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GRAND WAGONEER - TRACTION AND LUXURY PLUS. Reference: 'Jeep' Magazine, 1986
ROAD TEST…. Location: Gordon Wells, California. It's late afternoon as we cruise eastbound on Interstate 8 in Jeep's Grand Wagoneer. A glance at the instruments indicates half a tank of fuel, temperature is a steady 180 degrees, oil pressure 60 psi and' 14 volts of output. Destination: Yuma, Arizona, to test drive the 19116 Wrangler. But first we have to get there, and there couldn't be a better choice than the Grand Wagoneer for a long trip. It has enough room and options to maintain comfort, and can run all day on any speed you dial into the cruise control. Not only that, but the Grand Wagoneer has the elegance to be seen at the club or best restaurants, and it attracts upper middle-income buyers. It blends the elements of size, comfort, performance and Jeep ruggedness together effectively. This is the result of starting with a good design and refining it. A stand-out feature of the Grand Wagoneer is its bucket seats. When seated vou immediately feel the additional support that prevents body fatigue on long trips. Because they're trimmed in leather with corduroy inserts, you will remain comfortable in hot or cold weather. As a matter of practicality, there's also a center armrest. Pushed down you can rest your arm. But flipped up it allows three-abreast seating. In addition, you can adjust the seats to fit your body's contours. The buckets have six-way power adjustment -: front back up and down and front and back tilt. The remainder of the Grand Wagoneer's interior is well-appointed. It's completely carpeted and the dashboard is functional and attractive. The heat and defrost controls are integrated on a central control unit. Regulating air, heat or defrost is a matter of sliding one knob, while the ,temperature is controlled by a second. Another Grand Wagoneer attribute is its roominess. To begin with it has four doors, which makes getting in and out of the back seat easy. Once the passenger is seated and belted in, he or she will have ample rear legroom. Naturally the Grand Wagoneer can accommodate loads of luggage. But if the trunk isn't large enough, then the rear seat can be folded forward to provide additional space. (With the tailgate closed, this area measures six feet long and 41/2 feet wide.) For protection, there's a retractable cover that can be pulled out, thus keeping valuables out of sight. Even with all the Grand Wagoneer's luxurious features, it wouldn't be a Jeep without a competent suspension and powertrain. It was the first to offer an automatic transmission with a four-wheel drive system. When driving, the Grand Wagoneer doesn't feel bulky. Riding on a 108.7-inch wheelbase, it has a 186 inch overall length, and is 74.8 inches wide. The Grand Wagoneer is big but not excessive, so it's easier to manoeuvre in traffic. Handling characteristics, are phenomenal for a vehicle of this size and type. Cornering is flat. Shock control is tight. As for bumps, the suspension absorbs all of the road irregularities before reaching the passengers. The ride is firm but compliant, which is an important distinction to consider.
On the highway, you sit higher than other drivers and have a wider field of vision. The Grand Wagoneer, thanks to its size, is virtually unaffected by crosswinds. Even turbulence created by oncoming 18-wheelers produces no shudders. Although the Grand Wagoneer's emphasis is on luxury, it has Jeep's hereditary toughness to handle off-road driving. The only difference between this and the more compact Cherokee-based Wagoneer is size. If the trail is wide enough for the Grand Wagoneer to fit, then it has the power and ability to get through. Or, as a Jeep engineer put it, a Grand Wagoneer can travel over the Rubicon Trail. But, he adds, the body panels may not be completely straight at Trail's end. Driving off-road, it has more than 7.2 inches of ground clearance. Plus, with generous angles of departure and approach, it can even climb over banks. Jeep's approach to achieving good handling was to concentrate on the basics and add only proven refinements, which starts with the separate steel frame and large, firm rubber insulators that the body is mounted on. Move on to the suspension, which consists of leaf springs front and rear, plus a one-inch-diameter anti-sway bar in the f ront. The gauges can be easily viewed, plus the heater, defroster and air conditioner controls are clustered. Naturally, the steering wheel is leather-covered.
