Topic: Grand Wagoneer A "Priority" For Jeep

[Autos_Editor]

Up-market seven-passenger crossover could be based on Durango, Grand Cherokee

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[Northernridge]

I love the idea of a new Grand Wagoneer but I'd have to see it because Chrysler has been...repositioning Jeep lately with some of its new vehicles.

[tortoise]

Does nobody at Jeep remember the epic fail that was the Commander?

[sailor723]

I have to wonder how you make out  "pricing it against German competition in the $65-100k price bracket" while selling and servicing it out of your average Chrysler dealership.

[MarkStevenson]

Does nobody at Jeep remember the epic fail that was the Commander?

Even Marchionne said the Commander was a POS. Looks like they want to give it a serious attempt this time around, but we will see.

[TheHire]

With how good the current Grand Cherokee is, I can't wait to see what they do next...

(I'm in the minority that really likes the new Renegade, too!)

[mrthompson]

[Fobroader]

Well...if it looks and performs like the FSJ you pictured in the article....awesome. If its as spectacularly horrid as the Commander, swing and a miss. Upmarket eh...how well did that Chrysler upscale Durango thing sell??

[OliverD]

Does nobody at Jeep remember the epic fail that was the Commander?

Do you not remember the circumstances of its failure?

In its first full year on the market Jeep moved over 90,000 of them. That's hardly a failure. Then the recession hit and sales plummeted.

It didn't help that the Commander was only marginally larger than the Grand Cherokee and aside from styling and a third row seat had very little to differentiate it from the GC.

[MarkStevenson]

Well...if it looks and performs like the FSJ you pictured in the article....awesome. If its as spectacularly horrid as the Commander, swing and a miss. Upmarket eh...how well did that Chrysler upscale Durango thing sell??

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/dodge-durango-sales-figures.html

[OliverD]

Well...if it looks and performs like the FSJ you pictured in the article....awesome. If its as spectacularly horrid as the Commander, swing and a miss. Upmarket eh...how well did that Chrysler upscale Durango thing sell??

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/dodge-durango-sales-figures.html

He's referring to the Chrysler Aspen, which actually did reasonably well before the collapse: http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2013/04/chrysler-aspen-sales-figures-usa-canada.html

[Fobroader]

Well...if it looks and performs like the FSJ you pictured in the article....awesome. If its as spectacularly horrid as the Commander, swing and a miss. Upmarket eh...how well did that Chrysler upscale Durango thing sell??

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/dodge-durango-sales-figures.html

ASPEN!!! Thats what I was thinking of, Chrysler Aspen.

[MarkStevenson]

Well...if it looks and performs like the FSJ you pictured in the article....awesome. If its as spectacularly horrid as the Commander, swing and a miss. Upmarket eh...how well did that Chrysler upscale Durango thing sell??

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/dodge-durango-sales-figures.html

ASPEN!!! Thats what I was thinking of, Chrysler Aspen.

One of the very, very few hybrids to come out of Chrysler as well.

[OliverD]

Well...if it looks and performs like the FSJ you pictured in the article....awesome. If its as spectacularly horrid as the Commander, swing and a miss. Upmarket eh...how well did that Chrysler upscale Durango thing sell??

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/dodge-durango-sales-figures.html

ASPEN!!! Thats what I was thinking of, Chrysler Aspen.

One of the very, very few hybrids to come out of Chrysler as well.

Yup. From Wikipedia:

Chrysler announced that the 2009 Chrysler Aspen Hybrid would have a starting MSRP of $45,570 and the 2009 Dodge Durango Hybrid would have a starting MSRP of $45,340. The hybrid became available at dealerships in early October, the same month Chrysler announced the termination of all Durango and Aspen production. Chrysler had received approximately 3,000 pre-orders for both models from dealers. It was uncertain if the automaker filled those orders. By early November 2008, 400 of the hybrid SUVs, including Chrysler Aspen, had already been built. It was one of the shortest-lived model from a major automaker in modern times.

[Noto]

Good news article for a laugh.

I'm surprised nobody has made a Breaking Bad reference as of yet.

[Fobroader]

Does nobody at Jeep remember the epic fail that was the Commander?

Do you not remember the circumstances of its failure?

In its first full year on the market Jeep moved over 90,000 of them. That's hardly a failure. Then the recession hit and sales plummeted.

It didn't help that the Commander was only marginally larger than the Grand Cherokee and aside from styling and a third row seat had very little to differentiate it from the GC.

Have you ever driven/ridden in a Commander. They are bloody awful, cramped, horrid seats, bad cargo space, bad ride, weird handling and guzzle gas like its going out of style.

[HeliDriver]

Does nobody at Jeep remember the epic fail that was the Commander?

Do you not remember the circumstances of its failure?

In its first full year on the market Jeep moved over 90,000 of them. That's hardly a failure. Then the recession hit and sales plummeted.

It didn't help that the Commander was only marginally larger than the Grand Cherokee and aside from styling and a third row seat had very little to differentiate it from the GC.

Have you ever driven/ridden in a Commander. They are bloody awful, cramped, horrid seats, bad cargo space, bad ride, weird handling and guzzle gas like its going out of style.

And don't forget butt-ugly, too.

I had kind of forgotten about those, but noticed one on the road the other day. Can't quite put my finger on it, but something about the proportions of those is just awkward, ungainly and wrong.

[OliverD]

Does nobody at Jeep remember the epic fail that was the Commander?

Do you not remember the circumstances of its failure?

In its first full year on the market Jeep moved over 90,000 of them. That's hardly a failure. Then the recession hit and sales plummeted.

It didn't help that the Commander was only marginally larger than the Grand Cherokee and aside from styling and a third row seat had very little to differentiate it from the GC.

Have you ever driven/ridden in a Commander. They are bloody awful, cramped, horrid seats, bad cargo space, bad ride, weird handling and guzzle gas like its going out of style.

So...pretty much the same as a contemporary Grand Cherokee? That doesn't dispute any point I've made.

I wasn't commenting on the qualities of the product itself, just saying that it wasn't an "epic fail" in terms of pre-recession sales numbers.

The problems with the Commander weren't inherent to the segment it competes in and there's no reason that Chrysler can't develop a credible product that is larger and more expensive than the Grand Cherokee.

[quadzilla]

I honestly didn't know that there was a need for another 7 passenger SUV. Are people really buying these things?

[OliverD]

I honestly didn't know that there was a need for another 7 passenger SUV. Are people really buying these things?

Well they sure aren't building these things with the Canadian market in mind. Large SUVs like the Durango, Tahoe, Expedition, and the various luxury variants sell much better in the U.S. than here.

In the case of Jeep, this isn't strictly about offering a seven seater; it's about pushing further upmarket and capitalizing on the massive brand equity they have. I would assume that developing markets like Russia and China are also a factor.