The Commander is Jeep's response to two demands that have been made by customers over the years. The first - which, I'm told, is what the company has been asked for more insistently than anything else - was for a Jeep with seven seats, while the second was for a return to the rugged, foursquare styling used on previous models such as the early-90s Cherokee, rather than the sissy curvy stuff the company has favoured more recently.The result is a car which does most of what the current Grand Cherokee does, except that it looks tougher and has two more seats. Jeep's marketing department will be emphasising the differences more than the similarities, of course, and will be portraying the Commander as a down-and-dirty workhorse, at least in comparison with the more lifestyle-oriented Grand Cherokee.And the funny thing about that is that, of the two, Jeep claims that the Grand Cherokee is actually slightly better off-road.Not that there's much in it. The Commander has not had to be made much longer than the Grand in order to accomodate the extra seats - there's just 37mm difference, all of it behind the rear wheels - but that's enough to make the Commander fractionally less wieldy over the rough stuff. So a Jeep person told me, anyway. On paper, the Commander has a slight advantage; the two cars have identical departure angles of 27 degrees, but the Commander's 34.6 degree approach and 21.2 degree breakover angles are slightly better, and rear axle ground clearance is superior by a more significant 38mm.But this is little more than hair-splitting. The Commander is far better off-road than you need it to be. It shares with the Grand Cherokee the Quadra Drive II 4x4 system which would require several paragraphs to explain but fortunately involves practically no brainpower on the part of the driver. Simply switch the transmission into low-ratio mode (into neutral, pull small chrome lever, job done) and all the electronic trickery engages itself automatically.Quadra Drive II allows various impossible things to happen. If, for example, three of the Commander's wheels are operating in zero-traction conditions (such as spinning in gloopy mud, or scrabbling against a moss-covered underwater rock, or even hanging in mid-air), the fourth can be called on to drive the car out of trouble.The Commander also feels safe - well, relatively safe - on dizzying descents, such as a rock-strewn plummet down the side of a hill which the Jeep people cheerily nicknamed Armageddon. Teetering down that part of Jeep's test route was not for the faint or heart or stomach, but I always had the impression that if something went wrong and I smashed into the rocks surrounding the river at the bottom of the hill, it would have been entirely my fault and nothing to do with any shortcomings in the car.On-road the Commander is more refined than its looks suggest. There are two engine options, of which the less likely to sell in this country is the 5.7-litre Hemi V8 which Chrysler Jeep is fitting to practically everything it builds these days. The other is the equally ubiquitous Mercedes-Benz three-litre CRD turbo diesel, and that's the one tested here.This is a Godsend of an engine for Jeep, which spent years struggling on with nasty, noisy diesels with no perceptible power whatever. The Mercedes CRD is strong (a useful 215bhp max), and whatever noise it makes has been reduced to little more than a distant hum by the time it reaches the cabin.It makes the Commander quick enough for decent handling to be an important consideration. This is hardly a sports car, but it can be hustled through twisty country roads if the need arises. The ride is okay, except when there is a sequence of gentle crests to deal with; this is definitely a "hello breakfast, welcome back" situation, and I'm sure it would take only a tiny increase in front-end damping to sort it out. Let's hope the Commander gets that in the near future.What about the seven-seat business? Well, it's fine as long as at least two, and preferably at least five, of the occupants are children. Certainly no adult could comfortably get into the third row; the route over the folded second-row seats is adventure playground stuff on the way in, and having tried it I nearly got myself stuck on the way back out. Legroom is so limited that if you're much over five feet tall you'll have your knees folded round your ears. There's appreciably more space in the centre row, but legroom isn't what it might be there either (though the indents in the backs of the front seats make the situation better than might otherwise be the case).Mind you, it would do for a school run, and presumably that's the thought that was in the minds of all those people who clamoured for Jeep to build its first seven-seater. As far as the Commander's workhorse potential is concerned, the real story is what happens when you start folding the seats away. With all seven in place, luggage volume is 212 litres; or, to put it another way, about as much as you get in a MINI; or, to put it a third way, practically nothing.Stow away the third row and the figure springs up to 1028 litres, and if you completely fold the centre row the capacity reaches 1940 litres. Since the centre row has a 40/20/40 split, and the rear a 50/50 split, there are several possible intermediate compromises between the Commander's ability to carry folk and their stuff.The test car occupies the middle position in the three-car Commander range. It shares the same Limited trim level as the £34,530 5.7 Hemi, or you can aim lower and pay £27,490 for the entry-level 3.0 CRD Predator. On top of this car's specification, the Limited gets a number of upgrades, the most significant being leather upholstery, dual-zone air-conditioning, rain- and light-sensitive wipers and interior mirror respectively and a Premium Boston Acoustic speaker system.The major option for the Limited is a pack consisting of satellite navigation, a 6-CD changer, a rear DVD system and the robustly-named Power CommandView sunroof with dual skylights. That lot costs £3000, and you can add another £250 for rear privacy glass, bringing the possible total to £34,555. Engine 2987 cc, 6 cylinders Power 215 bhp @4000 rpm Torque 376 ib/ft @1600 rpm Transmission 5 speed auto Fuel/CO2 26.2 mpg / 284 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 9sec Top speed 118 mph Price From £31341.00 approx Release date 01/04/2006
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