The boxy and mostly derided Jeep Commander could potentially have its name revived for the incoming seven-seater based on the Compass.
Jeep’s incoming seven-seat SUV, billed as a rival for the Toyota Fortuner, has come under renewed scrutiny for potentially reviving the name of the post-Wagoneer flagship.
While known to be based on the Compass with a report last year suggesting it could be called Grand Compass, motor1.com Brazil has uncovered a pair of spy images showing the newcomer’s badge that ends in ER. Accordingly, the online publication has suggested the return of the Commander name Jeep last used for its largely criticised three-row SUV that ended production in 2010.
Derived from the WK generation Grand Cherokee and conceived during the DaimlerChrysler era, the Commander made its debut in 2005 as the spiritual successor to the Wagoneer, but ceased production after five years with no replacement introduced until the revival of the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer last month.
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Branded as a “car unfit for human consumption” and a mystery as to why people bought it by late former Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Sergio Marchionne in an interview with Automotive News 10 years ago, motor1.com Brazil claims the newcomer could leverage off of the Chinese market Grand Commander and adopt the Grand prefix, in spite of both vehicles being completely different.
As previously reported, the new Jeep will provide seating for seven and ride on a lengthened version of the Small Wide 4×4 platform used by the Compass, with power poised to come from the Brazilian made 1.3-litre turbocharged Firefly petrol engine and an upgraded version of the Fiat-derived 2.0 Multijet turbodiesel.
A launch date has so far not been revealed, but previous claims suggest a world debut later this year with sales in key markets expected before the end of 2021.
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