Jeep: Commander vs. Grand Cherokee?

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henrys_dad

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Hi all,

Looking at getting either a used Commander or GC. Interested in hearing about the experiences of owners.

How are the smaller engine options in each (3.7L)? Decent? Underpowered? Just go with the 5.7L Hemi? I won't be towing, but I hate the feel of underpowered engines.

I'm not looking older than 2006 (Commander's first year). Any year from 2006 to 2011 that were especially problematic for either?

Any common issues I should evaluate when I check out inventory?

Many thanks!
 
A buddy of mine's brother needed a new hemi in his Commander at about 50k miles this year. Not sure what year it was, but it was old enough where it was out of warranty due to age and I guess Chrysler wasn't interested in helping. Unfortunately I don't know what the issue was or if poor maintenance was a culprit.
 
MIL has a commander. It is a POS. A/C went at 47K. Seems like its always something. Guy I work with just got his son one with 51K on it and the rear end gears just went out. According to him no dealer has parts for it and there is over 700 units on back order...If you must, go 4.7L all day.
 
I don't own one but there is one I service and am familiar with the mechanical history of. This means I can't give an opinion of living with one day to day. It's got the 3.7 and although it isn't a rocketship but it definitely doesn't feel underpowered is happy to take off with no feel of laboring. It's maintenance services tend to get done much later than manufacturer's schedule and this has caused no problems to date. At about 150k miles it has had two mechanical failures to date. It had a no-start event with no compression on any cylinder. This was not due to a defect or flaw in the vehicle, but instead seemed to be the result of the owner getting "Jeep Commander" and "Submarine Commander" mixed up and in this confusion the engine failed while the truck was submerged trying to push another stalled truck out of a "puddle." The other mechanical failure was a faulty thermostat creating noticable coolant temperature swings. Overall I would say it seems to be pretty reliable and about as easy to work on as can reasonably be expected for a vehicle of that type and size.

I must say that there are two things that may be biasing my opinion:
-As much as I want to hate this ugly beast every time I look at, I just can't because when I drive it I find it just such an enjoyable vehicle to drive. It's got surprisingly good visibility, outstanding ride quality, and very consistent handling.
-I stopped at a store to buy dog food on the way home from work and ended up being given a half hour tour of the store and a comparison of the relative merits of several food products by the most gorgeous redhead I've ever seen, so my brain might not be working properly right now.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. Much appreciated.

Sounds like the GC is the consensus, but I'm open to hearing more Commander experiences, if for no other reason than to convince myself to avoid it.
 
A few of these have gone through the dealership I work at and they have had their fair share of issues.

Problems that I can remember off the top of my head: Sunroof seal was leaking badly. Driver's window switch was working intermittently. Driver's side rear door handle broke and the only way to (properly) fix it was to buy a whole new interior panel @ $475 (which the part was on national backorder.) Random electrical problems. Every Commander I can remember had leaking transmission cooler lines. All of these problems on Commanders with under 100k miles. They were all borderline wholesale vehicles and I'm sure I am leaving out many other problems that we caught.

Although it's not just the Commander. We had a 2011 Jeep Wrangler with 14k miles that had a leaking headgasket and when we took it to the Chrysler dealer they said it was "normal seepage" and wouldn't cover it.

We also had a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 62k miles that had the transmission cooler lines leaking, the power steering pump making bad noises with the fluid in good condition, transmission pan leaking, an odd driveline noise, the hood props could no longer support the hood as well as a few other misc issues. This was sent to auction. This had the 3.7 and didn't feel very underpowered.

Good luck with your search!
 
Originally Posted By: dwcopple
MIL has a commander. It is a POS. A/C went at 47K. Seems like its always something. Guy I work with just got his son one with 51K on it and the rear end gears just went out. According to him no dealer has parts for it and there is over 700 units on back order...If you must, go 4.7L all day.


The rear gears going out on the Commander is interesting. Did they heat up and start howling and eventually burn up? My folks had a 2005 Grand Cherokee Limited with the Hemi. They went through about three different sets of rear gears (including a complete axle housing replacement) with theirs and eventually lemon-law'd it back to Jeep. Maybe that problem is more common that Jeep was leading on to (they had "not seen that before").
 
