Command and Conquer: Jeep Commander (2007)

What you’re looking at is one of the greenest cars for sale, beating even the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight. For all the criticisms thrown at sport utility vehicles, the Commander is actually more earth-friendly per mile than any hybrid. So what does this have to do with you? Well, if the primary reason you’re not considering one is because of its greenness (or lack thereof), then you’re totally wrong. If you’re not considering one because of its price, well, you’d be surprised that at P 2.850 million, it actually undercuts the P 2.99-million Ford Expedition. Truth be told, this one of the genuine automotive gems in the market today, and more people need to discover it.

Let’s talk looks. In Steel Blue Metallic, the Commander looks hunkered down and macho—every single crevice of it. There are no womanly curves here; the Commander is unashamed of its angularly down to the door handles, door mirrors and greenhouse. In fact, the only thing round on the Jeep are the fog lamps and of course, the tires. Much like the Chrysler 300C, it looks modern with an nice twist of nostalgia. The squared-off profile manages to give the Commander more visual mass, even if in reality, it’s closer in mass to a Toyota Fortuner than a Chevrolet Suburban. All-in-all, the Commander looks like a Hummer with a tad more civility and good taste thrown in.

For all its rugged looks though, the Commander actually shares its platform with Jeep’s other large sport-ute, the Grand Cherokee. Enthusiasts would note that the Grand Cherokee is purely a five-seater—so how do things translate to the 7-seater Commander? Not so good really. The first two rows offer American space and comfort, there’s no doubt about that; but the third row is best left to Guantanamo Bay inmates. Although the headrests are adjustable, there’s barely enough headroom as it is, and the knee room is almost nonexistent.

Troop carrier the Commander isn’t, but one thing it does very well is travel long distances. Unlike the stiffly sprung Ford Explorer for example, the Commander glides through any sort of rut and bump with minimal interior jarring. Through steering is on the light side, the Commander feels fairly stable, especially considering its tall appearance. The Jeep can actually surprise you on how it feels composed during long bends, and how body roll is kept to a minimum. An automatic stability and traction control (ESP) is standard as are tire-pressure sensors, full-time all-wheel drive and six airbags, making this Jeep the safest in its class.

Safe and stylish as it is, the biggest ace up the Commander’s sleeve is its refined drivetrain. Shared with the Dodge Durango, the Commander is pushed by a 230 horsepower 4.7-liter V8 engine. Mated to a five-speed automatic, the Jeep makes shortlist of both stoplight duels and highway mergers. The more spirited will enjoy the “AutoStick” function that allows the driver to shift up and down manually by just toggling the shifter left or right. Overall, the engine is muted and refined, but when pushed the V8 lets out a nice, muscle car like gurgle. The engine’s atypical of an American SUV too as it’s FlexFuel capable. This means that it can run up to 85 percent ethanol right off the bat. During the test, the Commander did a similar mileage on both unleaded and E10: roughly 5.0 km/L—a very commendable figure considering that the drive was done mostly in traffic.

For those who “rough it”, the Commander is a trail rated SUV which means it can go through the treacherous Rubicon trail without any sort of modifications. The boxy profile aside, this ability is thanks to the advanced all-wheel drive system dubbed Quadra-Drive II which integrates low-range, towing and locking differential functions.

Although the Jeep is best enjoyed from the driver’s seat, the other passengers will still revel in the Commander’s generous equipment. Everything expected as standard is, and running down the list: powered leather seats and pedals, dual climate control, a 6-disc in-dash changer with MP3 function with a Boston Acoustic speaker system and dual sunroofs. Much more important though is that the Commander manages to be much more than just the sum of its interior parts. For starters, the Commander’s seats are covered in sumptuous baseball glove leather and surrounding it is a well-executed matte wood trim. There’s a spattering of chrome here and there, which liven the cabin without making it look cheesy. It’s a nice place to be, and surprisingly, the interior’s not out of place in cars twice its price.

And in the end, it’s the value for money equation that makes the Jeep Commander a standout. This is one car that manages to include all the essentials plus all the right extras into a solid, stylish and more or less a functional package. As long as you’re not looking for a 7-seater SUV, the Commander should be the first choice thanks to its excellent performance, surprising road manners, off-road capability—and in all, it’s a flawless execution. Like the Chrysler 300C, it makes one hell of a statement—and that’s something that can’t be said with its competition.

By Ulysses Ang | Photos by Ulysses Ang