Jeep Grand Commander will likely be offered in six- and seven-seat layouts; expected to be powered by a 200 PS producing 2.0-litre diesel engine
Jeep India has a host of new models up its sleeves for the domestic market. Earlier this year, the facelifted Compass came to the fore while the Wrangler was introduced with reduced pricing due to it being locally assembled. The American SUV manufacturer is also planning to locally produce the Grand Cherokee and thus its prices will come down as well.
As for the new launches, it is no secret that Jeep has been working on a three-row UV based on the Compass and it could be called the Grand Compass or Grand Commander in India. Adding more legitimacy, the seven-seater Compass has been spied testing in India again and it will likely go on sale next year. The test mule wears a heavy camouflage and in the global markets, it will be dubbed the Commander instead.
Official teasers pertaining to the foreign markets were also released recently ahead of its premiere in the second half of this calendar year. The Jeep Grand Commander (not to be confused with the one already on sale in China) will have subtle exterior changes compared to the five-seater Compass and the prototype was spotted through the winding road sections of Lonavala, Maharashtra.
It does not appear to be bolted on with production-ready parts yet, at least everywhere, as the high-mounted stop lamp can be noted while the LED tail lamps look to be wraparound units. The completely sealed front fascia could feature a muscular bonnet, slender headlamps and LED Daytime Running Lights along with skid plates up front and rear.
The major changes are restricted to the side profile as the greenhouse will be longer courtesy of the longer rear overhang to accommodate the third-row seating arrangement. The 17-inch V-shaped diamond-cut alloy wheels on the test mule are carried over from the Compass. The tailgate will also be redesigned in the Jeep Grand Commander.
We do expect the upcoming model to be offered in six- and seven-seater configurations. As for the performance, the existing 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine producing 170 PS will likely be uprated to pump out around 200 PS. A six-speed manual and a nine-speed auto will be transmission options, and 4WD will be restricted to the top-end variants.