New Jeep Commander seven-seat SUV previewed

Jeep has confirmed it will introduce a longer, more spacious version of its Jeep Compass SUV that will be named the Commander.

On sale later this year, it's thought the new 2021 Jeep Commander will feature a long-wheelbase version of the Compass' 'Small Wide' architecture, allowing for the addition of a third row of seats.

To differentiate itself from the current Compass, the teaser released suggests the Jeep Commander will get more rugged styling up front and a pair of new tail-lights that are linked by an LED light bar.

Set to be offered in front- and rear-wheel drive, the new Jeep Commander is likely to use the Compass' existing 2.4-litre petrol (129kW/229Nm) and 2.0-litre turbo-diesel (125kW/350Nm) four-cylinder powerplants, driving through six-speed and nine-speed automatic transmissions respectively.

Inside, the bigger Jeep should be almost identical to the Compass, with the Commander getting a 10.25-inch HD digital instrument cluster that can be combined with either an 8.4-inch or 10.1-inch infotainment touch-screen that's been moved to the middle of the dash for better ergonomics.

Claimed to be up to five times faster than the previous system, the new infotainment set-up runs Jeep’s UConnect 5 operating platform and is said to offer enhanced connectivity, voice recognition and 3D maps.

Traffic sign recognition, driver fatigue alert, lane keep assist and an updated autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system that can detect cyclists is also anticipated.

For those in the market for seven-seat Jeep to rival for the seven-seat Land Rover Discovery Sport or Mercedes-Benz MLB, the Commander is destined to be built in the car-maker's Brazil plant, meaning sales are likely to be limited to Latin America at this stage.