Classic 1985 Jeep Grand Wagoneer! – Fireball Malibu Vlog 615

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CLASSIC 1985 JEEP GRAND WAGONEER! – FIREBALL MALIBU VLOG 615 – Fireball and Kathie drive a classic 1985 Jeep Grand Wagoneer for the day. Lose to a skateboarder.

From WIKI… The Jeep Wagoneer is the first luxury 4×4, sold and produced for Jeep through numerous marques from 1963 to 1991.

A “sport utility vehicle” (SUV) for decades before the term was even coined, the 4WD Wagoneer saw only minor mechanical changes during its 28-year plus production run, the third longest in U.S. automotive history.

Introduced in November 1962 (1963 model year) as a successor to the Willys Jeep Station Wagon that had been built since the end of World War II, the Wagoneer pioneered the sport utility vehicle concept. In spite of its pickup truck chassis and boxy shape it was more carlike than any 4×4 on the market.

Compared with offerings from General Motors, International Harvester, and Land Rover — which were producing utilitarian work-oriented vehicles with spartan truck-like interiors — the Wagoneer’s luxury set it apart.

Based on the Jeep SJ platform, the revolutionary Wagoneer sported an advanced overhead cam straight-six engine, and offered features unheard of at the time in any other mainstream 4WD vehicle, such as an independent front suspension, power steering, and automatic transmission.

The Wagoneer made its debut seven years before Land Rover launched its Range Rover in Great Britain, and 24 years before that upscale marque appeared in the United States. It was replaced by the smaller Jeep Grand Cherokee.

An improved handling package was introduced in 1985 that incorporated a revised front sway bar, gas filled shock absorbers, and lower friction rear springs. A total of 17,814 Grand Wagoneers were built for 1985.

In 1984, AMC replaced the SJ-body Cherokee with the new, smaller and more fuel-efficient unibody Jeep Cherokee (XJ), but high demand prompted the company to keep the old SJ-body Wagoneer in production.

The Wagoneer Limited was renamed the “Grand Wagoneer” and, in mid-1984, Jeep introduced a less expensive version of the Grand Wagoneer named the Wagoneer Custom without the simulated woodgrain exterior.

Wheels were steel with hubcaps, and standard equipment was pared down. It had part-time four-wheel drive. Despite its lower price (US$15,995, about $3,000 less than the “Grand”), sales were poor.