Ron Perry’s 2006 Jeep Commander Driving Impressions:
Quiet, smooth, comfortable – these are a few words that come to mind after driving the 2006 Jeep Commander. However, it does drive like an SUV. There is a top-heavy weight bias when cornering and the blocky design catches every wind gust, necessitating counter steer. Wind noise is virtually non-existent, though. The Hemi V8 engine pulls nicely and is smooth under acceleration, but watching the gas needle drop like it’s made of lead is disconcerting. The Commander’s biggest fault is outward visibility. Both the second- and third-row seats block the outward view and create horrible blind spots. Dropping the third row into the floor is a must if you want to use the rear glass, and it’s a good idea to lower the second-row if possible. Jeep does get kudos for how easy it is to drop the seats. You don’t need to remove the headrests; they automatically fold as part of the lowering process though they have to be manually raised after returning the seat to the upright position.

Christian Wardlaw’s 2006 Jeep Commander Driving Impressions:
Sure, the 2006 Jeep Commander’s 5.7-liter Hemi V8 is a gem, and it makes a wonderful sound when you turn it loose, but you really pay at the pump. The transmission is equally pleasing, the selector offering uncommon heft as it glides through its gears, and the AutoStick feature works nicely when needed. Acceleration is no problem – the Commander gets up and goes, pointing its prow skyward, though throttle tip-in can be somewhat abrupt. Hit the brakes and the Commander’s chin dives toward the pavement, the wimpy all-season front tires howling as the heavy Jeep’s weight shifts onto them in medium to hard stops. The brake pedal offers quick response and terrific feel on the road, but in the dirt the Commander’s ABS becomes a liability unless you shift into low-range and disengage it. During a light-duty 4WD excursion I bounced rather dramatically down what appeared to be a gently sloped hillside once the ABS cycled on, picking up speed all the way and smashing the undercarriage several times because the tires refused to dig in and grind the Commander to a stop. Good thing there wasn’t a cliff at the end of that trail.

One reason for my amateur-hour off-roading experience was the Commander’s pillow-soft suspension. This buggy demonstrates excessive squat, dive, and roll on pavement, and when you get into the dirt, all that suspension action continually engages the safety nannies – ABS, stability control, and roll mitigation. Plus, it’s very easy to bottom this thing out in the dips and ruts common to off-roading trails, so keep your speed down. Though Jeep says the Commander is “Trail Rated,” this rig is best on the road, where once you overcome your fear that you might roll it over, you find that the tires grip well in turns, and that the slow steering features linear response and decent feedback from the road.

The Commander shines when traveling in a straight line on blacktop, where it does a good impression of an isolation chamber unless you’ve got that Hemi roaring from behind the firewall. But if you hit a dip, or a series of dips, this Jeep floats and bobs and weaves like a 1975 Buick Estate Wagon. Off-road, the Commander is more capable than many vehicles in its class, but is too soft and comes with tires better suited to the parking lot at the mall. Visibility, as my colleagues have noted, is terrible with the third-row raised and just OK with that rearmost bench folded down.

Ultimately, the 2006 Jeep Commander is a compromise vehicle: woozy on the road, clumsy off of it, and commanding little more than another stop at the fuel pump.

Thom Blackett’s 2006 Jeep Commander Driving Impressions:
I’m starting to wonder if putting a Hemi engine into a 1981 Chevy Citation wouldn’t somehow transform that into an enjoyable drive. Our tester wore the all-important Hemi badge, meaning there was a 5.7-liter, 330-horsepower V8 under the hood with an impressive 375 lb.-ft. of torque. Though our Commander, a four-wheel-drive Limited model, tipped the scales at a hefty 5,000+ pounds, the Hemi and its accompanying five-speed automatic transmission did a fine job of moving this SUV with authority, even if there was some unnerving engine rap echoing off the highway barriers. Shifts were smooth for the most part, but hammering the throttle could result in sudden downshifts and a serious hit to the fuel supply. That’s after getting past the dead spot in the accelerator. The Jeep Commander also had a tendency to squat under moderate or heavy acceleration and dive under braking, while the ride on rough pavement was a bit unsettled and the steering noticeably vague. Add in a good dose of body roll, and its clear why large SUVs are not known as athletic handlers.

To be sure, quick turns and tight corners are not the 2006 Commander’s forte, but cruising on smooth pavement was pleasant. There’s more wind noise than I’d like, though the engine is somewhat muted, and what does escape through is the sweet sound of a V8 (that rapping sound is only audible from outside or when the windows are open). Visibility is pretty pathetic, hampered by large second-row headrests, wide rear pillars, and a third-row bench that nearly obliterates the view out the back window.

If it sounds like the 2006 Jeep Commander is a heavy, sloppy handler that really only has a decent engine going for it, that’d be about right. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to take this monster off-road, but chances are the Trail Rated moniker lives up to the name. However, if you’re planning on squeezing folks into that miniscule third-row seat for any jouncing excursions, you may want to stuff a few barf bags back there, too.

Brian Chee’s 2006 Jeep Commander Driving Impressions
The only off-roading done during my brief stint in the 2006 Jeep Commander was mental – as in the constant temptation to jump the shoulder of the road and drive over the mountain range that stood in the way of getting home. That range put the car – and me – squarely in the daily hell called five o’clock traffic, and there it stayed, even though I could have done it, given the off-road capability offered in the Commander. Shoot, the only damage would have been a few scrapes courtesy of driving through barbed-wire fences.

Oh well. No guts, no glory, or so they say, and anyway, my cowardice (discretion?) actually presented an opportunity to test this vehicle in the way it will actually be used – on freeways and city streets, in traffic and in obedience of all (most) road laws. Face it: if you’re in the market for a three-row Jeep, you’re planning to blaze more asphalt than you are dirt roads or rock. As a result, the Commander must handle the daily driver challenges of boredom and a numb rump just as much as rock climbing. On that basis, the Commander is a fine vehicle, motivated by a superb 5.7-liter, V8 engine. There’s also a V6 trim offered, but please – if you’re buying a Commander with a V6 engine, leave the dealership and check yourself into therapy, and don’t come talking that fuel economy nonsense. Any fuel economy gained from the V6 engine is lost in the effort it will take for that powerplant to haul this heavy lump around town. Besides, the value of a vehicle like the Commander is in its power, size and off-road ability.

Okay. Now that the room is clear, let’s get back to business.
Controlled by a silky five-speed automatic, the Commander is a smooth operator that makes driving a pleasure. Flaws in the driving experience include wind noise and tug, though it’s actually pretty good given the steep front windshield and design of the greenhouse. There’s also poor visibility out the back, thanks to the third-row seat. Side visibility is good, though, thanks to the tall greenhouse. For a vehicle that weighs over 5,000 lbs, in fact, the Commander is surprising in its smooth operation, its braking ability and its cornering aplomb. Even after a long commuter’s slog, one exits the car feeling refreshed. That’s thanks to a suspension that flattens out rough road but doesn’t float, and an interior smartly made with comfortable seats and great forward sightlines.