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Jeep’s resurrection of the Wagoneer was never a quiet return. This wasn’t a nostalgic nod to the wood-paneled icon of yesteryear, it was a cannonball splash into the luxury SUV pool, fully suited in chrome, leather, and swagger.
The idea was simple and seductive: a full-size, body-on-frame brute dressed for dinner, capable of towing nearly 10,000 pounds while serenading passengers with a McIntosh audio system.
Real-World Jeep Wagoneer Towing Experiences
But in the real world, where trailers weigh seven grand and safety systems don’t always behave, the Wagoneer’s double life as both luxury liner and workhorse proves far more complicated.
Few have captured this friction between image and execution better than Scheib027, a Wagoneer owner who took to WagoneerFans.com with the kind of brutally honest review you don’t find in marketing brochures.
“I wanted to share my full experience after purchasing a Series II 4X4 Wagoneer with the HD Tow Package and Quadra-Lift Air Suspension, in case anyone out there is coming to this forum in search of such experiences.
We have two 3-year-old Ram 2500s with the Cummins diesel that pull our trailers like they’re nothing. The third vehicle I really wanted to double as a personal vehicle, and I am partial to SUVs. I was coming from a 2021 Durango Citadel, but we recently upgraded to tandem 7×18′ enclosed trailers with a loaded weight of just under 7000 lbs. The tongue weight on these trailers is right around 850 lbs, with 60-70% of the trailer weight to the front of the wheels. This was just over what the Citadel could comfortably handle. The dealer actually let me try out a Durango R/T Tow ‘n Go with my trailer, but it just felt like it was lacking the power and stability that I needed for longer interstate drives. Plus, boy, was it loud.
So, I let a local dealer sell me a 4×4 Series III Carbide Wagoneer with a 3.0L SO, telling me “it could easily tow 8500lbs”. I didn’t do my research, and long story short, it was only capable of just under 6,000 lbs. As soon as I put the trailer on, the coil suspension squatted so much that there was barely any room between the rear tires and the top of the wheel well, and the front end was up several inches. So the dealer unwound the sale and took it back. I spent the next two weeks on this forum and others, plus every Wagoneer website, reading and researching everything there is to know about towing with a Wagoneer. I finally drove over 2 hours to the closest dealer with a selection of Wagoneers with the HD Tow Package and air suspension. I decided on a Series II 4×4 Hurricane with a tow capacity of 9,930 lbs, well over what I needed.
Now to the towing. When lowering the trailer onto the hitch, I was impressed as the Quadra-Lift automatically leveled out the suspension, keeping both the Wagoneer and trailer level. I pulled away with ease. Turning, accelerating, braking – it was like there was no trailer behind me at all. The inline 6 Turbo was incredible and had more than enough power to pull what I had hooked up, smoother than any other tow vehicle I’ve ever driven.
Then the trailer light warning came on. This concerned me as the lights were still functioning, even though a second alert said the running lights were out. I pulled over, unplugged the 7-pin, and replugged it. All the lights were fine, but I still kept getting the same warning. While driving, I would randomly get a “trailer disconnected” message, even though the lights and trailer brakes were still functioning. I chalked this up to a bug or a problem with the trailer connection. Once I hit the interstate, that’s when the trouble started. Things were fine until about 60mph, at which point the Trailer Sway Control (which cannot be turned off) seemed to be kicking in, quickly braking one side, then the other, trying to correct a sway that wasn’t happening. This turned out to be extremely unnerving and dangerous, as it jerked the Wagoneer out of the lane each time. I had to be ready and alert so I could compensate for the movement and not end up in an accident, and I finally just slowed down to around 50mph.
Once I got back home, I attempted to remove the trailer, but the air suspension fought me every step of the way. I tried all the steps others have advised in this forum, but it seems that if there is just a little bit of tension on the hitch, the Wagoneer will raise up to its highest setting, making it impossible to disconnect the trailer. This happens whether the Jeep is on, off, the door is open, or closed. It then goes into Tire Jack Mode, disabling the manual control of the air suspension. You then need to go through a series of menus to turn that mode off. I repeated the entire towing process with the other two trailers (one of them only 3 months old) with different load orders, different hitches, more/less tongue weight, and windy and non-windy conditions. I continued to get all the same errors and all the dangerous and unstable driving conditions. I took it to the dealer, who performed a few recall fixes and computer/electrical updates, but all the same issues remained. I finally bit the bullet and went back and got myself a 2025 Ram 2500 Bighorn gasser, and took the trailer out on the interstate without a single issue, even up to 75mph.
Could these problems be solved with a future update, a weight distribution hitch, or a sway bar? Perhaps. But ease and convenience are very important to me, and when I’m working with 3 different trailers and multiple drivers regularly, it just isn’t practical to deal with all of that. These options might be fine for someone else’s needs. With the 2500, I hook up and go, no jumping through hoops or adding extra equipment and extra time to make it work. I am a fan of the Wagoneer for sure. It was comfortable, smooth, and felt very upscale. But when it comes to towing, it was not a safe and positive experience.”
