Jeep has finally unveiled its first fully electric SUV, the Jeep Wagoneer S. The new vehicle modernizes the design of the Wagoneer, while offering a fully electric powertrain and plenty of interior space.
But the electric vehicle space is gaining steam, and there are now quite a few models on offer — both from legacy automakers and from newer companies that came onto the scene with EVs. Of course, the most popular of these is the Tesla Model Y, which boasts a great range and solid performance.
The Wagoneer S and Model Y are in different price ranges, but there are still areas in which the Model Y is actually better than the Wagoneer S. But which is better overall? Here’s a look.
Design
The overall designs of the Jeep Wagoneer S and the Tesla Model Y are quite different. While Tesla does market the Model Y as an SUV, it’s much more of a crossover-sized vehicle. That’s not a bad thing, but when you look at the boxy shape of the Wagoneer S, you’re much more likely to see a true SUV.
If you’ve seen Tesla vehicles before, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what the Model Y looks like — unless you’ve only ever seen a Cybertruck. The car offers a curvy build that looks relatively modern, along with slanted headlights on the front. The design may have largely remained the same for quite some time now, but it’s still generally a modern-looking car, and many love the minimalistic approach that Tesla takes. The Model Y measures 187 inches long, 76 inches wide, and 64 inches high.
The Jeep Wagoneer S is less minimalistic, but it does still look relatively modern. The vehicle is more boxy, with long light bars on the front and the back, as well as a two-tone color scheme. So far, there’s only one trim on offer — the Wagoneer S Launch Edition. It’s possible, and even likely, that other trims will be released with slightly different designs. But we expect the overall design to remain largely the same. The Wagoneer S measures 192.4 inches long, 74.8 inches wide, and 64.8 inches wide. So, it’s definitely a little longer than the Model Y, but not much larger in general despite being much more SUV-like in design.
Both vehicles are nice-looking, and design overall is subjective, so this one’s a tie.
Winner: Tie
Interior and tech
The interiors of these two vehicles are quite different too. Tesla continues on with the minimalistic approach to design on the inside of the Model Y, with very few physical controls apart from a few on the steering wheel. Pretty much everything else is packed into the single 15-inch touch display. The screen runs Tesla’s self-developed infotainment system, which most consider to be among the best-designed infotainment systems out there — not to mention one of the most responsive.
The Model Y offers a solid set of driver-assist tools, however many of them don’t come free. For free, you will essentially get adaptive cruise control and a lane assistant, which can allow the car to more or less drive itself on the highway, with driver supervision. More advanced features are available at a price — but don’t expect the car to be able to completely drive itself regardless of how Tesla brands its software.
The Wagoneer S’ interior is less minimalistic — but the trade-off is that you’ll get more physical controls, which some might actually prefer. In the Wagoneer S, there are more screens — a total of three at the front. These include an instrument display, an infotainment display, and a separate entertainment display for the front-seat passenger. Despite being less minimalistic, the vehicle’s interior still looks great — and very modern. The car will come with Stellantis’ Uconnect infotainment system that won’t be as easy to navigate as Tesla’s — but it will support Android Auto and CarPlay, unlike the Tesla. The Wagoneer S will offer some self-driving features, include adaptive cruise control and lane assistant, which are the same as Tesla’s free features.
Despite being slightly smaller, the Model Y does offer an option for a third row of seats — however, that third row will be pretty cramped and will result in almost no trunk space when the third row is up.
Again, interior designs are subjective, and while Tesla offers better software, many will still prefer CarPlay. Some might prefer a minimalistic look, while others will prefer having access to more buttons. This one’s also a tie.
Winner: Tie
Performance
The Jeep Wagoneer S is much more expensive than the Tesla Model Y, so you would assume that it performs much better. However, the cars are actually very close when it comes to overall performance.
The Tesla Model Y is available in three drivetrains — and the fastest version of the Model Y can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in only 3.5 seconds with a dual-motor, all-wheel drive configuration. The base model hits 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, with a single motor that only powers the rear wheels.
The Wagoneer S, thankfully, is no snail. As mentioned, only one Wagoneer S trim has been revealed, and it performs excellently. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds — so it’s slightly quicker than the fastest Model Y, but again, at a much higher price.
Now, of course, “performance” encompasses more than just 0 to 60 times — however without having driven the Wagoneer S, it’s a little hard to judge overall driving dynamics. Even though the two cars are very similar in performance, the Wagoneer S is technically faster, so it gets the win.
Winner: Jeep Wagoneer S
Range and charging
Both the Tesla Model Y and the Jeep Wagoneer S have a lot to offer when it comes to range and charging — which you would expect of both Tesla and of a car the price of the Wagoneer S.
The Tesla Model Y is available in three variants, with three different ranges. The highest-performance model happens to have the lowest range, which makes sense given the fact that it puts more power into the wheels with the same-size battery. The Model Y Performance sits in at 279 miles of range. The base Model Y, which is the rear-wheel drive model, has a range of 320 miles, while the Long Range All-Wheel Drive model has a 308-mile range. The Model Y can charge at up to 250 kilowatts at the right charger. This equates to a charging speed from 10% to 80% in 27 minutes.
The Wagoneer S is no slouch in the range department, however, we don’t yet have specific numbers. Jeep has promised a range of “over 300 miles,” but we’ll have to wait and see if that holds once we get an official rating from the Environmental Protection Agency. Jeep also hasn’t specified exact charging speed, but it has said that the Wagoneer S will be able to charge from 20% to 80% in 23 minutes, which isn’t bad, and means it might be slightly quicker than the Tesla Model Y (though the figure for the Model Y above is from 10%, not 20%, like the Wagoneer S).
These numbers are for the Wagoneer S Launch Edition, which could end up being one of the longer-range models. However, we don’t yet have full information for the Launch Edition, let alone other potential iterations of the Wagoneer S. As such, this one’s a tie.
Winner: Tie
Price and availability
If you want an EV now and are deciding between these two vehicles, you only have one option — the Tesla Model Y. The Model Y is available right now, and can be ordered for a base price of $44,990, however, keep in mind that it is eligible for the full $7,500 federal EV tax credit, so you’ll really only pay $37,400, if you qualify for the credit.
The Jeep Wagoneer S can technically be reserved now, but deliveries won’t start until later this year. The Wagoneer S Launch Edition starts at $71,995, and it’s also eligible for the tax credit — so if you qualify, you’ll pay $64,495.
The Model Y is cheaper and currently available. It wins this category.
Winner: Tesla Model Y
Conclusions
This one’s a little weird to compare, based on the category winners. If you’re even considering the Jeep Wagoneer S, you likely know that it isn’t available just yet and as such are willing to wait a little — so the Model Y isn’t necessarily better just because it’s available. That said, the Model Y is still quite a lot cheaper than the Wagoneer S. Now buckle in as this comparison is about to get a little funky.
As it stands right now, the Model Y wins for its price, while the Wagoneer S wins for its performance. Things change depending on which Model Y you’re interested in. The Wagoneer S is only a hair quicker than the top-trim Model Y — but if you’re interested in the top-trim Model Y, you’ll need to keep in mind that it’ll lose the range category with a 279-mile range compared to the Wagoneer S’ “above 300-mile” range. Scale back to the cheaper Model Y trims, and things will even out in range — but the Wagoneer S will pull further ahead in performance.
The end result? You really just need to decide what’s important to you. If you’re looking to save cash, the Model Y is clearly a better choice, plus it has better software and is still relatively quick. If, however, you like the look of the Jeep, want top performance, and are willing to spend more, then the Wagoneer S is worth considering — though at that price range, you should also consider the Rivian R1S.
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