UK review of the Jeep Commander / pluses & minuses

Is the diesel engine available in the US?

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http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,12929-2090903,00.html

DAS
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For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling
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Jeep Commander
By Emma Smith of The Sunday Times

Tough egg with a soft centre






The Jeep Commander that arrives in UK showrooms later this month
is the American marque's first seven-seater, and the company hopes the
bullish looks and retro feel will improve the brand's image by recalling its
more adventurous heyday.
Off-roaders are descended from military and farm vehicles and
were once all brute force and no frills. Their owners would have scoffed at
namby-pamby refinements such as cupholders and air-conditioning. Certainly
the Commander's boxy profile and flat windscreen and bonnet hark back to the
US army Jeeps of the 1940s and 1950s, while Jeep's advertising slogan -
"Take command of the road" - recalls a time well before the school-run mum.
Visible nuts and bolts around the headlamps and over the wheelarches are
meant to suggest ruggedness.

But underneath, the Commander is the most technically advanced
Jeep to date, with an electronic stability program, traction control,
electronic roll mitigation and a four-wheel-drive system called Quadra-Drive
II.



The Quadra-Drive enables the engine management system to direct
torque to any wheel, so even if only one is in contact with the ground the
car can still regain grip. It got me out of trouble while trying to scale a
boulder in the desert dunes and rocky gullies known as wadis, close to
Muscat, capital of Oman, and it worked better than a differential lock.

There is a choice of two engines in the UK, both with automatic
transmission: a gas-guzzling 5.7 litre Hemi V8 petrol (although you can turn
off four of the cylinders to reduce fuel consumption by about 20%) and a 3
litre V6 Mercedes-built diesel. Most British owners will probably opt for
the diesel, which does a relatively respectable 26mpg in the combined cycle.

I drove the Hemi V8 and was assured the wallowy US-style
suspension would be stiffened for the European market. On road, the
seven-seater felt deceptively small and agile with impressive acceleration,
although the cabin isn't quiet. Gun the engine and it sounds like a Braun
FuturPro hair dryer. It's not exactly macho and nor does it conjure up the
image of "mastery, authenticity, freedom and adventure" promised by Jeep's
press pack.




View a photo gallery of the Jeep Commander





In fact the Commander is anything but authentic. "Wadi bashing",
as the Omanis call it, is unlikely to feature in the daily lives of most
Jeep owners. In fact most customers will be lucky to "bash" anything other
than the kerb. The truth is that its retro tough guy exterior hides a
pampered 21st century metrosexual.

There are separate air-conditioning zones in the front and rear,
storage bins, illuminated vanity mirrors and cupholders for each row of
seats. The leather driver's seat has adjustable lumbar support and is so
comfortable that even while careering down an 80 degree drop you still feel
as if you're relaxing on the sofa. A step in the roof allows for the seats
to be higher at the back - ideal for children prone to travel sickness.


Model Jeep Commander
5.7 litre Hemi

Engine type 5654cc, V8

Power/Torque 322bhp @ 5000rpm /
369 lb ft @ 4000rpm

Transmission Five-speed automatic

Fuel/CO² 18.2mpg (combined)
/ 368g/km

Performance 0-62mph: 7.4sec
Top speed: 129mph

Price £34,490 (3 litre diesel from £27,490)

Verdict Tough guy exterior with a metrosexual heart

Rating

Release date March 31



City dwellers will be glad of the front and rear parking sensors
and the fact the Commander is similar in size to the Renault Grand Scénic
with a turning circle only 30 centimetres more than a Honda Civic's. With
the back two rows of seating folded flat it offers 1,775 litres of luggage
space.

What Jeep has here is a midlife-crisis-friendly alternative to
an MPV, ideal for mums or dads who want to maintain the sense they can still
go off on their adventures even with three or four children in tow. And as
all passenger seats have Isofix child-seat fittings, if you do find yourself
gunning across a rocky river valley you'll know the little darlings are
safely strapped in behind.

Yet despite all its hankering after a golden age of off-roading,
the biggest obstacle facing the Commander is likely to be more modern
sensibilities about fuel consumption and the environment.

THE OPPOSITION

Model Land Rover Discovery 3 TdV6 £26,995
For Much praised and unrivalled off road, prestige badge
Against Heavy and slower than the Hemi Commander

Model Volvo XC90 2.5T S £31,635
For Safe and stylish
Against Entry-level version more expensive than rivals

 

Having sat in one last night at the Ft. Lauderdale International Auto
Show, I can tell you that those seven people will be quite cramped.