Jeep Commander – Take control of the roads

If you are looking for a pure presence on the road, the Jeep Commander has it in abundance, in fact, except driving a Challenger battle tank through the streets of a picturesque British market town dragging various elements of street furniture as you pass, the Commander looms. on the horizon. To show all SUV suitors that back in the day when Jeep started all off-roading.

However, in terms of showroom success, the Commander is unlikely to cause much concern to its arch nemesis, the Land Rover Discovery. Land Rover expects to sell around 12,000 Discs a year, while Jeep’s modest plans involve changing just 600 copies of its seven-seat Colossus. In other words, Jeep’s annual target is less than what Land Rover expects to sell in about three weeks.

Oh well, never mind that, because the Commander can play its hopeful trump card, a 330 bhp 5.7-liter V8 engine that delivers a 0-60 mph race time of 7.5 seconds and a top speed of 127 mph, which is very respectable for a vehicle. which weighs around 2,400 kg.

Environmental concerns may put off many buyers these days not to mention the 16mpg average fuel returns from Chrysler’s renowned HEMI V8 power plant. This can also be found on the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT and the impressive Chrysler 300C. The big Jeep’s canny solution is to use a Multiple Displacement System (MDS), which cuts four of the eight cylinders at cruising speed, but in all honesty, this does little to quench the Commander’s insatiable thirst.

Because of this, Jeep estimates that the alternative 215 hp 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine will account for about 85 percent of new sales. Owners of this model are likely to see their fuel consumption go up to 25mpg on a highway. This may offer some comfort, as diesel fuel prices appear to be dropping again. Ride quality at any speed is excellent; however, like a 4×4, the Commander does not feel fast or comfortable when thrown on country roads. Jeep says it will adjust the settings for European roads, but the Commander has a long way to go before matching the comprehensive capability of the conquering Land-Rover Disco.

Its no-nonsense, boxy style may not be to everyone’s liking either. Inside, the exposed metal Allen bolts will be too macho for some, as will the bolts visible around the lights and wheel arches. I must confess that I am quite curious as to why some manufacturers started this trend, I understand that it is mainly to convey robustness, but to me it seems that some guy has put them in his garage. Also, the interior plastics are not what you would expect from a car in this price range. There are a few neat keys though, like the roof-mounted drop-down DVD player, easy-to-use folding seats, twin sunroofs, and carrying hooks. But some other practical features did disappoint the Commander a bit. The middle row of seats is surprisingly tight for legroom and the third row is strictly for children or very short people. However, the individual ventilation and temperature controls are a nice feature and will stop the usual arguments between center and rear seat passengers about heat or cold, especially among children.

While priced a bit higher than Jeep’s Grand Cherokee, the Commander has a slightly higher level of standard kit, so the argument for the Commander comes down to whether you really need the two extra seats. If not, the Cherokee is clearly a more sensible buy. However, if you wanted a Discovery V8, you’d be paying a lot more, so in that sense the Commander is a steal by comparison.