We had put off for some time
the purchase of a replacement vehicle for the Volvo V90.
The lack of a car payment felt good and we were very reluctant
to have another one. In the time following our move to
West Virginia, we did purchase the
Cherokee Limited to relieve the problem of driving the Volvo
in the winter on slippery roads. Maria liked the features
of the Cherokee and in many ways it was quite similar to the
Volvo.
 |
 |
|
Volvo V90 |
Jeep Commander |
As a family, we have developed
a preference for a large station wagon. It handles all our
"stuff" on family trips, provides a way to bring home things
from the home and furniture stores. We find we are less
dependent on delivery arrangements because we can just "throw it
in the back of the car" and drive home.
We also like the amenities we
got used to having in both the Volvo and the Cherokee.
Both are equipped with leather, power "everything", the latest
in electronic options, and reliable, powerful engines (for their
respective displacements). In replacing our everyday
family car, we knew we'd eventually be up against the wall in
terms of what it would take to make us happy. It was going
to be a "take no prisoners" build sheet, so we put it off while
we watched the field of contenders to see if we developed a
preference from among the many choices we had.
 |
 |
|
Volvo V90 |
Jeep Commander |
Meanwhile we reached some
conclusions regarding practical considerations. Our town
does not have a Volvo dealer. The nearest ones are roughly
1-2 hours away. This meant that buying a Volvo would
result in a protracted relationship with one or another Volvo
dealer. We didn't really want to be in a position where we
needed to travel a long time to get service. It would not
work with our schedules. So we reluctantly realized that
our dream of owning a XC-90 would have to wait.
It bears mention at this point
that we have never been and probably
never
will be a "mini-van" family. I have my own personal
sentiment about the genre, it's just not me. Maria does
not see herself a mini-van driver. While we both recognize
the benefits of such vehicles, they're just not for us. We
considered a sedan but could not overcome our "need" to have
something like a Mercedes S-class, or Jaguar XJ-R.
And truthfully, our budget
really prevents us from even pretending we could act on our
needs in this area. Anyway, the problems of local dealers
would again be the next issue, so the sedan idea quickly comes
to an end. And we won't even talk about coupes...
Come back to this site in 15
years when I'm retired and the kids school bills are behind
us...I'll probably have a good deal for you on a used Jeep
Commander Overland...
Update: 9/14/07
OK, so that promise
didn't take 15 years. I had been watching the Jeep
dealer and a car had been on the used lot for quite a while.
What can I say? I was weak... More here...
So one lunch hour last year,
Maria came down and we went and took a test drive in the 2006
Jeep Commander. We weren't really serious about buying it
then, but we were both curious. It was the closest thing
at the time to the Jeep Rescue prototype, and we wanted to see
what it was all about. We enjoyed the ride and in the
process found a vehicle that had all the same properties that we
enjoyed about the Volvo V90. And there was more. The
available electronics options were some 10 years more recent and
naturally had no equivalent in the 1997 Volvo we owned.
And the Commander had some things that the Volvo didn't have.
 |
 |
|
Volvo V90 |
Jeep Commander |
Like four-wheel drive, for
example. I have been driving a Jeep Wrangler since 2000,
and Maria a Jeep Cherokee since 2005. We both have a
preference for different reasons. I like the recreational
aspects. Maria likes the "go when I want to go, safely"
part. So in considering a replacement for the Volvo we
both agreed that 4WD was not negotiable. My expectations
of a 4WD vehicle are such that I could not tolerate a vehicle
that did not have low-range and at least some form of axle
locking. I clearly would not put full lockers on a vehicle
that Maria drives on the street, but I did want something more
aggressive than "open" differentials.
The rest of the requirements
basically consisted of matching 1:1 all of the amenities
currently in the Volvo V90, and some other things we've come to
like since. For example Maria has always wished we got
third-row seats for the Volvo. We never did, even though
they were an available option. We also have different
ideas about what a comfortable temperature, so climate control
was another item we were interested in exploring. On long
trips we equip the kids with DVD movies. We have strictly
avoided leaving the unit in the car for around-town use, but
always found the in-and-out routine to be cumbersome. Also
the unit took some space and power that was not always
convenient to supply. The kids have grown and need more
space in the back, and also sometimes need power for things like
the games they play (again, on trips). So we wanted to
provide for them a space that worked.
