Jeep Commander 7-Seater SUV Unveiled Ahead Of India Launch: Here Is Everything You Need To Know

The new Jeep Commander is built at the American brand's manufacturing facility in Pernambuco, Brazil, and has been subsequently launched in the South American market initially.

Since the Indian automotive market has also opened up quite wide for a 7-seater SUV, the Jeep Commander will also be making its way to Indian shores.

Though the American brand has not given any specific time frame regarding the launch of Jeep commander in India, we suspect Jeep to launch it very soon.

However, when the Jeep Commander comes to India, it is most likely to be renamed as 'Meridian'. This is most likely to avoid a confrontation with Mahindra in their home ground, as the latter has already used that name for one of its earlier models.

Coming back to Jeep commander, even though it is based on the Jeep Compass, it is much larger than the Jeep compass standing at 1,682 mm high, 1859 mm wide and 4,769 mm long; Which makes the new Jeep Commander 42 mm taller, 41 mm wider and a substantial 364mm longer than the Jeep Compass.

Apart from this, to liberate more legroom for the middle-row passengers, Jeep has lengthened the wheelbase from 2636mm to 2794mm. This 158mm in legroom can make a huge improvement in the interior space of the Jeep Commander.

Looks-wise, the new Jeep Commander cannot be mistaken for anything other than a Jeep with its signature seven-slat grille flanked by two full-LED headlamps and the squared wheel arches.

Apart from this, the South American version receives large 18-inch alloy wheels as standard, but there is an option to upgrade to larger and more imposing 19-inch alloy wheels. However, we expect Jeep to offer the 18-inch alloy wheels in India to aid ride comfort.

Since the Jeep commander is a larger SUV and demands a higher price than the Jeep Compass, Jeep has decided to make the Jeep Commander feel a cut above the Jeep Compass.

This is evident once you step into the interior. Once inside, your attention will be grabbed immediately by the suede trim on the dashboard. This trim completely transforms the cabin from 'upmarket' to 'wow' in a matter of milliseconds.

Other premium touches include a full leather interior, a large 10.1-inch Full HD widescreen infotainment system, an even bigger 10.25 inch fully digital driver display, and 450 watt Harman Kardon speakers.

Coming back to interior space, the boot space with all three rows up is around 233-litres. If we keep the last row folded, the boot space becomes a more usable 661-litres. If you decide to haul some large objects, the last two rows can be folded to make a carnivorous 1,760-litres of space.

There is a choice of two power plants for the Jeep commander. The first option is a 1.3-litre turbo petrol motor that generates a healthy 185hp and 270Nm of torque, then there is the 2.0-litre Multijet turbo diesel unit with 170hp and a mammoth 380Nm of torque.

The petrol engine comes mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox, whereas the 4X4 diesel unit gets the 9-speed automatic gearbox.

On the safety front, the new Jeep Commander comes loaded with all the bells and whistles to keep you and your family safe. This includes seven airbags, adaptive cruise control, collision alert with automatic braking, blind-spot and cross-traffic detector, shift alert lane, emergency braking, fatigue detector, license plate recognition, automatic high beam, and park assist.

The new Jeep Commander is priced at R$ 199,990, which is roughly around Rs 28 lakhs in India.

Thoughts About The Jeep Commander 7-Seater SUV Unveiled Ahead Of India Launch

The new Jeep Commander has the pedigree and equipment to command the premium price tag in India. However, Jeep has to keep in mind that Indian customers are among one of the most demanding types. To satisfy this crowd, Jeep must throw everything at them, including a kick-ass price tag.