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Past Issues

736: Suzuki Swift Sport
Suzuki’s bargain hatch proves big fun can come in small packages
732: Dualis & X-Trail
Nissan introduces a new SUV while its marquee model continues to play tough
728: Toyota Vanguard
Head off to the concrete jungle with a bit more vehicle than you need
724: Subaru Impreza S-GT
Japan’s automotive loudmouth learns some manners
720: Tokyo Auto Salon 2008
Get ready for some modification mayhem at Makuhari Messe
716: Dodge These!
Chrysler introduces three muscle-bound imports to Japan
712: Licensed to Drive
We guide you through the bureaucratic jungle
708: Tokyo Concours D’Elegance
Exotic autos from the past and present glide into Roppongi
704: Car Knows Best
Automakers are introducing technology that will let your ride decide if you’ve had one too many
700: Range Rover & Land Rover
We put three SUVs from the fabled British maker through their paces
696: Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Channel 007 in this latest incarnation of the marquee automaker’s “baby”
692: BMW R1200GS Adventure
The storied bike maker competes with itself to create a three-in-one masterpiece
688: Lexus LS460
The new sedan is big, fast, safe, classy—and unremarkable
684: Alfa Romeo Spider
We unleash the Italian monster on a 1,200km road trip
680: Ford Mustang
The American classic goes back to its roots
676: Citroën C6
The French automaker's latest eccentricity pushes its own boundaries
672: Nissan’s Pino and Otti
Japan-friendly K-cars pack a big punch
668: Jaguar XK
Forget James Bond—this is the UK’s sexiest export
664: Mazda’s Axela, RX-8 and Roadster
Here’s the word on Japan’s resurgent automaker: buy, buy, buy!
660: Mazda’s Axela, RX-8 and Roadster
Here’s the word on Japan’s resurgent automaker: buy, buy, buy!
656: Alfa Romeo Brera
This gorgeous Italian coupe is both poised and sexy
652: Premium wheels
Business is good for Rolls-Royce in Japan, with an eagerly awaited convertible due out next year
648: Citroen C3 Pluriel
The quirky French automaker barrels into the 21st century
644: Jeep Commander& Grand Cherokee
Off road and on, these 4×4s do their military heritage proud
640: BMW Z4 M Roadster
Beemer’s monster convertible provides the most fun you can have sitting down
636: Name dropping
What your car is called says something about you—and even more about automakers’ marketing departments
632: BMW Mini Cooper S
All hail the mighty Mini!
628: Mazda Roadster
Redesigned and retooled, this two-seater is now a car for enthusiasts
624: Hyundai Sonata
A rev-happy South Korean import tries to find its niche in Japan
621: Lexus IS350
Toyota brings its upmarket brand to Japan—finally
616: Volvo XC90 V8
A bit sleeker and a lot more spacious, this SUV still puts a premium on safety
612: Chrysler 300C
This black beauty recalls the golden age of motoring
608: The Big Ideas
Tokyo Motor Show 2005 was a concept car bonanza
604: Tokyo Motor Show 2005
The automotive world’s big players zoom into Japan with some high concepts in tow
597: Three brothers
We put a trio of Nissan sedans through their paces
593: Ducati 1000S DS Multistrada
The boys from Bologna deliver an Italian masterpiece for your garage
589: Mazda Demio Sport
A worthy cousin to the Atenza and RX8, this roomy sedan is happy around town and in the country
585: BMW K1200S
The boys from bavaria clothe an iron fist in a velvet glove
581: Chrysler’s Cruisers
The American auto manufacturer concentrates on the body beautiful
577: Suzuki Skywave 650LX
If you thought scooters were just for kids, think again
573: Cadillac STS 4x4
America’s flagship automaker recaptures its former glory
569: Tour de Force
