It Took a Hit and Only Damaged the Bumper

Author's Rating:

Pros: Safety is first rate and it's very comfortable!

Cons: Gas mileage and third row seating is short on leg room.

The Bottom Line: 
I love this car! It's incredible and I am so glad I chose this one!

Author's Review
I’ve had my 2006 Jeep Commander for almost a year now and enjoy it as much today as I did the first day I got it. I feel safe in it and it’s one of the most comfortable vehicles that I’ve ever driven. There are only a few negatives to this vehicle and the good far outweighs the bad.

The Jeep Commander that I have does not have the option hemi engine as I tend to have a bit of a lead foot and didn’t need the temptation to get from Point A to Point faster than the speed limit allows. Besides if I had a hemi and my foot to the floor the gas mileage would kill me! My Jeep has great features that I’ve found I’d be hard-pressed to live without and didn’t need the hemi-package with added features.

Seating

The Commander seats seven people. The back seats are stadium seating which means they are higher than the seats in front of them. So the seats behind the driver can see out the front windshield which is a very nice feature. The room in the second row is roomy enough even for large adults. The third row of seats is less roomy and if a large adult has to sit there for any length of time leg cramps might be a problem. My daughter who is 5ֹ” with a small frame can sit there comfortably for a short duration of time. Front seats are incredibly spacious however. Driver seat also has the lumbar support for the long trips. Getting into the second row of seats is no problem since there are four doors, but getting into the third row requires a bit of flexibility since you have to climb over a seat that drops down.

Body Style

I refer to my Commander as a Hummer that’s not on steroids. It’s a bit boxy (which I like) and similar to the Grand Cherokee and other earlier Jeep models. It’s only two inches longer than the Grand Cherokee but much larger inside which is a big plus for me.

There is a cargo rack on top but I have not used it as there is always sufficient room inside. There is a small cargo area behind the third row of seats that can be used to store whatever you need to carry. If you only need two seats (which is usually the case with me) you can fold down the third row and have more cargo room inside. I’ve carried 5 large suitcases, 4 swim bags full of equipment, two laptops, several bags of snacks, and an ice chest back there with no problem at all.

Safety

Safety features were a big plus for me in my decision to purchase this vehicle. It has side airbags and was explained to me as being surrounded by a cloud when needed. The passenger front airbag is engaged when someone is in the seat – I think this works by weight because I’ve set a case of water in the front seat and the seatbelt light came on and it beeped at me saying someone didn’t have the belt on. This annoyance taught me to put the water in the back seat! Safety features also include brake assist, the electronic stability control system, and an electronic roll mitigation to keeps me from rolling over in extreme situations. But my favorite safety feature is the ParkSensor/Park Assist system which tells me if I get too close to something while backing up. I live on a street with pre-teen boys who love to ride their skateboards and think it’s fun to dash behind a vehicle that is backing out of the driveway. This alert system has kept me from plowing into one of them when they get too close and misjudge their distance from my Jeep.

Engine and Performance

I have the 3.7 liter, 210-horsepower V6 engine with automatic transmission. The transmission is the type that can be either automatic or standard shift (I very seldom have manually shifted). The suspension is sturdy and this SUV rides like a truck but a comfortable truck as it doesn’t bounce you all over. Cornering doesn’t make you feel like you’re gonna topple over either which is a good thing for me – I hate that feeling of the vehicle being top heavy and being afraid of rolling.

This Commander also states that I can tow up to 7200 pounds. I’m not sure I’d tow something quite that large but having that capability is nice. Who knows, I might want to tow a small boat or trailer with ATVs one of these days.

My Accident

Yes I’ve been involved in a minor accident with this vehicle and it’s less than a year old. I was in stop-and-go traffic coming home from work one day a few weeks ago. The problem was I stopped and the guy behind me didn’t. He was driving a mid-90’s Toyota pick up truck and rear ended me at about thirty miles per hour. I pulled over expecting to see the back of my Commander smashed because I could see the major damage to his truck when I got out. If they don’t total his truck I will be amazed! Anyway, I went back and took at look at my Jeep. Wow, I was astonished – I had minor bumper damage. The biggest thing was that my ParkAssist no longer was capable of working. The bumper has to be replaced and a couple of areas need touch-up paint. Other than that, nothing was damaged. My Jeep Commander took one heck of a hit and came out with a few scrapes and bruises. Oh and did I mention that right before that accident I was grumbling about the 17-24 miles per gallon I was getting in gas mileage since gas prices had just peaked at $ 3.49 a gallon? Yep, I was contemplating on downsizing and getting a car that gets great gas mileage. After this episode, I’d much rather be safe in this car than get more miles per gallon – I can feel safe and not worry about being hit and injured.

Conclusion

I’m not sure what other features I can tell you about. The bottom line is that I absolutely love my Commander. I love the fact that I can get seven passengers in it and have them all be safe. The base price is a bit cheaper than other SUVs on the market ($ 38,200) and has all the comforts you will soon not be able to live without. There are bells and whistles that will increase the price but will make this vehicle hard to live without. My sixteen year old daughter does not like look of the Commander but she loves driving and riding in it. My twenty year old daughter absolutely loves everything about it and begs me to trade cars with her (um… no, she drives a Tiburon and I feel like I’m dragging the ground when I ride in that). I’m so happy with my 2006 Jeep Commander that I no longer want that Hummer, I no longer want any other car – I’m content and love driving this SUV, even on long trips to out of state swim meets!