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2006 Jeep Commander
 Soccer
moms and adventure tour guides everywhere can now rejoice in unison
– Jeep is finally releasing a seven passenger SUV! As a company
that makes it’s living by selling SUV’s – two
thirds of its entire product line are– Jeep needed a third-row
offering to stay in the game, and they needed it bad. We are happy
to announce that the 2006 Jeep Commander was worth the wait.
Jeep started the build of the Commander by drawing on the strengths
and history of nearly the entire Jeep lineage. Starting with the
venerable Grand Cherokee, two inches were added to the rear of the
vehicle, which gave the designers the room they needed to bolt in
that third seat. Rather than simply creating a longer Grand Cherokee,
Jeep wanted to develop an entirely new product, and one with a distinct,
yet historical character. The stylists looked back through Jeep’s
history books and drew upon the Willys Station Wagons of the 40’s
and 50’s, the Wagoneer of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s
and the Cherokee of the 80’s and 90’s as inspiration
for the Commander’s styling.
The Commanders boxy appearance is the result of Jeep’s intention
to portray simplicity and strength. We think it works. People who
liked the old Jeep Cherokee stand a good chance of liking the Commander.
For those that don’t like what they have seen in pictures,
understand that the Commander is not a very photogenic vehicle.
The lines and proportions work much better in person to create a
distinctively utilitarian look.
Like all Jeeps, the Commander sports an upright seven-bar grill
and trapezoidal wheel well openings. The front overhang is respectably
short and the bodywork in front of the front wheels angles up sharply
to minimize approach angle (34 degrees). Since the two inches of
extra length are behind the real wheels the rear overhang is a bit
longer but the bodywork is still angled sharply to improve departure
angle (27 degrees).
The roof rack hides a stepped roofline similar to the Nissan Xterra.
Limited models get a pair of handy grab rails on the back of the
vehicles which helps people climb the rear step-bumper to access
the roof rack.
The Commander’s interior is a great place to spend time.
The boxy shape pays huge dividends inside by providing ample head
and shoulder room. Even with a sunroof our 6’2” tester
had plenty of headroom. The stepped roof means adequate headroom
for middle seat occupants as well. Both front and middle seat passengers
also enjoy plenty of legroom. The front footbox is a bit narrow
but there is still plenty of room to stretch out. The nearly vertical
windshield allowed designers to place the sun roof opening unusually
far forward which means that front seat passengers see more of it
without looking up, which contributes to the feeling of spaciousness.
The Commander can also be equipped with second row CommandView skylights
which let the sun shine in for middle-seaters.
The third row is strictly for the children and Oompa-Loompas. Ingress
and egress for adults requires a great deal of flexibility and once
back there, head and leg room is limited. Jeep didn’t design
this seat for adults, though. Kiddies who get to ride in the cheap
seats will enjoy their own HVAC vents and a bin that was designed
with action figures and dolls in mind.
With the third row deployed, luggage space is limited. Folding
the third row, however, provides a cavernous 36.4 cubic feet of
storage space. The 40/20/40 second row of seats can also be folded
to provide a flat surface for hauling. With the second row folded
the Commander can swallow a whopping 68.9 cubic feet of garage sale
treasures or camping gear.
One notably innovative feature in the back is a tray that covers
the jack and lug wrench. This tray can be installed with carpet
up to provide a flat load floor or it can be flipped over to provide
a plastic lined tray for holding muddy boots. 
Gadget lovers will appreciate the Commander’s long list of
available high-tech goodies including a navigation system, Bluetooth
mobile phone integration, a DVD entertainment system for the rear
passengers, Sirius Satellite Radio and an impressive sounding Boston
Acoustics audio system.
Jeep offers three engine choices in the Commander; a 210 HP 3.7
liter V6, a 235 HP 4.7 liter V8 and finally the 345 HP 5.7 liter
Hemi. We didn’t have a chance to drive the V6 model but we
did get to sample both V8s. The SOHC 4.7 liter provides ample power
and is smooth and perfectly suited to the duties that will usually
be performed in most Commanders. The 5.7 liter Hemi is the hot ticket
though. With an additional 110 horsepower on tap a Hemi powered
Commander can, and will, push you back in the seat from a dead stop.
