Jeep has officially revealed the Commander three-row SUV, internally known as Jeep Low-D, which will be sold in India as the Jeep Meridian. The model will first go on sale in Brazil, followed by an India launch sometime in mid-2022. The Commander will be produced at the Jeep plant in Goiana, Brazil, that also builds the Compass, Renegade, and the Fiat Toro – all these SUVs share the same platform as the Commander. Right-hand drive versions will be built at the Ranjangaon plant in India, which also builds the Compass, and exported globally.

At first glance, the Commander does look like a longer Compass, but a closer look shows the difference in design details. The Commander gets a design more in line with its larger SUV siblings such as the new Grand Cherokee L. Some design details that link back to the Compass include the front grille with the top section folded backward, and the familiar chrome detailing along the upper edges of the windows. The rectangular full-LED headlamp and slim tail-lamps are designs seen on Jeep’s new-generation Grand Cherokee, with the window-line also similar to its larger sibling.

The bumper design too is specific to the Commander, with large faux vents featuring LED DRLs and fog lamps, a chrome strip running across the fascia, and a skid-plate element. From the sides, the increased length becomes apparent, with the rear quarter windows a lot more sizeable and the rear overhang also looking longer than in the Compass. The tailgate too is more upright. As far as dimensions go, the Commander is 4,769mm long, 1,859mm wide, and 1,682mm high, which makes it 364mm longer, 41mm wider, and 42mm higher than the Compass. The Commander has a wheelbase of 2,794mm, which is again 158mm longer than the Compass.

On the inside, the dashboard follows the same design as the Compass, replete with a digital instrument cluster and free-standing touchscreen, though with different metallic trim inserts and suede fabric inserts on the dashboard. The front seats too look straight out of the Compass, though it does feature some diamond patterning on the lower backrest. An interesting design touch is the words ‘Jeep 1941’ embossed into the front center armrest.

Just like the updated Compass in India, the Commander also gets a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, while the central infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is 10.1-inch.

Other features include electrically adjustable driver and passenger seats, wireless phone charger, connected car features, Alexa virtual assistant, panoramic sunroof, Harman Kardon sound system, electronic trunk, and more.

Safety features include seven airbags, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking system, lane keep assist, and more. The most important highlight of the Commander is obviously its third row of seats. The second-row seats split 60:40 to allow access to the third row. Third-row passengers will also have amenities such as blower speed adjustments and USB charging ports.

In Brazil, Jeep has decided to continue with the existing 170hp, 380Nm (30Nm more than the Compass), 2.0-litre Multijet diesel engine for the Commander. This engine comes mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission and gets a 4×4 system as standard. While the Brazilian-spec Jeep Commander diesel does not get the speculated mild-hybrid system, the right-hand drive versions of the Commander (Meridian) that will be produced in India is expected to get a mild-hybrid system with more power. The Commander also gets a 185hp, 270Nm, 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine with flex-fuel tech. This engine comes mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission and drives only the front wheels. The same engine does duty in the Compass sold overseas and a few other Stellantis models.

The Commander will be sold as the Jeep Meridian in India and will launch by mid-2022. Key rivals in India would include the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour, and Skoda Kodiaq.