I am amazed at DC's inability to grasp what Jeep is all about. The are making great cars at Chrysler (I absolutely love my 300C and our T & C minivan has been everything from a pickup hauling pallet grass to a people mover hauling 7 around in comfort and style) and Dodge is getting some great trickle down. Why is Jeep so hard to figure out? Does the world really need a 7-passenger Jeep SUV in the $50K range? Does Jeep really need this product? Is it in keeping with their history? Ford and Chevy have been building big trucks and large SUV's for years. Hummer (small business tax breaks) Land Rover and Cadillac already have the lux SUV market. I don't see a niche for Jeep up there. Who is going to buy it. I own 3 DC vehicles. Am I the target audience for this vehicle? I hope not. The only thing I would trade my TJ for is an Unlimited with a Hemi, and even that would be a tough call. Say what you want about mini's, my T & C has been the most versatile vehicle I have ever owned, and you'd have to pry the steering wheel out of my cold, stiff hands to get my 300C. Good luck Jeep. I'm behind you whatever you do, I just wish you'd ignore the fickle focus groups and ask the customers who have been buying the product for years.

The commander will be offered as a 3.7,4.7,5.7. The pictures are deceptive...Its only 2" wider and 5" longer than a grand cherokee and a bit taller due to its up=right front window. It will be offer as a plain jane and loaded of course as well with 3 sun roofs!!!! I would also expect the 4.7 and 5.7 to be trail rated!!! With the new soft jeeps being a great hit with the public expect hard core jeeps to be built as well....RESCUE...and a bunch of variations of the wrangler in late 2006. Tjis year we will see the commander and maybe the scout..as 2006 models the SRT-8 grand cherokee and the new overland model.

I read an interview a while ago featuring Jeff Bell, Jeep Vice-
President, in which he stated the brand will now have two,
distinct design directions. One direction will have more classic,
boxy shapes (Wrangler, Rescue, Commander); the other designs
will be modern and flowing (Grand Cherokee, Liberty, Compass).
The Commander is evidence of a more classic Jeep design
approach, all while being a better, more proper replacement of
the legendary Wagoneer.

Neat..cannot wait to see the real thing! Although I said that about the '05 GC and look how THAT turned out. Maybe DCX learned their lesson from the '05 GC/'02 Liberty debacle. Let's hope so.

I hadn't seen that pic before, with the cladding removed from the side. Perhaps you're thinking of this one:
http://www.thecarconnection.com/images/gallery/8189_image.jpg

Well the middle looks to me a great deal like the old Grand Wagoneer, given the rear door window set up. It will be interesting to see it totally unmasked. Even the windshield is remarkabley semilar. I may have to consider one of these when I retire in a couple of years in lieu of refurbishing a 91 or older. I currently own an 88 with 155k on it. For my money it is still one of the best vehicles I have ever owned.

The latest Motor Trend issue has another photo of the Commander.

Not for my taste. If this is what sells then this is what will be built. Jeep may be the best 4x4 out there still but it's getting harder for someone like me to continue to accept it. 1" less ground clearance, off-road articulation, rock rails (overland), what next? The new GC is kinda growing on me but at what compromise do I say no more. I'd be more upset if I hadn't bought my Rubicon and 04' GC before their gone. Out with the old (customers) and in with the new?

James those are some small tires. Jeep seems to be in love with the 28-29" tire. For as long as I can remember including now that is the largest tire they put on Jeeps w/ the exception of the Rubicon. Heck even a Tahoe comes with 32" tires, so much for trail rated.

the dealerships can't wait for this, they get asked daily if the 05 is a 7 passenger because MOST other brands offer one...a long time coming for jeep. i'm surprised by the negative comments, i think it looks like a cherokee (the vehicle everyone claims to still be pining for). i think it's great and can't wait for it's arrival. jeep needs more product, that's a given, try giving it a chance before all of the complaints start rolling in. a lot of you "hard core jeepers" seem to only talk about the good old days...well the good old days aren't keeping jeep dealers in business, they NEED new products. so what if the soccer moms buy them how does that affect you? what it does is generate more sales, i.e, more product developement...get the picture? try giving these new products a chance...

