Jeep Commander (2006-) Review

Comfort and Equipment

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The Commander is well-equipped, with entry-level Predator models having all the expected items at this price - air con, a CD player, cruise control, powered front seats with lumbar support, consoles and cupholders and suchlike. The Limited versions will be most desirable, however, with leather upholstery, heated seats, parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring and dual-zone air con. But a six-CD autochanger, in combination with satellite navigation and a rear-seat DVD system, is only optional - the pack totting up to a hefty £3000 extra, which suddenly puts the list price for the Commander in a different perspective. Also optional is a sunroof with twin rear skylights, well worth having for the airy feel it gives the austere cabin, and tinted glass (£250, and surely a must-have).

Comfort's a mixed bag, here: no worries in the front, where there is more than ample legroom, elbowroom and headroom. The square-cut dashboard emphasises the vast windscreen, and settling into the multi-adjustable, supportive seats, the Commander makes a very pleasant cruiser, at least on smoother, straighter roads. But for such an immense vehicle, rear legroom is surprisingly limited in the middle three-seat row, and it's virtually non-existent for the rearmost occupants - the back pair of seats are little more than cushions and backrests mounted straight onto the floor, so anyone with long legs, or indeed, anyone larger than a pre-school child, will have their knees up by their ears. These really are only occasional or emergency seats. The three rows of seats are positioned theatre-style, with the front most set lowest, to give back seat riders a decent view, however, so at least everyone can see out.

Luggage space is also disappointingly limited for an SUV this size; the boot is wide and tall, but the old-school live rear axle suspension means that the floor is very high to the rear, cutting into load-room and meaning more of a lift will be needed to load heavy items. There's only a tiny niche with the rearmost seats in place, and when they are folded, the floor becomes even higher, as they don't disappear completely flat into the floor. This is pretty poor packaging by modern-day standards.

That old-fashioned suspension, too, makes for that wallowing ride. Whilst the Commander is generally quiet (apart from a bit of wind noise around the roof rails) and smooth-riding over most surfaces, hit a bump at speed or corner too quickly, and the springy rebound keeps coming in waves. It's not a car for charging round country lanes - at least if your passengers are prone to carsickness. It also tends to feel floaty at motorway speeds, no less nausea-inducing. The Commander has neither the sophistication nor the finesse of, say, the Volkswagen Touareg, Volvo XC90, BMW X5, Lexus RX or Land Rover Discovery, all more comfortable SUVs to ride in and not too dissimilar in price to draw comparison.