2006 Jeep Commander Preview

Taking Command

Jeep finally offers a seven-passenger SUV, and it comes wrapped in retro styling.

It seems counterintuitive that Jeep has to play catch-up with the rest of the market after literally inventing the civilian sport utility vehicle and being a major force in the SUV boom of the late 1980's. But Jeep is indeed lagging. While other companies prosper by selling increasingly popular car-like crossover SUVs, Jeep won't have one until next year. And the company has yet to offer the kind of full-size premium model that's increasingly in demand.

With the introduction of the 2006 Commander, the company finally fills at least one gaping hole in its lineup. Essentially a Grand Cherokee that's been stretched by just two inches, the Commander is the company's first-ever seven-passenger SUV. Rather than just add a third-row seat to the Grand Cherokee, however, Jeep is creating an entirely new vehicle to accommodate the two extra riders.

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Oddly enough, the newest model in the line has been crafted to look like it's the oldest. With its sharp-edged lines, an upright windshield, bold front grille and overall boxiness, the Commander was designed to pay homage to classic Jeeps. In truth, it looks a lot like the long-running Cherokee, which was only recently supplanted by the current Liberty. The Commander has a stepped roofline, which increases headroom.

Four adults can ride in comfort, five in a pinch, with easy ingress and egress. Only smaller children will want to ride (or be able to climb easily back into) the Commander's third-row seat.

Inside, the Commander sports a two-tone instrument panel that features large, round gauges and unique steering-wheel and shifter-knob designs. Both the second- and third-row seats can fold forward to form a flat surface. The top Limited model includes a conventional sunroof and twin skylights over the second row of seats, replete with sunshades.

An important safety feature unique to the Commander is its electronic roll mitigation, which uses multiple sensors to selectively deploy optional side-curtain airbags in both single-vehicle rollover collisions and side-impact crashes.

Other significant safety features include standard Electronic Stability Program, traction control and antilock brakes, all of which work in tandem to maintain traction in varying conditions. No less than three full-time four-wheel-drive systems are offered in addition to rear-wheel drive.

The Commander is mechanically similar to the Grand Cherokee. The base model comes standard with a tepid 210-horsepower, 3.7-liter V6. A larger 4.8-liter V8 that generates a passable 235 hp is optional on the base model and standard on the Limited version. A potent 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with 330 hp is optional only on four-wheel-drive Limited models. It has "displacement on demand," which deactivates half of the cylinders in less demanding driving situations to help boost fuel economy.

Even with this feature, the Hemi V8 gets a disappointing 13 miles per gallon in city driving and 18 mpg on the highway (estimated). Fuel consumption for the base V6 motor is estimated at 16 mpg city and 19 mpg highway. And for the mid-level 4.8-liter, the estimates are 14 mpg city and 19 mpg highway.

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All three engines are mated to five-speed automatic transmissions that include manual-shift capability. Base models tow up to 3,500 pounds. Commanders with the mid-level V8 can tow 6,500 lbs. and Hemi-equipped models can tow a whopping 7,200 lbs.

The Commander rides on a suspension system like that of the Grand Cherokee: independent setup in the front and a live axle and five-link suspension in the rear. While this is far and away the most modern suspension setup in Jeep history, it still offers a truck-like ride and handling, which means it's less comfortable and stable on pavement than a car.

Like all Jeeps, the Commander is designed to handle serious off-road use, even though most owners will never, or rarely, use the vehicle in this way. It has nearly nine inches of ground clearance and front and rear overhangs designed to allow the Commander to climb and descend steep grades.

Notable options for the otherwise well-equipped Commander include rain-sensing wipers, SmartBeam adaptive headlamps, heated power seats, a tire pressure monitoring system, side-curtain airbags for all three rows, navigation system, wireless hands-free cell phone communication system and an audiophile Boston Acoustics stereo with Sirius Satellite Radio.