Jeep Commander Limited
As judges we're suckers for a great power-to-weight ratio, especially when it's coupled with the traction of four-wheel drive. So it was only natural for us to love the Jeep Commander's 5.7L Hemi engine and rave about Jeep's Quadra Drive II traction system. It's just that even when paired together in the new Commander the two weren't enough to overcome the new body style's shortcomings.
Though it's hard to see the engine under the plastic covers, all of our judges raved about the Hemi's power. About the only way you could make it feel stronger would be with 3.92 axle gears.
With the best steering in the test, the Commander scored major points in around-town driving, even though it is a tad big. From the cockpit the ride is ultra plush. A few judges thought it might be too cushy. To a certain extent the Commander does wallow on the interstate, but we still awarded it top honors for its smooth, fast, and quiet ability to eat up asphalt.
In the dirt our judges quickly found out the Commander design leaves off-road domination to the Grand Cherokee that's built on the same platform. During sand and high-speed dirt-road maneuvers the engine promptly overwhelmed the suspension till it was difficult to keep the Jeep pointed where we wanted it to go. The rear suspension does not have enough shock damping so the Commander tends to kick over the rough sand ruts until the rear suspension bottoms out. And for the first time this year all of our judges noticed the vehicle stability programming. Comments ranged from "delete that crap!" to "it saved me more than I'd care to admit."
When it comes to crawling, the Commander still proves its Jeep roots run deep. It clearly had the best traction control of the group, but the system had to make do with the second worst ground clearance in the test. To keep the Jeep alive, we crept over some obstacles that everything else (except the Grand Vitara) just mauled over. As careful as we were, we still banged up the aluminum rear driveshaft to the point we had to replace it ($425) and we killed both passenger-side tires in the first two days of testing.
We'll leave the final judging of the Commander's exterior styling to you, but it left our judges cold. We think we know where the design studio was going - but it didn't get there! To us it just doesn't look upscale. We certainly don't see it becoming the classic the old Grand Wagoneer developed into. And just for the record, those aren't round headlights!
Likes
-Best interior to get stuck in
-Incredible traction control system
-Amazing hillclimber
Dislikes
-Vehicle feels fragile; each bump hurts the wallet
-Second worst ground clearance of test
-Lousy shocks
Verdict
Only kids who don't know any better will ride in the third-row seat
| Specifications | |
| General | |
| Manufacturer | Jeep |
| Model | Commander Limited |
| Base Price | $38,205 |
| Price as Tested | $43,310 |
| Options as Tested | Inferno Red Crystal Pearl Coat paint, Customer Preferred Package 25H (Trailer Tow Group IV), Off Road Group II (skidplate group, tow hooks), saddle-brown seats, 5.7L Hemi multi-displacement engine, Quadra Drive 4WD system, electronic limited slips front and rear, engine block heater, six-CD/map GPS display navigation radio, 17x7.5 aluminum wheels |
| Engine | |
| Type | OHV Hemi V-8 |
| Displacement (liters/cubic inches) | 5.7 / 345 |
| Bore & Stroke (inches) | 3.92 x 3.58 |
| Compression Ratio | 9.6:1 |
| Induction Type | Sequential, multiport fuel injection |
| Fuel Req. (octane)/Capacity (gal.) | 89(recommended), 87 (acceptable) / 22 |
| SAE Peak Horsepower | 330 @ 5,000 rpm |
| SAE Peak Torque (lb-ft) | 375 @ 4,000 rpm |
| Transmission | |
| Type | Five-speed automatic overdrive |
| Model | 545RFE |
| Ratios | |
| First: | 3.00:1 |
| Second: | 1.67:1 (upshift); 1.50:1 (kickdown) |
| Third: | 1.00:1 |
| Fourth: | 0.75:1 |
| Fifth: | 0.67:1 |
| Reverse: | 3.00:1 |
| Transfer Case | |
| Type | Two-speed, full time |
| Model | NVG 245 |
| Low-range Ratio | 2.72:1 |
| Axles | |
| Front Type | IFS AAM 790 with electronic limited slip/locker |
| Rear Type | AAM 830 with electronic limited slip/locker |
| Hubs | N/A |
| Ratio | 3.73:1 |
| Suspension | |
| Front | Short/long arm with coil springs |
| Rear | Live axle, four-link with track bar and coil springs |
| Steering | |
| Type | Power rack-and-pinion |
| Turns Lock-to-Lock/Ratio | 3.125 / 17.41:1 to 15.45:1 at full lock |
| Turning Radius (feet) | 36.7 |
| Wheels | |
| Size (inches) | 17 x 7.5 |
| Material | Cast-aluminum |
| Tires | |
| Size | P245/65R17 |
| Brand | Goodyear Fortera HL |
| Brakes | |
| Front | 12.9-inch discs with ABS |
| Rear | 12.6-inch discs with ABS |
| 60-0 (feet) | 152.96 |
| Acceleration | |
| Standing 1/4-mile (seconds @ mph) | 16.82 @ 83.10 |
| Weight (pounds) | |
| Curb Weight | 5,169 |
| Advertised GVWR | 6,400 |
| Mileage | |
| EPA Estimate (city/hwy. mpg) | 15 / 19 |
| As Tested (mpg) | 11.21 |
| Dimensions (inches) | |
| Wheelbase | 109.5 |
| Overall Length | 188.5 |
| Overall Width | 89 |
| Overall Height | 74.5 |
| Front/Rear Track | 62.875 / 62.625 |
| Front/Rear Overhang | 33.5 / 44.75 |
| Min. Front Ground Clearance | 7.5 |