Powertrain selections are kept to a minimum. The Grand Wagoneer is equipped with the 4.2-litre six-cylinder. Optional, and required for towing Class Ill trailers, is the 5.9-litre V8. Whichever engine is employed, it is attached to the three-speed automatic. The three-speed does its job quietly and shifts are almost undetectable. The remainder of the running gear consists of a Dana Model 44 full-floating front axle with a 8.50-inch-diameter ring gear. The rear axle is AMC's Hypoid Semi-Floating with the 8.875-inch gear. The standard ratio is 2.73:1 with an optional 3.31A. Naturally, the all-surface Selec-Trac is standard. Operating the system is very easy. Just to the right of the If the going gets too slippery, steering column is a small switch that maximum traction can be had by changes two-wheel drive to four. When shifting into low range. To do this, pull it's flipped to four-wheel drive, the small lever, located to the left of system is automatically engaged and the transmission tunnel near the front confirmed by a light on the dash. Now. the Grand Wagoneer can be operated in four high on any surface for any length of time. Whether it's across town or a 500-mile journey through the Snow Belt, , four-wheel drive is available continuously.
The vehicle hugs the road with P235/75R15 steel-belted all-weather radials. On the highway, these tires perform excellently yet quietly. Off-road, they also do a good job. But if you're planning a lot of off-road driving, particularly if it's sandy or muddy, you might be better off changing to tires with a more open tread. The standard 12-spoke aluminium wheels measure 15 x 7 inches and utilize a six-lug stud pattern. The Grand Wagoneer's power disc/drum brakes are very efficient, consistent and smooth on the road. Under hard braking there's very little nosedive and excellent modulation between front and rear. A variable 16-13:1 ratio is standard with the power-assisted steering. With 3.5 turns
lock to lock, the steering is quick enough to keep up with any inputs. Put the suspension,
steering, wheels, tires and powertrain
together and you get a well-mannered vehicle. Even equipped with the 360-cubic-inch V8, the Grand Wagoneer won't win any races. But more importantly, it has the power to tow 5000 pounds or cruise with the traffic flow. Fuel economy is surprisingly good. During our testing, even our worst rating, 12.1 mpg, exceeds the EPA's city estimates. Our best, 14.7 mpg, also beats the EPA highway figure. We believe you will obtain better numbers for two reasons. First, the engine in our test car had only accumulated 1000 miles. Also, most of our driving was not done conservatively. And because mileage depends on the type of weather, driving habits and traffic conditions, there will probably be additional fuel savings as the engine breaks in.
Everything else-power brakes and steering, electronically tuned AM/FM cassette stereo, fog lights and luggage rack-is standard. So it's easy to see why the Grand Wagoneer is the vehicle of choice for long drives or short jaunts. SPECIFICATIONS Exterior Overhang -Front 31 3 in. -Rear 46.4 in. Overall Length 186.4 in.
Overall Width (max.) 74.8 in. Overall Height 66.4 in. Interior Headroom Legroom -Front 37.1 in. -Front 37.1 in. -Rear 36.8 in. -Rear 37.0 in Shoulder Room Hip Room
-Rear 58.3 in. -Rear 60.9 in. Ground Clear @ Curb Lead Min. Running Clearance10.1 in. Engine Transmission Type 3-Speed Automatic Gear Ratios 5th Rev 2.20 Torque Converter 10.75 in. Dia Transfer Case Type New Process 228 New Process 208 Hi Range 1.00 1.00 Low Range 2.61 2.61 Front Drive Via HY-VO Chain Front Axle Dana Model 44 Full-Floating Rear Axle AMC Hypoid Semi-Floating Final Drive Ratios 2.73:1 3.31:1 Chassis Tires P235175/R15 Steel Belt Radial Wheel Size 15x7 12-Spoke Aluminium Brakes Front Service Brake Disc Type Vented Cast Iron Rotor Rotor Dimension (12.0 in.) Dia. Rear Service Brake Drum Type Full Cast iron Drum Steering Turns Lock to Lock 3.5 Turning Diameter 37.7 ft. Front Suspension Type Hotchkiss-Leaf Spring Mounted Below Axle Stabiliser Bar Link Type (1.0 in.) Dia. Track Bar 1.06 in Dia Type Hotchkiss-leaf Spring Mounted Above Axle Track Bar 1.06 in. Die. Base Curb 4252.3 4505.3 |
Most drivers
equate a soft ride with a lot of suspension movement. But a soft suspension yields a 
With the
springs, anti-friction material is placed between the 
If the going
gets too slippery, maximum traction can had by shifting into low range. To do this, pull
the small lever located to the left of the front of the seat, to the 
We've
discussed the luxury aspect of the Grand