The Real SUVThere are 9,984,670 square kilometers (3,854,083 square miles) in Canada. Subtract the 8.92 percent covered in water, and you're still left with a hell of a lot of dirt. As a resident of the world's second largest country, I've made a hobby out of seeing as much of it as I c
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| Jeep's first three-row SUV, the Commander looks to the long-defunct Willys-Overland station wagon for inspiration. (Photo: Dan Fritter, Canadian Auto Press) |
an, and as a result I've gained a healthy respect for any vehicle that's capable of taking me as far into the bush as I care to go; but show me a car that's as capable on the road as it is off, and only then am I truly impressed.
After all, a capable off-road machine is easy to come by; they're as close as your nearest motorcycle dealer. A quick walk through the dirt bike section will render a plethora of two-wheeled machines that'd embarrass even the most hard core of factory off-road 4-wheelers, the Hummer H1 for instance, and they'll do it for a fraction of the price. Of course, any dirt bike worth its wheels is a truly retarded machi
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| As America's original go-anywhere brand, the Commander has some big boots to fill.� (Photo: Dan Fritter, Canadian Auto Press) |
ne, in a two-cycle kind of way (and yes, any good dirt bike simply has to be a two stroke); their 2-stroke motors require pre-mixing the oil and gas, they smoke like chimneys when they're cold and sound like the Lawnmower From Hell all the time, and you can forget about the need to give your friends a ride. Suffice it to say that while they're great at tooling around in the backcountry, they really show their limitations when the dirt ends and the pavement begins. So, while I'll always turn to my trusty Yamaha as the weapon of choice for those really nasty trails, there's simply no getting around the fact that when it's just a simple trip out to the lake, or camping with the family, nothing beats a four-wheeled, four-stroke (Trabants need not apply) vehicle.
Enter the Jeep Commander. As the quintessential 4x4's largest model, the th
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| The seven-slot grill, the high marker lights, even the curve of the hood where is meets the fender; all reek of Jeep. (Photo: Dan Fritter, Canadian Auto Press) |
ree-row SUV is perfect for going out with more than a few friends. Inspired by the legendary Willys-Overland station wagon, another seven-seater from Jeep's past, the Commander is legendary brand's take on the most family-oriented of SUVs. Looking rather similar to the 1990 through 1997 Cherokee, the big box of an SUV sports some very traditional Jeep styling cues, with the classic seven-slot grille being flanked by the traditional Jeep headlight/marker light setup. It positions the marker lights on the same plane as the round headlights (themselves enclosed in semi-rectangular housings), and the result is a very recognizable front end.
Trapezoidal wheel arches benefit from Wrangler-like fender flares; smooth on my base tester, they're replaced by faux bolt-on pocket flares on the more upscale Limited model. Likewise, spending the almost $10,000 it takes to get the Limited also earns you an array of chrome trim pieces, replacing my more business-like tester's black door protector strips and roof rack with t
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| A stepped roof gives ample headroom for the stadium style seating, while the body coloured grill and black trim make the base model look suitably tough.(Photo: Dan Fritter, Canadian Auto Press) |
he shiny stuff. Additionally, the Limited displaces the base model's body coloured grille and lower valance with chrome pieces while the back end gets admittedly useful grab handles, albeit chrome trimmed. Rounding out the more upscale look, the Limited also includes the obligatory body-coloured door handles.
But, given the Commander already resembles a brick on wheels, I found myself favouring the no-nonsense look imparted to my base model by the black trim pieces, grey-centered wheels and Dark Khaki paint job; it just looked that much more prepared to tackle the great outdoors than the shiny Limited version. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing Jeep add the Limited's pocket flares and rear grab handles (although they could do without the chrome) as options on the base model, for trying to balance on the back bumper to reach the roof rack is pretty darn hard.
Inside, Jeep's firs
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| A khaki interior with useful storage areas and a rugged looking, allen-head bolt wearing dash all make the base model look far more off-road-ready than the flashy Limited. (Photo: Dan Fritter, Canadian Auto Press) |
t three-row sport utility distinguishes itself with a very practical interior. Continuing the rugged theme, the dashboard is divided into panels, each appearing to be secured by a set of metal allen bolts. The look works here, and is further enhanced by the base model's textured mini-diamond plate center console trim. A useful map pocket on the passenger's side is handy for everything from road maps to campground brochures, and definitely a welcome addition in this vehicle. Sliding into the driver's seat is easy enough, with the Commander's ride height being low enough as not to necessitate any jumping, swinging, or clambering to get inside.
