2006 Jeep Commander

A commanding, if somewhat awkward, presence

Jeep aficionados know the Cherokee of 1984-2001, credited by some as the first (relatively) carlike unibody "compact" SUV. Its shape was as blunt as the box your refrigerator came in, it won three "4x4 of the Year" awards in its first year out, and it satisfied a lot of owners over its 18-year run.

That was the first and foremost of three design inspirations for this ultra-boxy Grand Cherokee-based Commander. The other two were the primitive Willys wagon of 1948-62 and the hulking Wagoneer of 1963-91. None won awards for sleekness or sophistication, but all were undeniably rugged, capable, and functional, and they enjoyed sizable followings.

At one point during our time with, we parked one next to an old Cherokee and noted the uncanny similarities: near-vertical windshield, tail and signature seven-slot grille, trapezoidal flared wheel openings and side windows as rectilinear as the ones on your garage. This new-model Commander, named for a high-ranking U.S. naval officer, looks like someone stuck an air hose into that old Cherokee and pumped it up like a parade float.

This look is exactly the designers' intent, and not necessarily bad. If you like its tough, rugged, bridge-girder industrial look, this Jeep's got it in proverbial spades, almost to the point of caricature. If not, well, you're not the target market.

"It wasn't about thinking outside the box," says chief designer Dan Renkert, "it was about creating a new box." Consistent with the bolted-together look, the big, blocky fender flares appear to be held on by quintets of large, proudly visible Allen-head screws.

Functional interior

The other reason it looks that way is purely functional: they lifted the new-for-'05 Grand Cherokee's already angular body and wedged in a third-row seat, then raised the second row a bit higher than the first and the third above the second, stadium-style, so everyone can see out front. Then they folded the sheetmetal crisply back around this expanded interior package. The resulting brick-shaped seven-seater, Jeep's first ever, is just two inches longer but a substantial four inches taller than Grand Cherokee on the same 109.5-inch wheelbase.

The $27,985 (including destination) base Commander's cabin has a new textured hard plastic upper dash with large, round air vents and 16 (count 'em) actual Allen-head screws, echoing the exterior's "bold, rugged, constructed" aesthetic, holding it on. Continuing that theme, sextets of fake Allen heads encircle the round chrome gearshift knob and the steering wheel hub.

The second row splits 40/20/40, the standard third row 50/50, and both fold flat for cargo. To accommodate the stadium seating, the roof steps up 3.15 inches over the middle row. Other standard equipment includes all-terrain tires on 17-inch cast aluminum wheels, power front windows, heated power mirrors, eight-way power driver's seat, air conditioning, cruise control, AM/FM/CD six-speaker audio, and tire pressure monitoring warning. Cloth seats are standard, leather optional.

The $36,280 Limited adds posh leather seats with heated fronts and four-way power passenger seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control with rear HVAC, power-adjustable pedals, six-CD in-dash changer with MP3, SIRIUS satellite radio, power sunroof, twin tinted "CommandView" skylights, and a tire-pressure monitoring display. On the outside, its grille, front fascia, body-side moldings and roof rail cross bars are chrome, as are the pair of large vertical grab handles on the rear liftgate to assist rooftop cargo access.

That thing got a Hemi?

Like Grand Cherokee, the Commander offers a range of engine/4WD choices. A 210-hp SOHC 3.7-liter V-6 is standard with 2WD or (for $2000 additional) Quadra-Trac I full-time 4WD with Brake Traction Control System (BTCS), which brakes any slipping wheel to allow torque transfer to wheels with better grip.

The Limited gets a 235-hp 4.7-liter SOHC V-8, also with 2WD or (for $2620) the more sophisticated Quadra-Trac II full-time 4WD that anticipates and prevents wheelspin. For roughly another four grand, the Limited can be highly motivated by Chrysler's 330-hp 5.