While most people think of the Wrangler as the prototypical Jeep, many grew up with a very different icon of Jeep: the Wagoneer. This large go-anywhere wagon predated American Motors, and was made well into the Chrysler Corporation era.
Driven by families, chief executives, foresters, and many others, the Jeep Wagoneer provided a high degree of creature comfort for a vehicle that could traverse a stream or boulder field. An American Range Rover, the Wagoneer carried strong Jeep engineering under its skin.
The Jeep Wagoneer also spawned one of the most popular Jeep vehicles ever made — the Cherokee. Cheaper than the Wagoneer itself, the Cherokee was launched in 1974 as a lower-cost alternative, with a lesser degree of luxury and just two doors; the different name allowed Wagoneer to continue in its upscale path. In 1977, the Cherokee became a low-end Wagoneer with either two or four doors.
The Wagoneer itself developed from early wagons, such as the Utility Wagon. The wagons were brought out in 1946, and kept roughly the same design, other than the addition of four wheel drive in 1947, until their final days. The Station Wagon (rear wheel drive), Utility Wagon (four wheel drive), and Panel Delivery (steel in place of side windows) were closely related and remained in the Jeep lineup until 1965.
For many years, the Wagoneer would be sold side by side with a nearly identical looking pickup, the Gladiator. Eventually the Gladiator name would be replaced by the simple appellation “Jeep truck” or “J series truck.”