The khaki fabric seats in my tester were soft and comfy, and the adjustable lumbar support was a pleasant surprise to find on the base model. A quick jaunt up a forestry service road to a secluded beach confirmed that the soft seats were excellent at abs
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| Middle row seat room is pretty decent, with the soft backs of the front seats further preventing any discomfort. (Photo: Dan Fritter, Canadian Auto Press) |
orbing what bumps the suspension did not, and the lightly bolstered sides did an absolutely fantastic job of giving just enough lateral support on the freeway while still letting my body move independently on bumpier backroads without pummeling the ribcage every time the Jeep swayed left or right. The driving position is also very comfortable and appropriately high, giving good visibility over the hood. An adjustable steering wheel makes getting comfortable behind the wheel easy, but the pedal box is somewhat small, and the dead pedal is far too narrow, only supporting half of my left size 11 clodhopper. Otherwise, the relationship of the wheel, pedals, and dashboard meant that even with the driver's seat moved somewhat forward to clear a particularly tall middle-row passenger's knees, my 6'1" frame wasn't terribly uncomfortable; although my knee did hit the keychain on the freeway, turning the engine off at 100 kilometers per hour.
Speaking of seat room, the Commander has what is best described as a "decent" amount behind the front row. Middle row passengers have w
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| I suspect the raised rear seating is the result of a stepped floorpan, since the rear seat passengers are more or less sitting on the floor. (Photo: Dan Fritter, Canadian Auto Press) |
hat could be considered a normal amount of room, with soft front seatbacks preventing any seriously uncomfortable situations even for those in excess of six feet tall. The only gripe would be the centre middle row seat (which is almost legroom-less thanks to the centre console), and the rear seats. Using what Jeep is calling theatre seating, the middle seat is somewhat higher than the first, and the third row is even higher. It sounds like a logical plan, given the roof steps up accordingly, but I suspect the raised seating positions are a reaction to a floorpan that steps upwards towards the back in order to the clear the huge gas tank and protruding rear suspension. As a result, the seats get higher and higher, but the floor gains even more elevation, leaving the rear seats quite literally sitting on the floor. After loading the vehicle up with seven friends ranging from 5'3" Australians (who marveled at the sheer size of the SUV, being used to the car-meets-truck "utes" in their homeland) to 6'2" footballplayers, my suspicion was confirmed when all you could see of the taller guys stuffed in the back (when friends come to visit from the other side of the world, you don't stuff them in the back) were their knees. The only positive spin on the third row compared to throwing them in the box of a four-door pickup is that the seatbelts kept everything legal. Will they ever forgive me? I doubt it.
Which brings me to my only other g
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| Storage room is non-existent with the rear seats up, even though the Commander isn't exactly a small SUV. (Photo: Dan Fritter, Canadian Auto Press) |
ripe: the Commander's cargo room. It doesn't exist. Jeep's press release says there's a storage bin behind the third row seat, and there is in fact a little reversible plastic trim piece (level with the floor and carpeted on one side, plastic and depressed on the other), but it does nothing. Narrower than a CFL-spec football, it wasn't even sufficient for the lawn chairs, football, frisbee, volleyball, snacks, and blanket I'd packed for my little 7-passenger expedition to the beach. Stopping for lunch in a Burger King parking lot and experimenting with the folding seats revealed that even with the rearmost seat folded, the flat load floor was still quite short, and the only solution was to fold the middle row forward as well, dramatically reducing the Commander's people carrying capacity.
But, once o
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| 90 minutes of freeway driving left me wanting a larger dead pedal, but I couldn't argue with the frugal V6's excellent fuel economy. (Photo: Dan Fritter, Canadian Auto Press) |
n the road (with each passenger holding a piece of beach equipment), the Commander performed admirably. The journey from Vancouver to nearby Harrison Lake consists of an hour and a half of relatively flat Trans-Canada highway, and with the cruise control set at the posted 100 km/h limit the base Commander's standard 3.8L V6 went into fuel miser mode. After an hour and a half of passing corn fields and cattle, the information display read out the good news: 12.1 L/100 km. That's a very impressive figure for a full-size, full-time all-wheel drive-equipped SUV that has a coefficient of drag that's probably comparable to a cow's (or more accurately a Freightliner towing a trailer full of cows); never mind that it was was loaded down with 7 full-size people. Even more impressive was how well behaved it was; even a stiff crosswind couldn't sway the Jeep, and the only road noise was a slight whisper coming from the sideview mirrors. The tires were almost silent, and the engine simply thrummed along; although it didtake on a pleasant deep-throated tone more akin to a big V8 when the throttle was prodded.
