Key Takeaways
- Electric SUVs expanding beyond Tesla to traditional automakers like GM and Ford.
- Rivian makes waves with off-road focused EV trucks, facing issues with reliability and repair costs.
- Jeep’s new Wagoneer S aims to find a niche in the electric SUV market with impressive specs and price point.
Electric SUVs are here to stay. What the Tesla Model X started now includes many more traditional automakers, like GM, Ford, and Hyundai. Electric automaker, Rivian, has become a major player in the EV industry with their off-road-focused R1T and R1S. The company went public in late 2021 and their trucks are already making a splash in the market. Stelantis-owned Jeep also entered into fully electric vehicles with the Jeep Wagoneer S and Reacon SUVS announcement. These will be the first from the brand solely powered by an electric motor and battery. While the brand has plug-in hybrids, these models will break new ground for the producer of the Wrangler.
With a focus on rugged, off-road-going designs, Jeep could be well-positioned to steal customers from Rivian, or even Tesla buyers who want an SUV as rugged as the new Tesla Cybertruck. However, these are leaders in electric cars for a reason. Both brands produce some seriously fast EVs with large ranges, things that are attractive to buyers coming from traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. However, when it comes to these two brands that Jeep seeks to compete with, they do have some problems. For instance, both have been plagued with some reliability issues.
Tesla mostly struggles with quality control compared to legacy automakers and Rivian’s vehicles are expensive to repair. Both brands were ranked low in reliability and are decently expensive to repair compared to normal ICE vehicles.
Will Jeep be able to find a niche with all these big players in the field, or will it fail in the face of competition? Read on to see if the Jeep Wagoneer S can find an advantage to secure a place in this fierce automotive segment.
Jeep’s Chance To Strike Big In The Electric SUV Market
The new all-electric Jeep Wagoneer will arrive in the fall of 2024 in the United States and, unlike its Wagoneer brothers, will only feature two rows of seating, making it a sort of middle child in the Jeep lineup and the EV market. Some notable features include standard all-terrain management and 4xe capability to make this battery-electric vehicle (BEV) Jeep formidable off-road.
Concept images also promise a sleeker design than many of the boxy Jeeps on the market so far. Prominent features include a faux grill with an LED lightbar above it and the Wagoneer logo above that. Interestingly, the model does not seem to have the Jeep logo featured on the exterior, perhaps alluding to Jeep’s intention to make the Wagoneer into a sub-brand. While the price is yet to be officially announced, the Wagoneer S will likely cost somewhere around $80,000 which should help it slot in between cheaper EVs like the Kia EV6 and more premium models such as the Telsa Model X Plaid.
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Tesla And Rivian’s Weaknesses
The Tesla Model X has its fair share of problems, regularly scoring poorly on reliability and having a decent amount of recalls. Along with that, the SUV and the other Teslas seem to have poor quality control with complaints of panel gaps making their way around the internet.
Also scoring poorly on reliability according to consumer reports, is the Rivian R1T, which is nearly identical to the brand’s SUV, the Rivian R1S. There are also instances of extremely high repair bills for the Rivian R1 platform. There have been multiple instances of Rivian-certified repair shops giving out extremely high estimates for repair damages. One man was rear-ended in his R1T and was given an eye-watering $42,000 estimate to repair seemingly mild damage. Another owner said on the Rivian Forums that he received a $10,000 estimate to fix some paint scuffs and small dents.
These problems with reliability show that these market leaders in EVs are not perfect. If Jeep can capitalize on the main weaknesses of its rivals- reliability, quality control, and repair cost, it could become the next big thing in the electric SUV market. Next, let’s see how the Jeep’s facts and figures compare with its rivals.
The Jeep Wagoneer S’s Chance
- Tesla’s poor quality control and reliability.
- Rivian’s poor reliability and extreme repair costs.
- Jeep’s proposed specs look good.
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How The Jeep Wagoneer S Stacks Up In Terms Of Performance
Jeep Wagoneer S Vs Tesla Model X And Rivian R1S Performance Comparison
|
Model |
Jeep Wagoneer S |
Rivian R1S |
Tesla Model X |
|
Horsepower |
600 hp |
600- 835 hp |
620- 1,020 hp |
|
Torque |
Not specified |
600- 908 ft-lbs. |
723- 1,050 ft-lbs. |
|
Range |
400 miles |
260- 321 miles |
333- 348 miles |
|
0-60 |
3.5 seconds |
3.0- 4.0 seconds |
2.5- 3.8 seconds |
|
Price |
$80,000 |
$78,000- $92,000 |
$94,990- $108,490 |
Each vehicle above has clear strengths and weaknesses to consider. There’s no denying that the Tesla Model X Plaid is the fastest-accelerating SUV in the world and it carries the highest price tag and middling range compared to the others. The Jeep seems to stack up pretty well against its rivals in price and performance.
Even though it might seem underpowered compared to the two beasts it is up against, the Wagoneer delivers a very impressive EV range, a key metric to anyone looking to change over to a fully electric vehicle. While the Rivian barely undercuts the Jeep’s price, it also offers the worst range.
If the new BEV Jeep Wagoneer S can deliver on most of its early specifications, it could have a fighting chance against the electric vehicle specialists of the world, especially if Jeep makes updates to it over time. With a new electric SUV on the market from one of the American big three, it should increase competition and be good for consumers as it pushes top brands to make improvements to sell vehicles.
Each EV SUV’s Strengths And Weaknesses
- The Tesla features the best performance but is expensive and poor off-road.
- The Rivian is great off-road but lacks in range.
- The Jeep slots in between the two with good range, ok performance, and good projected all-terrain capability.
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Will The New EV Jeep Score With Consumers?
As mentioned previously, the Jeep Wagoneer S has a real chance if the company can deliver on all its promises and also incrementally improve with each model year. On the other hand, a lot of this is speculation, since Jeep could run into numerous problems with the roll-out, see price increases due to supply chain issues or macroeconomic factors, or disappoint consumers by not living up to the original promises from Stellantis.
There is still a lot up in the air for this groundbreaking SUV from Jeep. It will need to compete with the originators of the segment, keep up the rugged and all-terrain legacy of its Jeep forebearers, deliver a next-generation EV driving experience to entice buyers, and be refined enough to compete with European luxury brands not even mentioned in this article, like the Audi E-Tron. Talk about a tall task. Still, we’ll see how the newest Jeep on the block sells going forward.
Sources: Autoblog, Rivian Forums, Stellantis,
