Frankfurt Motor Show 2005 - Jeep

What's the star of the stand?
It depends whether you want a supersized off-roader for seven people or a more compact 4x4.

Jeep has both on its stand, but the one closest to showrooms is the Commander. This seven-seater arrives in the UK next summer and tops out the manufacturer's line-up of mud-pluggers.

It's the first ever Jeep with three rows of seats but has still been engineered to be 'Jeep Trail Rated', the off-road benchmark the company uses for its toughest models.

Although it's based around the new Grand Cherokee, and uses the same wheelbase, the Commander grows more than 50mm in length to create more space in the cabin. As a result, it's almost as big as the Land Rover Discovery.

Expect to pay upwards of £32,000 for the car.

They say
'Class-leading off-road capability and on-road refinement were mandatory for the Jeep Commander.'

We say
Using the same 4x4 systems and suspension as the Grand Cherokee, the Commander should be a formidable tool off-road as well as a decent drive on the asphalt.

Anything else?
Plenty – the Compass and Patriot concepts. Both are smaller than the current Cherokee and will arrive in the UK over the next few years.

The Compass will go head-to-head with 4x4s best-suited to use on the road, such as the Nissan X-Trail, while the Patriot aims to provide best-in-class off-roading ability.

Any gossip?
The Compass may be a concept but look carefully at the published dimensions and you might notice that they are identical to the Dodge Caliber’s. The Compass will be the first generation of so-called ‘soft-roaders’ and sharing the Caliber’s underpinnings is a quick way to bring a car to market. Expect the Caliber’s 2.0-litre VW-made TDI engine to make an appearance here too.