Leaving the paved roads and takin
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| The only things to make any noise on the freeway, these mirrors afford an excellent view of the dust trail left by the Commander on a rutted backroad. (Photo: Francesca Sawyer, Canadian Auto Press) |
g to a forestry service road that accesses the best beach Harrison Lake has to offer (no, I'm not going to say which one) left me even more impressed with the Commander's performance. Having taken the road a few times in various other vehicles I knew what the road offered, but was honestly blown away by how well mannered the Commander was, even in the most heavily potholed sections. The suspension soaked up everything, having only minor issue with the most square edged hits. Bumpsteer never reared its ugly head, and the ride was smooth enough to make a steady 50 km/h pace perfectly
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| The bodyside strips on the Limited are chrome, but the base model's black plastic pieces look far more at home in a creek crossing.(Photo: Dan Fritter, Canadian Auto Press) |
acceptable to both the Commander and its occupants. Even drinking from wide-mouth water bottles (that unfortunately don't fit in the cup holders, although a large drink from any fast food joint is a perfect fit) was an easy and spill-free experience!
Perhaps even more impressive is that even this; the least powerful and only non-Trail Rated Commander in Jeep's repertoire (both 4.7L and 5.7L V8 models are Trail Rated) still had no trouble on the gravel road and forded the road's two shallow creek crossings with ease; all four Goodyear Fortera tires simply grabbing hold of whatever available traction was to be had, and pulling the Commander forward. As almost the most basic Commander you can buy, my tester didn't benefit from either of the optional Quadra-Trac II or Quadra-Drive II transfer cases, but even with the big-hearted 3.8L putting power to the basic single-speed Quadra-Trac I transfer case via the Mercedes-sourced 5-speed automatic (with Chrysler's signature slap shift manual feature), the Jeep only elicited minor wheelspin on the slippery creek exits, doing an admirable job of both braking and accelerating predictably and safely on the rest of the dusty road.
With a test price of $41,450, the Comm
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| An excellent vehicle both on and off the road the V6 Commander's near-perfect balance of comfort, frugality, performance, and both on and off road capability make it a very worthy contender in the market. (Photo: Dan Fritter, Canadian Auto Press) |
ander left me suitably impressed. Having driven (and ridden) a few different vehicles up that particular forestry road, ranging from '70 Yamaha enduros to Range Rovers to Ford pickup trucks, the Commander's ability on the bumpy road was, to be honest, surprising. I'd never expected the relatively low, somewhat small-tired Jeep to fare so stupendously; and I'd certainly never expected the most basic, non-Trail Rated model to perform as well as it did. Quite honestly, it made a road that is normally a chore to traverse into a pleasant drive, with the big-sounding 3.8L never leaving me wanting for power nor gas; even with the forestry road gaining roughly 400 meters (1,300 feet) of elevation in the course of only 20 kilometers (12.5 miles), the fuel economy figure never went higher than 15L per 100 kilometers, and the end of the week's test period left me with a very respectable average of 14.1L per 100 kilometers. And while it certainly won't have me hanging up my dirt bike helmet, it did do a great job both onand off the road, leaving me with the impression that it just might be the best vehicle out there for those adventurous families that enjoy the great outdoors as much as they do their Starbucks.
And with the base model's pricing being very competitive in the three-row SUV market, the Commander offers a more rugged, off-road-capable alternative to the city-dwelling Explorers and Trailblazers of the world.
Specifications (V6):- Price Range (MSRP): $40,995 - $50,470
- Price As Tested (MSRP): $41,450
- Body Type: 5-door SUV
- Layout: front engine, 4WD
- Engine: 210-hp, 235 lb-ft of torque, 3.7L, SOHC V6
- Transmission: 5-spd auto with manual mode
- Brakes (front/rear): disc/disc, ABS, BA
- Curb Weight: 2,170 kg (5,975 lbs)
- Exterior Dimensions (L/W/H/WB): 4,787 / 1,900 / 1,826 / 2,781 mm (188.5 / 74.8 / 71.9 / 109.5 in)
- Seating Capacity: 7 (2/3/2)
- Cargo Capacity (behind 3rd row/2nd row/front row): 170 / 1,030 / 1,950 L (6.0 / 36.4 / 68.7 cu-ft)
- Ground Clearance (chassis / front axle / rear axle): 251 / 227 / 218 mm (9.9 / 9.0 / 8.6 in)
- Towing Capacity (estimated): 1,587 kg (3,500 lbs)
- Fuel Economy: 14.8 / 10.9 L/100 km
- Warranty (mo/km): 36/60,000 comprehensive - 60/100,000 powertrain
- DirectCompetitors: Chevy Trailblazer EXT / Tahoe / Suburban, Ford Explorer /Expedition, GMC Envoy XL / Yukon XL, Infiniti QX56, Land Rover LR3,Lexus GX 470, Mitsubishi Montero, Nissan Pathfinder / Armada, ToyotaSequoia
- Web Site:www.jeep.ca
