Home - Automobile Reviews - Classic Styled 2006 Jeep Commander Heads Off Production Line


Classic Styled 2006 Jeep Commander Heads Off Production Line

Jefferson North Assembly Plant as Flexible as Commander it Produces

Jeeps upcoming 7-passenger Commander headed off of its Jefferson North (Detroit) Assembly Plant production line last week, home to the Grand Cherokee since 1992. The Commander is Jeeps fourth model, joining the Toledo, Ohio-built TJ and Liberty compact models.

The Jefferson plant wasnt previously capable of producing more than a single model at a time, but in November it will add production of the 415-horsepower Grand Cherokee SRT8 as well. 

The Commander melds design cues from Jeeps recent past with a few styling details of the current generation Grand Cherokee, a move that will make many that miss the 1984 through 2001 Cherokee very happy. "The Jeep Cherokee is an authentic, classic shape that is rooted in the public consciousness," said Donald A. Renkert, Senior Manager, Jeep
The Jefferson plant, home of the new Commander and recently updated Grand Cherokee, wasnt previously capable of producing more than a single model at a time, but in November it will add production of the 415-horsepower Grand Cherokee SRT8 as well. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)
Studio, Chrysler Group Product Design Office, when the model was launched in New York last March. "By reinterpreting that vehicle, and other classic Jeep vehicles of the past, the Jeep Commander elicited nods of recognition from consumers, even though it is a brand new vehicle. There is a sense of deja vu about the Jeep Commander that brings knowing smiles of satisfaction."

The new model also pays respects
"The Jeep Cherokee is an authentic, classic shape that is rooted in the public consciousness." (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)
to an entire field of military-derived SUVs that helped popularize the segment. Favorites of their time, the Isuzu Trooper, Land Rover Discovery, Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60 and LJ77, Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, and most other late-70s to mid-80s sport utilities were utilitarian, living up to the middle initial in SUV, less concerned about styling as they were with accommodating as many people and as much cargo inside the least expensive body shell as possible. Thus, slab-sided troop carriers were the order of the day.

That in mind, not everyone will appreciate the styling direction Jeep has taken with its largest
The Commander now gives Jeep buyers with large families something to consider purchasing. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)
offering, but the worlds most recognized 4x4 brand feels that there are plenty who long for something similar to a model that wasnt only extremely popular on the road and in the bush, but by being so literally saved Jeep from possible extinction. The Commander solves a problem which those who built the old Cherokee, a model that incidentally was a co-development between Jeeps previous parent, American Motors (AMC) and Renault of France, the latter which owned the former struggling domestic automaker prior to selling it to Chrysler Group, could never have imagined.

Back in the early 80s, five passenger vehicles were the norm. If you wanted to seat seven
The first Jeep with three rows of seats should be extremely competitive in the marketplace. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)
or more, you bought a van. Now, seven-occupant SUVs are becoming extremely popular, which may be a contributing factor to why sales of the recently updated Grand Cherokee have been slow. The Commander now gives Jeep buyers with large families, or who regularly take other kids along with their children to soccer games, and who occasionally need to throw the little ones on the back bench in order to accommodate the grandparents - you get the message, right - something to purchase without sending them across the street to the Chevy dealer to buy a Tahoe or Suburban, Ford retailer to purchase an Explorer or Expedition, or any number of competitive seven-seaters. 

And the first Jeep with three rows of seats should be extremely
"Commander signals our commitment to remain the leader in the sport-utility market, a market that Jeep invented more than 60 years ago." (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)
competitive in this marketplace. As previously mentioned, it doesnt look like the full-size pickup truck derived Suburban, Expedition, Sequoia and Armada, the latter two from Toyota and Nissan respectively, in case you werent up on mammoth SUV designations, and looking different is quite often a good thing when trying to purvey something altogether new. The Sequoia and Armada, for instance, are so similar in overall shape and size to their domestic rivals that theyve had a difficult time giving good enough reason for an already happy camp of Chevy and Ford customers to change horses, so to speak.
Page:  1  2  3

Your Comments
Enter review title
 Choose a star rating
 Type in your review
Your Name (optional)
 Your Email (optional)

Visitor Comments

Relatd Vehicle Listings
User Tools
Discuss in our Forums
Photos of Jeep 
Print this Auto News
Email this Auto News
NEW Jeep PRICE QUOTE
Get a FREE, No-Obligation Internet Price Quote for Jeep !
Find Jeep Dealer | Search Auto Listings for Jeep



Acura   Audi   Bentley   BMW   Buick   Cadillac   Chevrolet   Chrysler   Daewoo   Dodge   Eagle   Ferrari   Ford   Geo   GMC   Honda   Hummer   Hyundai   Infiniti   Isuzu   Jaguar   Jeep   Kia   Lamborghini   Lexus   Lincoln   Lotus   Maserati   Mazda   Mercedes-Benz   Mercury   MINI   Mitsubishi   Nissan   Oldsmobile   Plymouth   Pontiac   Porsche   Saab   Saturn   Scion   Subaru   Suzuki   Toyota   Volkswagen   Volvo