The Jeep Commander will be the brand's 7-seat iteration of the Compass; the American SUV brand confirmed the name of its three-row SUV in a recent teaser. The new Jeep Commander will see a world debut in the coming months.
- Jeep Commander to be based on the Compass
- Expected to get a more powerful 2.0-litre diesel engine for India
- Will get more premium interior than the one seen on the Compass
Jeep H6 (Commander) SUV: global unveil, production timeline
Jeep's next big launch will be introduced in the South American market first, with a global debut in Brazil expected to take place in the coming months. This new SUV will be called the Jeep Commander (not to be confused with the Grand Commander on sale in China) in most global markets.
The new Jeep Commander's left-hand-drive version will be built in Brazil, while India will be the mother plant for all right-hand-drive units that will be sold locally as well as in many overseas markets. India production of the 7-seat Jeep H6 SUV will commence in April 2022, with a launch expected in May or June.
Jeep H6 (Commander) SUV: will it be called the Commander in India?
The Indian market has seen a Mahindra MUV, called the Commander, in the 1990s. While the new Jeep H6 is confirmed to get the Commander brand name abroad, it remains to be seen whether Jeep uses the same marketing name for the H6 SUV in India, especially when both brands have been at loggerheads for not one but two separate instances – the Mahindra Roxor and, more recently, the Thar sales in Australia.
Jeep H6 (Commander) SUV: what all will be common with the Compass?
The Compass-based Jeep Commander seven seat SUV will have some shared body panels up front, with the real changes coming after the B pillar. It will come with longer rear doors a more upright rear, with unique styling that will mimic newer Jeeps like the Grand Cherokee L and Grand Wagoneer concept. The rear tailgate will have horizontally positioned taillamps with LED elements.
Sources tell us that the Jeep H6 SUV will get all the creature comforts of the recently updated Compass, including the likes of cooled seats and a panoramic sunroof, with an even greater focus on luxury and higher-quality cabin materials. And while the main talking point is the new third row of seats, what further solidifies the premium, chauffeur-driven experience will be the availability of captain’s chairs for the middle row.
New Jeep H6 (Commander) SUV: engine and gearbox details
The new Jeep H6 SUV will come with the same 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, Multijet turbo-diesel engine from the Compass, but it will be tuned to produce around 200hp, which is considerably higher than the 173hp it currently makes. It is also likely to come with a 9-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox as standard. And, of course, this being a Jeep, higher variants are expected to come with all-wheel-drive as well.
Whether the Jeep H6 for India will get a petrol engine remains to be seen, but the left-hand-drive version (codename: H1) of the 7-seat SUV will most likely get the brand’s new 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine.
New Jeep H6 (Commander) SUV: India launch timeline, rivals
The new Jeep Commander (H6) SUV will go into series production in India by April next year, and a market launch of around mid-2022 can be expected. Positioned above the Compass, the Jeep H6 SUV with its 7-seat layout, AWD and monocoque underpinnings will be a rival for the VW Tiguan Allspace and the Skoda Kodiaq, which is expected to be relaunched soon. However, while those two rivals are petrol powered, the Jeep’s diesel engine means it could also be viewed as an alternative to ladder-frame SUVs like the MG Gloster, Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour.
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