Yamaha’s FJR1300A offers an unbeatable blend of poise, power and price
565: Alfa Romeo GT and 156 GTA
With stunning looks and power to spare, these two Alfas are an enthusiast's dream
560: Driving the Future
The talk of the auto industry in 2004 was hybrids, safe driving and intelligent vehicles
556: Deja vu
Blast to the past on Harley-Davidson’s Road King Custom
552: Sports sensation
Nissan's new SUV breaks out of its class
548: Lean machine
Lighter, faster, stronger and sexier—a diet works wonders for BMW’s R1200GS
544: Kings for a day
The Honda Elysion is master of all it surveys
539: Rules of the road
New traffic laws are on the horizon. Turn off your cellphone, watch where you park and don’t ride in gangs, Chris Betros warns.
537: Open roadster
William Bonds gets up-close with the elements courtesy of the Nissan Fairlady 350Z convertible.
535: Extreme makeover
Volvo sheds its stodgy-but-safe image for sleek-and-sporty with the new S40 T5. William Bonds likes what he sees.
533: Sporting chance
Mazda has brought the station wagon up to speed with its Atenza Sport Wagon 23Z. William Bonds takes one for a spin.
531: Street smarts
Automakers are taking car safety to new levels with sophisticated warning systems that almost do the driving for you, reports Chris Betros.
529: Speed zone
Just down the road from Ueno Zoo, a virtual hog heaven has everything for the motorcycling enthusiast. Steve Trautlein cruises on over.
527: Italian Stallion
The Alfa Romeo 147 carries on its maker’s reputation for hot cars with unmatched sex appeal. William Bonds gets carried away.
525: Hot wheels
A cross between a snowboard and a scooter, the Wheelman is a quirky Australian invention that's grabbing attention worldwide. Tim Colquhoun takes one for a ride.
523: Mean Machine
William Bonds gets behind the wheel of the Nissan Skyline 350GT.
521: Show stealers
Toyota stunned attendees at the recent Geneva and Melbourne auto shows with two concept cars that represent a powerful vision for the future of motoring. Tim Colquhoun reports.
519: Mighty mouse
Subaru goes boldly against the tide with its new R2 minicar. Justin Gardiner admires this latest feat of audacity and engineering.
517: Trail blazer
Nissan's top-selling 4x4 features cool touches for winter sports fans. Justin Gardiner drove the latest X-Trail to the slopes
515: Up to speed
The Formula One circus is gaining momentum as the season opener in Australia draws near. Tim Colquhoun takes a look at the latest developments.
513: Good save
Hybrid cars are the rage this year with Toyota, Honda and Subaru touting their gas-electric vehicles. Chris Betros looks at what they're offering.
512: The road ahead
Despite the lack of a full-fledged Tokyo Motor Show in 2004, domestic manufacturers have a bevy of weird and wonderful offerings in store for this year. Justin Gardiner previews the lineup.
509/10: Top of the class
Justin Gardiner finds his favorites from this year's Metropolis test drives.
507: Mom-mobiles
Japanese mothers are trading in their once ubiquitous mama-chari bicycles for a new breed of K-car. Justin Gardiner tries a couple of the most popular mini-cars.
505: Cubic's rube
Nissan has lengthened its highly successful Cube a few centimeters and added an extra row of seats. But, as Justin Gardiner finds out, the result is a bit puzzling.
503: Globe trotters
Kerstin Gackle and Volker Aldinger left their native Germany on April 1 and pointed their Yamahas toward Australia. Eight months later Justin Gardiner caught up with the couple in Tokyo.
501: Back to the future
Cutting-edge technology and futuristic vehicles highlight the 37th Tokyo Motor Show at Makuhari Messe through November 5. Justin Gardiner offers a guide.