So we put the Volvo up for
sale. The photos, incidentally, demonstrate the
interesting parallels between the car we were leaving behind and
the one we were getting.
 |
 |
|
Volvo V90 |
Jeep Commander |
 |
|
Volvo V90 |
|
|
|
 |
|
Volvo V90 |
|
|
|
In deciding which Jeep
Commander we would get, we quickly eliminated the entry-level
vehicles. That left us to choose between the Limited and
the newly introduced Overland. A side-by-side comparison
of features showed that we'd still want options added that came
standard on the Overland. And there were some new things
that were not available in the Limited. The discussion of
the engine choice didn't take too long. Maria had driven
the new Jeep Wrangler 4-Door and when flooring it, commented,
"this sucks", referring to the lack of "get up and go" from the
3.7 liter, 6-cylinder.
But when we were starting to look
at the Commander she didn't seem to mind that it came with the
3.7. I had to remind her about the experience with the
engine in the Wrangler, some 2000 pounds lighter. Then we
discussed the relative merits of the 4.7 versus 5.7 liter
engines. She wanted to go with the 4.7 but again I
reminded that the engine would produce more power than the 3.7,
but might haul up short if we decided to get a camping trailer
or something like that. So I managed to convince her that
the HEMI was a good choice. I think in terms of the size
and weight of the vehicle, the HEMI produces the kind of power
necessary for the vehicle to be nimble and efficient to drive.
Now we both need to be sure we don't abuse that extra power...
It didn't take long for us to
realize we wanted the Overland. All that was left was to
decide if we wanted things like the
navigation
system/stereo/rear parking assist (yes), DVD entertainment
package (yes), and 18-inch wheels (no). We chose the slate
interior over the khaki, and for Maria's third car running, we
both agreed there was only one color - Black.
So that was it. It wasn't
really hard to decide. We wanted to preserve all the
highway cruising comforts we had, make sure the vehicle was well
outfitted for long distance travel, taking anything we threw at
it. In the end, we incorporated all that we had in the
Volvo, merged that with the extras we liked about the Cherokee
Limited, and the upgrades available because of the inevitable
advances in electronics and automotive engineering.
We're looking forward to road
trips with this vehicle. It should allow us to spread out
a little bit and relax more on the road than we have lately.
It also makes it possible to bring along a couple other people
without too much crowding. There will be more when we
return from our first long ride...
In anticipation of a week-long
road-trip, I did something
similar to what I did with my Wrangler and purchased
the 28
x 91 Roof Box.
We learned with the Wrangler
that having everything out of the passenger cabin made for a
much better travel experience. Even with the larger
interior capacity of the Commander, we wanted to leave the rear
area as unburdened as possible. All the stuff needed only
at night when we stop to make camp would be in the overhead.
So here's what fits in the roof box with a little room to spare:
That's one very large roll-away
duffle bag (too large for airline carry-on), one carry-on
roll-away, two kid-sized roll-aways, one over-stuffed suit bag,
two athletic duffels, and one tote bag. Enough clothing
for a clothes-horse family of four for eight days.
Now I do realize that
getting it all up there without a step ladder is not going to be
much fun, but that's where teamwork comes in.
Inside, it's worlds away from
the Wrangler (of course) but really just a nice update to what
we're used to in the Volvo and for that matter, the '98 Cherokee
Limited.
I did not miss the opportunity
to equip the chassis for mild to moderate off-road driving.
We took all the skid plate options from the factory. No
rock crawling for sure, but it will definitely provide some
protection from "rough dirt road" type of driving.
Here it is after I drilled four
holes in the cross-bars to accommodate the factory u-bolts that
hold the roof box to the Jeep...
Here it is with Uncle Cherokee
Limited...
The rear camera:
Yes, it is ready to hit the
trail. No, we're not going to Rausch Creek and Paragon is
closing, but it will probably see some mild action once the mint
luster is gone...
Some Toys...
So Long, Old Friend...
