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By
EWAN KENNEDY
21 August 2006
The new Jeep Commander is big and square and uncompromising in
its looks and attitude. It has traditional Jeep styling cues inside and
out that give it an unmistakably retro theme. All who commented on the
latest Jeep during our week’s test just loved the shape.
The Commander is Jeep's first seven-seater. It is heavily based
on the existing Jeep Grand Cherokee, sharing most of its underbody
components as well as its engines and 4WD systems. Commander is
slightly longer and higher than its brother and quite a big wider.
In these days of high fuel prices the logical choice of
powerplant for our test vehicle was the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel
engine sourced from Jeep's business partner Mercedes-Benz. With a
hefty 510 Newton metres over a wide spread of revs it is smooth,
quiet and economical. Even at idle you are struggling to pick this
as being a diesel. But at the service station you will find fuel
costs about 30 to 35 per cent lower than if you had opted for the
big-grunt V8 petrol unit.
The driving position takes a little getting used to in that you
sit a long way back from the windscreen, and the ‘screen is
rather low and upright. Initially there's the feeling that you’re
looking through a low-set letter box. That feeling is exacerbated
by thick windscreen pillars designed to provide superior body
strength in a crash.
If in doubt about the driving position may we suggest you talk
to the Jeep salesperson and ask for a longer than usual test
drive?
Square styling gives good cabin space as well as an airy feel
that works nicely, at least from the point of view of those in the
two front sets of seats. The second row of seats provides good
space for three adults and is set significantly higher than the
front seats to give the occupants good forward visibility.
The Commander’s third-row seats are strictly for children.
Though spacious enough they are set very close to the floor,
resulting in an uncomfortable knees-up seating position for
adults. In fact, have the kids try them for size as part of your
pre-purchase test drive.
Having the rearmost seats high also causes them to block most
of the view out of the rear of the Commander. So much so that we
got into the habit of folding these seats flat any time they were
unoccupied.
The boot floor is also high and smaller people may wish to
check its useability before falling for the huge volume it offers
with the seats folded down.
And look at the lack of volume when the seats are in use. The
boot almost ceases to exist and even getting an overnight bag in
can be a challenge.
On-road, the big new Jeep's comfort levels were high. Noise,
vibration and harshness are well damped and this will make the
Commander an excellent long-distance runner on your next big
holiday adventure.
On the down side, there were some wind whistles, probably from
the big door mirrors and the occasional creak from the interior
trim. These are the sort of things that provide character in a 4WD
and the typical Jeep lover will be more than happy to live with
them.
Jeep remains serious about designing true off-road 4WDs. The
Commander’s combination of good clearance, big wheels, competent
differentials and electronic traction controls gives it excellent
ability in pretty tough conditions.
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Marque Publishing Company
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