ISSUES 499-
ISSUES 449-
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Cars&Bikes

Text and photos by William Bonds

Jeep Commander& Grand Cherokee

Off road and on, these 4×4s do their military heritage proud

Jeep’s Commander

Mention “Jeep” to someone my age (not quite a senior citizen), and they will immediately think of the American army’s rag-top troop runabouts in World War II. The height of cheap functionality, Jeeps could go almost anywhere and do almost anything. There’s a version of that vehicle still made today, the Jeep Wrangler (available in Japan for around ¥3 million), but in this era of big off-roaders, the company also produces “American-sized vehicles.” The biggest of these big beasts are the Commander and the Grand Cherokee, both available in right-hand drive, both costing nearly ¥7 million and both powered by Chrysler’s awesome 5.7-liter hemi engine. (Smaller/cheaper options are also available).

Obviously, power’s not going to be a problem; size, however, might be. When I was working for an American company, I not only bought and thoroughly enjoyed a monster coupe (a 1976 5.7-liter Chevrolet Monte Carlo), I also spent plenty of time cruising around in a fleet of big-end Chevy SUVs, including the Suburban, a huge seven-seater like the Commander. I loved driving these big guys, but that was on big-guy roads, so their size was not an issue. The roads in Japan are definitely not big-guy roads, despite a fairly healthy dose of large cars here (Cadillacs, Chryslers, Beemers, Mercs, Hummers). Which begs the question: Do they belong?

In terms of their physical size, they turn out to be perfectly useable. Though on the outer reaches of wide, they’re really not much broader than, say, Nissan’s SUV, the Murano. If you look at them from the outside, they are reasonably proportioned; inside, they seem much bigger, particularly the Commander, which is big and square compared to the more rounded Grand Cherokee. At 4.79m, the Commander is actually 3.5cm longer than the Grand Cherokee (which has similar dimensions to the Murano), 2cm wider and 8cm taller.

Grand Cherokee

The problem with a vehicle feeling so big is that the driver has to be more cautious than normal. I found I had to moderate my driving style significantly. The Grand Cherokee may not be much smaller, but it feels smaller, handles a little better and is slightly easier to drive. Anyone who doesn’t drive slower in one of these things is a danger to other motorists. Braking requires a lot more forethought, and you’re not going to be screeching around any corners. The two 4x4s are matched to automatic/semi-automatic four-speed gear boxes. In first and reverse, the power delay and subsequent surge was disconcerting, and I found driving in semi-manual mode far more comforting than letting the lazy automatic take charge. The more control you have, the better.

Control was something I desperately needed when driving the Grand Cherokee on very narrow roads through rice paddies in Chiba. After getting lost, I found myself needing to turn right on two tracks no wider than the width of the car. The drop to my right was only a meter, but it seemed a lot more from my elevated driving position. I compensated accordingly (or so I thought), and found my left front wheel slipping into the paddy in front of me. The ground was very soft—there was a mini-typhoon raging at the time—and I wasn’t confident of recovering the situation. But the ground (and handbrake) just held the slide, and the 4x4 provided the traction to pull me clear. Score one for Jeep, I thought.

As for the engine, the hemi’s little trick is to shut down four cylinders when big power isn’t needed. In the company’s excellent Chrysler 300C, you get surprisingly reasonable mileage (25mpg when you’re cruising on the expressway). But the 300C only weighs 1,840kg; the Commander weighs almost a third more and the Grand Cherokee falls somewhere in between. The extra weight, combined with a less aerodynamic design, results in the two off-roaders gulping significantly more fuel. Of course, we’re not comparing the two Jeeps with the 300C; all off-roaders consume more fuel than sedans with comparable engines. But in these days of rising gas prices, fuel efficiency is becoming more of an issue. The Jeeps also house industrial-strength air conditioners (not to mention a speaker system straight from the Ozzfest), which, while fabulous to use, also add to the fuel burden.

Jeeps, like their English counterparts Land Rovers, are big on the practical and less concerned about refinement. Yet these vehicles are definitely not Range Rovers. The interiors are unspectacular and reflect the sturdy heritage of Jeep. If you’re farming, surfing or skiing, you don’t need white leather upholstery. What you need is the ability to go places other cars fear to tread, and on that front, the Commander and the Grand Cherokee do not disappoint.

Got something to say about this article? Send a letter to the editor at letters@metropolis.co.jp.

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