Tell me about the Jeep Commander

[telemike]

I am thinking about trading my 2007 Hummer H3 with 3.7 I5 for a different SUV that can tow up to 6000#,my H3 can only tow 4500# max. The I5 just doesn'thave the grunt.

I've been thinking the Jeep Commander with 5.7 HEMI ought to have the grunt for towing. My price range is under $18K, so not sure if a 2009/2010 with the 300hp 4.7 will be in my price range. I also want the Quadra-drive II.


How good is the Commander? Are they reliable or even worth looking at? I know it's based on the Grand Cherokee.

I hate to give up my 4:1 low range, 33" tires and rear locker of the H3, but towing is becoming more important a need in the future. I figure I can add a 2" lift and some 30-31" tires at some point along with skid plates.

I'm not needing rock-crawling capabilty, reather more expo type off-roading and scenic trails.

 

[hoaxci5]

I owned a commander for 2 years. I had a love hate relationship with it. with QD2 it was pretty much unstoppable, wrangler guys were always impressed what it would do offroad. QD2 is LSD's front and rear so other than the 4:1 low range it will be more capable than the H3. I towed a 21ft toy hauler trailer (7200lbs) from CA to MI to DE with the addition of an aux transcooler, but got TERRIBLE mileage, 7ish. The bad was I always seemed to have electrical issues, I had a front diff solenoid go, a couple of other "modules" as the dealership described it, and at one point dropped a valve seat. I seem to be the rare exception though, I'm still pretty active on the XK/WK forums and while every vehicle has its issues I think I got a bad one, so I'm not really mad about it and would still recommend them as a solid expo type vehicle. On the expo side of things the fuel mileage and aftermarket support are pretty much the only downsides I can think of.

OME HD lift you can fit 32"
Superlift you can fit 33 (maybe more if you get creative a few have..)

 

[telemike]

The Grand Cherokee is almost too rounded off for me, though I would not mind a diesel GC. The Land Rover LR3 is also on my list but I am scared of repair costs and maintenance.

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[hoaxci5]

I considered an LR3 also before buying the Commander and decided on the Jeep for the same reasons, along with the LR3 requiring premium gas.

 

[telemike]

What I like about H3 is you can fit 35's with no lift. If I could afford a 2010 H3 with V8 and front/rear lockers I would but they are too pricey. I can find 2007 Commander Limited with quadra drive for $14-16k

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[autumnwalker]

Hey telemike - I'll come back to the same suggestions you are getting over at H4O and especially with hoaxci5's input: you should be looking at an H2. The absolute piss poor worst fuel mileage I have ever seen in mine was 27 L/100km which is about 9 mpg - that was towing a 5000# trailer with my 38" tires and my torque converter wasn't locking up (due to the tuning software I had installed). I average around 18 L/100km (13 mpg) mixed driving and 16 L/100 km (15 mpg) highway.

The H2 has more power than the Commander (similar to the Hemi anyway), comes with 35" tires from the factory and can fit a 38" without any modifications, has a selectable rear locking differential, a 2.64:1 low range, and a 4.10:1 axle ratio.

H2's in my neck of the woods are going for under $20k CDN; I have seen them in the $14k range! It's an absolute steel.

 

[telemike]

I just don't like the look or size of H2....Id rather be medium.

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[hoaxci5]

My commander when not towing was getting 17.5 mpgs highway, with 32" tires on an OME HD lift. In the city it was around 12 mpgs.

 

[jscusmcvet]

I am thinking about trading my 2007 Hummer H3 with 3.7 I5 for a different SUV that can tow up to 6000#,my H3 can only tow 4500# max. The I5 just doesn'thave the grunt.

I've been thinking the Jeep Commander with 5.7 HEMI ought to have the grunt for towing. My price range is under $18K, so not sure if a 2009/2010 with the 300hp 4.7 will be in my price range. I also want the Quadra-drive II.


How good is the Commander? Are they reliable or even worth looking at? I know it's based on the Grand Cherokee.

I hate to give up my 4:1 low range, 33" tires and rear locker of the H3, but towing is becoming more important a need in the future. I figure I can add a 2" lift and some 30-31" tires at some point along with skid plates.

I'm not needing rock-crawling capabilty, reather more expo type off-roading and scenic trails.

You could always drop a Spartan locker or some such in the rear of the commander for better offroad performance. That's what I did in my 2001 xj and it was an easy job, inexpensive and worked like a charm. If you ever go that route call me, I will help on the install.

John

 

[telemike]

I am also looking at the Grand Cherokees too. Although the styling of the Commander reminds me of the XJ. I found a couple nice Overlands in the area and a 2007 diesel limited.

 

[redthies]

I found a 2007 diesel limited.

This!!!

 

[apruitt9]

Commander

Any other thoughts on the Commander? I need a dd/light offroad rig, I am a toyota guy at heart but like the looks of these. About to pull the trigger on a LC but saw this and thought I would do some digging and see how reliable they were and the pros and cons. Initial investment and parts cost I know will be cheaper but is it worth it? Forgot to mention I need seating for at least 6!

2004 LC 109k stock $19k
2006 Xk 114k stock $10k or less

 

[telemike]

I found a 2008 Commander Limited for $14k. Only like the looks better than the Grand.


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[Dendy Jarrett]

Mike:
I had a Jeep Commander Overland Edition for about a year when I had the AEV JKU. My wife drove it. LOVED the look (very LR3ish) inside, but dog poor gas mileage. Avg. in town of 9.5 mpg. My completely built ARB front/winch/fully skidded/Kaymar rear bumper and roof rack Land Rover LR3 gets 14 in town.
The Commander did well on the highway at around 16.5. But we traded it for the LR3. My fully loaded LR3 pulling a trailer gets better highway milage than the Commander.
d

 

[telemike]

Too bad we did not get the diesel option.

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