They are really the same vehicle under the skin. Powertrains, 4wd systems the same. It really comes down to which looks better to you and do you ever need a third row seat.
I have a 2010 Hemi Commander and am quite happy with it except for the gas mileage(11-12 mpg city, 17-18 hwy). Haven't had any problems apart from a side door strip that needed a new plastic clip.
 
Originally Posted By: drfeelgood
They are really the same vehicle under the skin. Powertrains, 4wd systems the same. It really comes down to which looks better to you and do you ever need a third row seat.
I have a 2010 Hemi Commander and am quite happy with it except for the gas mileage(11-12 mpg city, 17-18 hwy). Haven't had any problems apart from a side door strip that needed a new plastic clip.


I appreciate the perspective, but it begs the question: if they are the same vehicle under their skin, then why the problem (as others have mentioned above) with ordering parts for the Commander?
 
Originally Posted By: henrys_dad
Originally Posted By: drfeelgood
They are really the same vehicle under the skin. Powertrains, 4wd systems the same. It really comes down to which looks better to you and do you ever need a third row seat.
I have a 2010 Hemi Commander and am quite happy with it except for the gas mileage(11-12 mpg city, 17-18 hwy). Haven't had any problems apart from a side door strip that needed a new plastic clip.


I appreciate the perspective, but it begs the question: if they are the same vehicle under their skin, then why the problem (as others have mentioned above) with ordering parts for the Commander?



If they are getting the entire rear axle assembly, it could be that the Commander has different mounting points on the housing for the suspension and shocks. Being out of production for two years, they aren't going to be cranking out too many replacement parts. Many of the engine and transmission parts will be shared with other Chryslers though.

The engines are all pretty good, but it is a lot of vehicle for the 3.7L, then again I have seen Quad Cab Rams with that engine too. The 3.7 is tough and reliable though, as are the others. My roommate has 204K on his Liberty 3.7 that has been poorly maintained. It burns and leaks oil, but runs fine as long as it's topped off (the oil light has come on several times).

The Commander isn't as big as it's made to look. I would say it's not even Durango sized. With the third row up you have very little room left in the back, so it really is a 3 row version of a Grand Cherokee more than anything else.
 
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
the 3.7L, then again I have seen Quad Cab Rams with that engine too.
you've got to be kidding me...
 
I have the 3.7 in my Dodge Nitro. As already posted it is a great reliable engine. No issues.
The only knock on it is it is a bit thirsty compared to todays standards.
 
One thing that sticks out to me on the Commander is for its large size, the interior capacity is terrible.
 
Exactly. They really aren't a full size SUV, they just get the horrible gas mileage of a full-size(or worse). My son has a 2003 Tahoe and it really is a little surprising the size difference when he parks it next to the Commander.
 
I have an 06 Grand 65th anniv with the 3.7 (85k miles)...previously had a '00 Grand with the 4.0 (227k miles) and a '89 regular Cherokee with the 4.0 (313k miles)

The 06 to the '00 is night and day different in terms of refinement. Smooth riding, and handles great. Motor isn't peppy, but it's better acceleration than the 4.0 for sure...I hope the 3.7 ends up being as bulletproof as the 4.0 was.

Other than basic maintenance, I haven't had any problems with my '06. The problems I had with the '00 seem to have been ironed out with the '06 (hopefully...lol). In my '00 I had tranny problems and had to get brakes done about every 25k miles. With my '06 I haven't had any problems and just got my first brake job at 80k miles...

I ran Mobil 1 in it since new up until 75k miles when I switched to Amsoil OE. So far it seems to be liking the Amsoil and it seems like the engine is running a little smoother and quieter.

I would highly suggest that you do a little research on the actual 4wd system you would want. quadra drive/quadra trac/etc. Some don't have a low-range, some are full-time, and some are part time.

Gripes about my Jeep Grand Cherokee:
The backseat is rather small for a SUV of this size. Don't expect an adult to not complain.

Gas mileage in my 3.7L Jeep is only slightly better than the gas mileage in my 6.0L Escalade but the Escalade can flat out scoot compared to the Jeep.

Would I buy another? Yes, I would consider it. It handles well and is VERY good on ice/snow.
Would I get a HEMI? I wish, but my next door neighbor has one in his GC and his gas mileage is something AWFUL.


Hope I've helped
 
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