch display with available Starlink connected services, including a WiFi hotspot and remote engine starting. Both systems included volume and tuning knobs and shortcut buttons. The system’s voice recognition technology needed improvement, as it required specific commands and was slow to respond.

Onyx Edition models used standard stereo speakers, which were distortion-free but lacked sonic quality. Additional technology features for the Touring trim included a digital rearview mirror and a 180-degree-view front camera.

The 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer had not yet been rated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at the time of its launch. Standard safety features included a 360-degree camera system, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, intersection collision assist, and rear parking sensors. Optional features included a driver-attention monitor, night vision, traffic-sign recognition, and two levels of driver-assistance systems.

The 2022 Subaru Ascent received a "Top Safety Pick+" award from the IIHS and five-star crash-test ratings from the NHTSA, except for a four-star rating in rollover resistance. The Ascent came standard with Subaru’s EyeSight driver-assistance technology, which included adaptive cruise control with lane-centering. However, EyeSight's camera-based technology performed intermittently in direct sunlight, and the adaptive cruise control and lane-centering technology lacked refinement. Additional safety features included steering responsive LED headlights with automatic high-beam assist, and blind-spot monitoring was available starting with the Premium trim.