The Hemi isn’t just more powerful, it is more efficient as
well. For 2006 all Hemi equipped vehicles get Chrysler’s Multi-displacement
System (MDS). This system deactivates 4 cylinders when it detects
that less power is needed. This system can improve overall fuel
economy by as much as 15 percent and is totally transparent to the
driver. MDS is a truly slick technology whose time has come. With
gas prices on the rise, any technology that can improve gas mileage
without expensive batteries, exotic fuels or even the slightest
reduction in power gets my vote.
Like the Grand Cherokee, the Commander is available in two wheel
drive or with one of three four wheel drive systems; Quadra-Trac
I, Quadra-Trac II and Quadra-Drive II.
• Quadra-Trac I is a full time system with a single speed
transfer case and Brake Traction Control System (BCTS) which uses
the brakes to provide resistance to any wheel that is slipping which
allows additional torque to transfer to wheels with grip.
• Quadra-Trac II provides similar benefits but also provides
a transfer case with a low range.
• Quadra-Drive II uses the same two speed transfer case but
adds dual Electronic Limited Slip Differentials. These high-tech
diffs combined with BTCS allow the system to instantly transfer
100 percent of available torque to any wheel with grip.
On the road the Commander is a perfectly fine vehicle to drive.
The brakes are a little vague but the steering is nicely weighted
and precise. Body roll is a little higher than some other mid-sized
SUV’s, but road imperfections are nicely damped. Handling
is about what one would expect from a 5000 lb vehicle, which is
to say that it holds its own. The Commander won’t keep up
with a BMW X5 on a twisty mountain road but once the pavement ends
the X5 will get left in the dust. Our kind of test track.
It is off-road where the Commander truly shines. When the going
gets rough the Commander transforms from a comfortable grocery getter
to a mountain goat. We had a chance to drive the Commander off road
in the scenic Pocono Mountains. The rain soaked trails were no match
for the Quadra-Drive II equipped Commander. When the vehicle started
to loose traction on a slippery rock, the system would transfer
power to any wheel that had something to grab and plow straight
over the obstacle. The system reacts very quickly to wheel slippage.
Jeep says that the system will detect wheel slippage with as little
as 45 degrees of wheel rotation. Previous systems required as much
as a full rotation. On a slippery surface, the faster the system
detects slippage, the less likely you are to slide around. The purists
out there reading this may get their panties in a bunch, but the
fact is, the Quadra-Drive II does a fantastic job providing maximum
traction in off-camber, slippery and / or hilly situations.
The underside of the vehicle is fully skid plated so even after
a full day of rock crawling and trail riding the underbelly of the
Commander we abused was no worse for the wear.
A basic 4X4 Commander with a V6 can be had for a little less than
$30,000. A leather lined Limited with a Hemi, Navigation system
and rear seat DVD entertainment system is going to set you back
more than $40,000. This puts the Commander smack dab in the middle
of the segment.
The Commander is a very capable entry into a hotly contested segment.
It is probably safe to say, however, that no other vehicle in the
segment is going to provide this level of luxury and refinement
with this much off-road capability for the price. It is a large
and comfortable family hauler with serious off road capabilities
and styling that says that is is ready to hit the trails. So if
you need to get the soccer team to a game on the other side of town
or the other side of Moab then check out the Commander. You wont
be disappointed.
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Click thumbnails for larger images
The classic lines of the Jeep Commander make
it as comfortable at the museum as it is on the trail
The Commander provides seating for 7. Leg
room is a bit limited in the third row, however.
The four-link rear suspension does a fantastic
job of balancing on and off road performance.
The cover for the jack and lug wrench doubles
as an easy to clean tray for muddy boots
This is no Yuppy Jeep. The short front overhang
allows the Commander to go where most other 7 passenger SUV's can't.
The Commander's unibody construction is extremely
stiff. Doors can be easily opened and closed while the suspennsion
is at max articulation.
Upscale Limited Commanders get fancy imitation
wood trim but base models get this very cool diamond plate trim.
All Commanders come equipped with express up and
down power windows for both the driver and the
passenger. |