What you’re looking at is one of the greenest cars for sale, beating even the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight.  For all the criticisms thrown at sport utility vehicles, the Commander is actually more earth-friendly per mile than any hybrid.  So what does this have to do with you?  Well, if the primary reason you’re not considering one is because of its greenness (or lack thereof), then you’re totally wrong.  If you’re not considering one because of its price, well, you’d be surprised that at P 2.850 million, it actually undercuts the P 2.99-million Ford Expedition.  Truth be told, this one of the genuine automotive gems in the market today, and more people need to discover it.

Let’s talk looks.  In Steel Blue Metallic, the Commander looks hunkered down and macho—every single crevice of it.  There are no womanly curves here; the Commander is unashamed of its angularly down to the door handles, door mirrors and greenhouse.  In fact, the only thing round on the Jeep are the fog lamps and of course, the tires.  Much like the Chrysler 300C, it looks modern with an nice twist of nostalgia.  The squared-off profile manages to give the Commander more visual mass, even if in reality, it’s closer in mass to a Toyota Fortuner than a Chevrolet Suburban.  All-in-all, the Commander looks like a Hummer with a tad more civility and good taste thrown in.

For all its rugged looks though, the Commander actually shares its platform with Jeep’s other large sport-ute, the Grand Cherokee.  Enthusiasts would note that the Grand Cherokee is purely a five-seater—so how do things translate to the 7-seater Commander?  Not so good really.  The first two rows offer American space and comfort, there’s no doubt about that; but the third row is best left to Guantanamo Bay inmates.  Although the headrests are adjustable, there’s barely enough headroom as it is, and the knee room is almost nonexistent.

Troop carrier the Commander isn’t, but one thing it does very well is travel long distances.  Unlike the stiffly sprung Ford Explorer for example, the Commander glides through any sort of rut and bump with minimal interior jarring.  Through steering is on the light side, the Commander feels fairly stable, especially considering its tall appearance.  The Jeep can actually surprise you on how it feels composed during long bends, and how body roll is kept to a minimum.  An automatic stability and traction control (ESP) is standard as are tire-pressure sensors, full-time all-wheel drive and six airbags, making this Jeep the safest in its class.

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