2006 Jeep Commander

SUV buyers who need a third seat have been shut out at Jeep, but that will change with the arrival of the Commander this fall. Essentially a re-bodied Grand Cherokee, the Commander will come with a standard third-row seat, but its accommodations are child-sized. The Commander's interior is completely new, with rustic, distressed-leather upholstery and matte-finish wood available. Small, non-opening glass panels over the rear seats (like those in the Nissan Maxima) are standard. Mechanically, the Commander is a twin to the Grand Cherokee, and will share that model's powertrains: a 3.7-liter V-6, a 4.7-liter V-8, and a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, along with rear-wheel drive or a choice of three four-wheel-drive systems. The suspension consists of control arms up front and a live axle at the rear; stability control will be standard (as it will be on the Grand Cherokee for '06). The Commander retains the Grand Cherokee's 109.5-inch wheelbase, but its unique body is 2 inches longer and 4 inches taller. The slab-sided, rectilinear design is supposed to recall the old Jeep Cherokee, whose handsome styling remained popular as it moved from modern to classic during its extra-long life cycle. The Commander's weird, inset headlamps spoil the effect here, but ardent Jeep fans who need three rows of seats might not care.

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