(By Tom Lohnes) – Do you remember the Jeep Commander from about 15 years ago? Well, it’s coming back, but not as we know it.
Based off of the Compass platform, the new Commander will be the third seven-seat SUV Jeep has revealed in the past six months. This model seems to come with some concerns though and power is one of them. You see, the normal Jeep compass is powered by the 2.4-liter N/A 4-banger that has made its way out of many FCA products in the last decade just because of harshness and it’s lack of raw grunt.
Even in the relatively small Compass, it only makes 184 horses and is capable of pushing that smaller and lighter SUV to 60 in over 10 seconds, which is sort of unacceptable in today’s climate. The Compass platform has never seen anything but that engine, so it appears that the performance likely will not improve with more wheelbase and weight. Besides that, though, I think the Commander will be a fine SUV with a high-quality interior and great looks.
So, there you have it. Would you get a new Commander, or would you wait and save up a little more for a Grand Cherokee? Personally I would do the latter, because at very least a V6 is available in the Grand Cherokee.
Stretching the little Compass to a three row SUV just doesn’t seem like a good idea. I’d take a minivan over something that promises to have three rows of seats and zero rows actually comfortable.
The price of the Jeep Grand Cherokee is high, especially when it is not a luxury brand, the grille design is not suitable, the Hemi engine does not guarantee fuel economy, there is no rearview camera for the standard Laredo version. If I had to choose, I would give this Jeep a try