Last year in Brazil, Jeep unveiled the Commander: a seven-seater with three rows of seats that serves as an extra practical brother to the Compass in the range. The Commander was not initially intended for the European market, but recent spy photos show the model on European soil.
The espionage photos show the silhouette of the Commander quite clearly. The front and rear bumper, lighting and grille are also from the prototype – as far as visible – identical to the Commander. The SUV drives around the Arctic Circle on German plates, which suggests that Jeep is preparing a seven-seat variant of the Compass for the European market. It would otherwise be difficult to explain why the brand is pushing a recently unveiled model back into the camouflage packaging.
In any case, the Dutch importer is convinced that the Commander will not be marketed here, according to inquiries. The importer is also not aware of the arrival of a larger Compass under a different name, for example ‘Grand Compass’. That makes these spyshots somewhat mysterious. Perhaps later this year Jeep will conjure up a rabbit from the top hat, although there is also a possibility that this ‘European’ Commander will appear on the Russian market, for example.
Currently, the Commander is only available on the Brazilian market. There it is available with a 180 hp 1.3 four-cylinder petrol engine and a 170 hp 2.0 four-cylinder diesel. In Brazil, the Commander has a starting price of €32,600. If Jeep comes up with a European variant of the ‘Commander’, it is not inconceivable that it will also receive the plug-in hybrid 4xe powertrains from the Compass. The Compass 4xe is available in two flavors: with 190 hp or 270 hp. We may know more later this year.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl