Long-Term Test: 2006 Jeep Commander Limited

Read the Jeep Commander's logbook entries.

Why we bought it
Durability
Performance and fuel economy
Retained value
Summing up

A grassy median was the only thing that separated the 2006 Jeep Commander from the big oak ahead, and the Commander's wide front grille met tree bark within seconds. Bam! Leaves showered down upon us as we crawled out of the crumpled, hissing Commander and staggered away.

Just like that, our long-term 2006 Jeep Commander test ended, two months earlier than planned. Days later the insurance company confirmed what we already knew at the scene. The Commander, with the engine pushed so far back that it peeked into the front footwells, was beyond repair.

Why we bought it
In November 2005 we reviewed our dwindling annual fund for long-term test cars and found $45,000 left to spend. One of us recommended the all-new seven-passenger Jeep Commander, and pointed out that you really could make a Jeep cost that much.

Turns out, a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with Jeep's Quadra-Drive four-wheel-drive system, a rear-seat DVD entertainment system, a navigation system and satellite radio can tickle the bottom of $45 grand. A Jeep priced like a luxury SUV? We had to try it.

After a couple of weeks of searching dealer lots via the Internet, we found a loaded Jeep Commander Limited in our Santa Monica neighborhood. Following a brief negotiation with Buerge Chrysler-Jeep, we agreed on $43,740, $1,000 under MSRP.

Durability
A recurring theme from the Commander's long-term notebook has been admiration for the way it drives. Karl Brauer, Edmunds.com's editor in chief, noted, "I have to give the Commander kudos for the precise steering and relatively agile handling that makes this SUV feel smaller than its considerable dimensions."

There is also plenty of love for its 330-horsepower 5.7-liter Hemi V8, but the initial off-the-line lurch isn't always appreciated by passengers. Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing, said, "There is more than simple Hemi power at work here. The electronic throttle is tuned just a bit too aggressively at tip-in. Sure, it makes an engine feel more powerful, but it makes it a pain in the neck to produce a smooth getaway."

The Commander's speed is also difficult to control while rock-crawling in four-wheel drive. A little too much throttle in 1st gear while in low range produces too much torque, causing this beast to lunge over rocks and inevitably bash its skid plate on the other side.

Overall, however, the Commander is an admirable off-road machine, considering its size. We often used it as a support vehicle for off-road photo and video shoots. "We covered nearly 100 miles of harsh terrain by day's end," said Senior Editor Ed Hellwig after one outing. "Its soft suspension bottomed out quite a bit, especially with the added weight of our gear, but it rarely scraped its undercarriage. Not bad for a vehicle with all-terrain tires and an average ride height."

Inside, the boxy Commander has the plushest Jeep interior ever seen. The driver seat is well shaped, and the seat-bottom cushion is long, providing good thigh support for those with long legs. It's a shame the steering wheel doesn't telescope.

Although the cargo area will accommodate 69 cubic feet of stuff behind the first-row seats, the load floor makes things difficult. Because the second- and third-row seats can't fold flat, everything else has been raised to create a flat loading surface. The high liftover makes it difficult to load big items, but we think it's a compromise necessary because of the solid rear axle, one of those things that comes with a vehicle that's meant for rugged off-road driving.

We fulfilled most of our maintenance needs at Moothart Chrysler/Jeep in Cerritos, California. The service writers were prompt and friendly, and didn't attempt the old trick of trying to sell us "dealer recommended" service.

There were just a few minor issues during our ownership. One was a glitch with the air-conditioning system, which cooled us adequately when the air was on full blast, but was considerably less powerful when it was adjusted just a notch. The dealer found the refrigerant levels were low and recharged the system. The manufacturer recently issued a programming update for this problem, so the SUV's computer module was flashed with an update.

Unfortunately, the Commander's major breakdowns were attached to interstate vacation runs.

The day after returning from a cross-country trip with his family, Karl Brauer attempted to fire up the Commander in his driveway and found it totally dead. He charged it long enough to get the engine to turn over, and the dealer replaced the battery.

But the Edmunds clan got the worst of it when the Commander stranded them while en route to visit family in Oregon. "Click, click, click, is all I get after a twist of the key," said Dan Edmunds. "It's not a dead battery, as the power windows, lights, nav screen and everything else works at full strength. The battery has been replaced, so something sinister is at work." In the end, the starter motor was replaced.

Total Body Repair Costs: None
Total Routine Maintenance Costs (over 10 months): $417.37
Additional Maintenance Costs: None
Warranty Repairs: 5
Non-Warranty Repairs: None
Scheduled Dealer Visits: 3
Unscheduled Dealer Visits: 3
Days Out of Service: 2
Breakdowns Stranding Driver: 1

Performance and fuel economy
After its initial break-in period, we put the Commander through our usual battery of instrumented tests. The big Jeep scored a 0-60-mph time of 8.1 seconds and a quarter-mile run of 16.1 seconds at 85.5 mph. Our braking test recorded a stop in 141.4 feet from 60 mph. This is respectable performance for such a heavy SUV.

Unfortunately, our Commander's untimely demise means we were unable to conduct performance tests at the end of the Commander's loan to determine if there were any major changes in performance during our 10 months together.

Just how thirsty is the big V8 in the Commander? It swills gas like an early '80s Camaro. Despite the thousands of freeway miles, the Commander still averaged just 14.1 mpg over 26,000 miles.

Jason Kavanagh, engineering editor, reported: "Commuting to work this morning I was surprised to see that I had relieved the Commander's fuel tank of about a quarter of its capacity. An hour and 15 minutes to drive 30.7 miles, and the Commander kicks me in the shins to the tune of 6 mpg.

"Maybe it's creeping along in bumper-to-bumper traffic with lots of idling and brief throttle stabs to squirt through traffic. Acceleration enrichment kills fuel economy, especially when it's all happening in 1st gear."

Best Fuel Economy: 17.5 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 9.6 mpg
Average Fuel Economy: 14.1 mpg

Retained value
We got our money's worth out of the Commander. We often get the short end of the stick with these yearlong ownerships, eating the first big hit in depreciation. But with the Jeep, our True Market Value (TMV)^SM calculator indicates a success story. We paid just under $44,000, drove it for 26,000 miles under warranty, and walked away with nearly $38,000 from the insurance company after the Jeep was totaled. The TMV price shows real-world transactions in our ZIP code now averaging just $30,000 for 2006 Commanders like ours.

True Market Value at service end: $30,144
What it sold for: $37,885.20 (Insurance payoff)
Depreciation: $5,854.80 or 13.5% of original paid price
Final Odometer Reading: 26,070

Summing up
Although there were a couple of major bumps in the road, we weren't anxious for the test to end, especially so abruptly. But even after 26,000 miles and 10 months, most of us still weren't completely comfortable with the notion of a $40,000 Jeep, no matter how upscale the interior. To us, the Commander seems like a big Jeep, not a luxury Jeep. It tries hard to be a Land Rover, but the tough, down-and-dirty heritage that makes us love the Jeep brand might actually keep the Commander from fitting in with other SUVs in this price category.

Edmunds purchased this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.

Read the Jeep Commander's logbook entries.