I had a Cherokee Sport and loved it, but I'd rather have a Cherokee sized version of the Rescue then a complete re-hash of the Cherokee I think. A 4 door Wranglar Dakar would be great to if it look good.

Im looking forward to when they are finished revamping their mid-large SUV linup to see what they have in store for the Wrangler and its derivatives... That is when we will know the fate of the Jeep identity as it is known under DaimlerChrysler.

Is there any rumor of an air suspension, either as standard
equipment or an option, to be fitted on the Commander?

I agree that Jeep needs to sell a large volume of vehicles to keep in business and allow for special / low volume projects like the Rubicon. Hopefully this new Commander is not watered down so much that it does not stand out as a Jeep in the process.

I find it funny that the XJ was discontinued because, for one of many reasons, it's outdated and boxy look.... from this spy shot the Commander looks like a freakin shoe box on wheels!

The bad part about this Commander is i'm sure it will be priced well out of the average familys budget, probably upwards of $60K, and they probably will not offer a base package without all the electronic GPS, global navigation, power and heated butt wiper, 600 speaker stereo, etc. model. That was one of the greatest things about the XJ, it was an extremly dependable, long lasting, tough vehicle for $20K loaded!

So far, it looks encouraging, more like the old Cherokee. It's way too big and expensive for me, but it should help Jeep a lot. The new GC is also too big for us, and we're looking at a Liberty to replace our'02 GC. It would be nice if the next Liberty looked more like the old XJ. We had three XJs, and still love the looks. As for the Liberty, like the old song, "I've grown accustomed to her face," but it could be a lot better.

Jeep is performing a strip-tease. I hope that when all the clothes are off, the vehicle is really attractive...

here is my comment

Well said Jeremy....and the pick-up model.... with Rubicon option....and diesel/hybrid....and 6 speed manual OR above on Wrangler platform.

THe 5.7 Liter Hemi with MDS will probably get as good or better mileage than the 4.7, so why even offer the 4.7 in the first place?

Mileage will be even less of an issue when the Daimler/GM hybrid system is added to the Commander. It will probably improve mileage 15% by just shutting off the engine during idle, alone.

I agree with Jeremy..The '84 Cherokee XJ was TRULY a benchmark vehicle..which saved Jeep and made the big boys like Chrysler take notice. Funny how 21 years later...the marque that "created" the market; fights to stay relevant.......................

i want the cherokee back :( economical good looks and AFFORDABLE

If kept utilitarian enough, this could be a good seller for public service organizations where the Cherokee held considerable market. Is this perhaps the target audience? I find it hard to believe that with gas prices hovering close to two dollars per gallon, that many consumers could afford, or would want to feed, such a big vehicle.

I think the Commander will be a hit.
I agree, who cares if soccer moms buy one. Can't we all agree that if we want Jeep to continue to stay in business we want people to buy Jeeps??

Oh joy, another bloated soccer mom SUV. Kinda looks like a GMC Yukon so far.

From what is to be seen here, I like the design of the
Commander except for the rear-end, which appears to be
jacked-up in a way similar to the Grand Cherokee and Liberty.
That being said, I was encouraged by the spy photos of the
current Grand Cherokee until they removed the black covering,
thereby exposing the (in my opinion) ugly front-end.
Similarly, it bears remarkable resemblance to the new Land
Rover LR3/Discovery 3.

It looks like a fat chick with tiny feet. Needs much, MUCH bigger rubber!

WKJEEPS.COM has had this photo on their site since late December or early January.

The XK will be unveiled in full at the NY International Auto Show in just about a month.

This pic is date December 6. Been around for awhile. Would love to see a new pic. Oh, how I wish car-truck.com was still alive!

I was hopeful that we would be able to see more of the front end. Haven't we see this photo already?
I guess we will have to wait until the official unveiling next month.