Jeep Commander

Exposed bolts and military-square, the seven-seat Jeep Commander is what you go for if you think a Discovery looks a bit effete.

• Comfort

  That soft suspension makes the Commander a decently comfy tool. The usual SUV seating position and acres of space thanks to the boxy shape mean it suits the daily grind better than you might think. Excellent off-road, with surprisingly good ride quality on the rough stuff.

  

• Performance

  A range of engines on sale in Australia, but the pick of the bunch is the 5.7-litre, 240kW Limited. Jeep climas the big unit will haul to 100km/h in 7.4 seconds. Mind you, at $71,990 it is almost $15,000 more expensive than the base model.

  

• Cool

  If you like pseudo-military stylings then the Commander is a kind of better packaged, more useful Hummer. But people will also know that you could afford a Discovery and didn't buy one, and will wonder what's wrong with you.

  

• Quality

  Inside, the Commander is a mediocre mish-mash of stuff. It feels solid enough, but where it sells most (the US) it's much, much cheaper, so don't expect it to rival a Rolls. The exterior is supposed to look like that by the way.

  

• Handling

  The Commander is pretty soft on the road, so there's reasonable comfort to be had if you're just pottering. Can't keep up with the Land Rover Discovery, but not a bad car for rough roads and lots of speed bumps.

  

• Practicality

  It's a box and boxes are usefully boxy. For five there's loads of space, but that third row of seats sits on top of the rear axle, so passengers (ie, kids) have to eat their knees and then try not to throw up immediately afterwards.

  

• Running costs

  Disgraceful really. Economy ranges from 10.5L/100km for the 3.0-litre diesel, up to a wallet-burning 16L/100km for the 5.7-litre.