Test drove the commander last night . Very impressed with ride quality .It was super quiet ,due to thicker glasses and more refinement. I only had the chance to drive the 4.7 OHC version . The 5.7 L Hemi will offer more power and torque .However the one I would be interested is the Steyr powered 3 L diesel when it arrives. The diesel will have more torque than the Hemi , and way down low at 1600 rpm. I had a 1985 intercooled turbo diesel Cherokee [ 2.1 L Renault ] with only 90 HP and 235 * torque , and had no problem pulling my 4035 lbs boat/trailer package with it. The diesel commander should have min 7200 lbs tow capacity .
I was checking those out too. Looks like it should be a pretty good truck. I am not too sure of that diesel. A little on the small side. Torque curve is better than the Hemi but it only beats the Hemi by about 7 lb/ft. The bummer is over 100 less HP and about $4k more on the price tag no doubt. I'll keep the Hemi. Its way more fun to drive and pulls plenty strong. I've got the Hemi in my Durango 4x4 and the thing runs strong. The Commander should be a little heavier but not by much. Here are some stats I found on the motors in the 2006 Cherokee:
...The 5.7-litre V8 Hemi engine has a top speed of 129 mph and a 0-62 mph time of 7.1 seconds.................
Maximum power of the 3.0 CRD engine is 218 hp at 4000 rpm and peak torque is 376 lb.ft. from just 1600 rpm. Top speed is 124 mph and 0-62 mph in 9.0 seconds.
The 5.7-litre HEMI engine produces 326 hp at 5000 rpm and 369 lb.ft. at 4000 rpm. Jeep Grand Cherokee is also the first SUV to offer the Multi-Displacement System (MDS). On the 5.7-litre HEMI engine, MDS deactivates half the cylinders during cruising and light acceleration to increase fuel economy by up to 20 per cent, depending on driving conditions.
The 4.7-litre SOHC V8 produces 231 hp of power at 4500 rpm and 302 lb.ft. of torque at 3600 rpm. Top speed is 124 mph and 0-62 mph in 8.8 seconds.