This wasn’t some poorly executed DIY job gone sideways. This was a man who came prepared, with experience towing multiple trailers, and a practical knowledge of what it takes to move weight at speed. He was hoping the Wagoneer, with its high-output Hurricane six-cylinder, Quadra-Lift air suspension, and a badge boasting a near five-digit tow capacity, could be the best of both worlds. It wasn’t.
Smooth Power Meets Overactive Safety, Jeep Wagoneer’s Trailer Sway Control Saga
While initial towing performance was impressive, smooth power, level suspension, and confident acceleration, things took a nosedive at highway speeds when the system’s automated safety nanny mistook calm weather for calamity and began applying corrective braking that nearly threw him out of his lane.
And here’s the catch: it wasn’t an isolated case. Another user, Woodywoodpecker, chimed in with his own version of the same saga. Phantom “Trailer Disconnected” messages, system warnings for lights that were working just fine, and an air suspension system that actively resisted trailer removal like a toddler refusing to leave the playground. His ritual to unhitch safely involved a laundry list of steps more fitting for a NASA pre-launch checklist than a weekend tow session. That’s not convenience, it’s lunacy dressed in leather.
Wagoneer Series II Tow Package Specs: Engine, Dimensions & Capacity
- Powered by a 3.0L Hurricane Twin-Turbo I-6 engine, the Wagoneer Series II delivers 420 horsepower and 468 lb-ft of torque, paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. This setup provides robust performance for both daily driving and towing needs.
- The vehicle measures 214.7 inches in length, 83.6 inches in width, and 79.7 inches in height. It has a wheelbase of 123.0 inches, offering ample interior space for passengers and cargo.
- The Quadra-Lift® Air Suspension system provides 3.6 inches of suspension travel and up to 10 inches of ground clearance. This adaptive suspension enhances ride comfort and off-road capability by adjusting the vehicle’s height based on driving conditions.
- With the Heavy-Duty Trailer Tow Package, the Wagoneer Series II 4×4 achieves a maximum towing capacity of up to 10,000 pounds, making it suitable for hauling trailers, boats, or campers.
So what happened? Jeep, in its ambition to build the ultimate American luxury SUV, designed a vehicle that could theoretically tow like a truck while cosseting you like a Gulfstream jet.
But in practice, it’s become the poster child for overengineering, where technology exists not to solve a problem, but to create new ones. Systems like Quadra-Lift and automatic sway control may look brilliant on a PowerPoint slide, but when they overreact to nothing or lock you out of basic towing functionality, you become very frustrated.
This disconnect between concept and capability highlights a painful truth in today’s auto market, function often plays second fiddle to form. It’s not that the Wagoneer is incapable; it’s that it demands too much precision, too much setup, and too much forgiveness.
Why the Ram 2500 Outperforms the Jeep Wagoneer
When you’re towing three different trailers across varying conditions and using multiple drivers, you can’t afford to babysit your vehicle. The Ram 2500, by contrast, just works. No menu-diving, no warnings about non-existent faults, no white-knuckle course corrections from an overactive computer brain. Just raw, V8-driven competence.
For those wondering whether to spring for the heavy-duty tow package on a Wagoneer, the question shouldn’t be “Can it tow?” but rather “Can it tow without drama?” The promise is there, up to 9,930 lbs, state-of-the-art electronics, and a suspension system smarter than most undergrads. But for too many owners, the experience has fallen short. As one poster summarized, after averaging just 7 mpg and fighting the system across South Dakota,
“If I were to do it again, I would try to turn off Tow Mode… to see if it would help with the MPG efficiency.”
Jeep Wagoneer Evolution: Key Milestones from 1962 to Modern Day
- Introduced in 1962 for the 1963 model year, the original Jeep Wagoneer was among the first vehicles to combine four-wheel-drive capability with passenger car comfort, setting the stage for the modern luxury SUV.
- The Wagoneer’s distinctive woodgrain exterior panels, introduced in the 1970s, became a symbol of upscale adventure and remain a nostalgic hallmark of the brand’s identity.
- After a hiatus, Jeep reintroduced the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer in 2021, blending contemporary luxury and technology with design cues that pay homage to the original models, such as a prominent grille and spacious interior.
- The latest Wagoneer models feature advanced technology, refined interiors, and powerful engine options, positioning them as strong contenders in the full-size luxury SUV market alongside competitors like the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator.
As forum user Scheib027 discovered when he traded back into a 2025 Ram 2500 Bighorn, the best truck isn’t always the newest or the most expensive, it’s the one that asks the least of you.
The one that hooks up, hauls, and handles business without drama. When you’re towing 7,000 pounds at interstate speeds and just want to get where you’re going without a warning light or menu screen standing in your way.
Is the Wagoneer’s struggle a sign of where the modern SUV is heading, with technology overwhelming practicality? Have you had a similar experience towing with a modern luxury SUV?
Share your stories in the comment section below.
Image Sources: Jeep Newsroom, Joey Czarkowski from Jeep Wagoneer EV Facebook Group, r/Jeep Subreddit
Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.
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Source: torquenews.com
