Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
SUVs Toyota Land Cruiser Toyota Land Cruiser v Jeep Commander
13 messages, Last post on Oct 24, 2008 at 4:43 PM
You are in the Toyota Land Cruiser Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
|
Recently I rented a 2006 Jeep Commander for a four day period where we drove to Detoit from the Philadelphia are. We wanted to rent it because when it first came out we took the limited with a hemi for a test drive and loved it but rising gas prices and poor miliage kept us away. We fell back in love with it during this trip, as some of you are aware the trip to Detroit can sometimes be difficult if you get caught in bad weather as your going over the mountains I have never felt as secure in any vehicle as I did in the Commander but I guess thats what a 5 thousand pound vehicle can do for you. My wife had mentioned several times on the trip how she felt very safe in it as we hit heavy rain on our way home, the Commander handled puddles with no problem all I can say is that it was rock solid. When you hit a puddle at higher speeds in a lighter vehicle you get that hydroplane feeling along with a knot in your stomach, not so with the Commander and with the Land Cruiser. My wife is a personal assistant in Princeton NJ where the car that she does the errands in is a Lexus Lx470 which I am sure most of you know is the twin to the Land Cruiser. She loves driving this vehicle for the same reason, the feeling of safety. Well after we got home we decided to rethink our purchase of the Commander and go car shopping. We didn't want to jump the gun and just go out and buy one so we started to research it first to see what other vehicles were out there that we would concider. The first that came to mind for me since I am the car buff in our family was the Land Cruiser although conciderably pricer. I found that a fully loaded Commander Overland with the Hemi and all the bells and whistles was about $46,thousand, the LC fully loaded was about $66,thou. We did come across some left over 06 models of both.06 Commander was discounted about 10 to 12 thou and a 06 Land Cruiser was discounted 10 thou but in the Commander we would have had to settle for a Limited with a hemi because the Overland in the Commander just was introduced for 2007. It has a few upgrades that we feel put it closer to the high end Suv's like the LC. Such as rear back up camera,automatic starter located in the key fob,real wood trim including the steering wheel and power lift gate. These two vehicles match each other option for option with the exception of a couple of minor ones for each vehicle. Interior room for both was very close with the Land Cruiser being marginally ahead but not enough to make a real differance. The overall fit and finish of both vehicles to us was very close as well. We took both out for a test drive back to back to see how each car felt and in our opinion we didn't feel that the Land Cruiser was worth that much more. Both of these vehicles have excellent off road capabilities that are tried and true without either one coming out ahead. I can't see paying that much more money for a vehicle that doesn't trounce the competition in every category. For the price difference it should be leaps and bounds ahead and we just didn't see it. This is not to say that the Land Cruiser is a bad vehicle because it certainly is not. I guess when it comes down to it the Commander has love it or hate it styling and the Land Cruiser has styling that probably would appeal to most people. For me I love the boxy rugged look of the Commander as opposed to the softer lines of the Land Cruiser.
|
|
|
Replying to: dds872 (Jan 24, 2007 10:22 pm) I was very excited about the Commander when I heard reports of it being released. What dissapointed me was that it has three rows, but it's only slightly bigger than the Grand Cherokee. It's neither midsize nor full size. I sat in one in a dealership and the third row is pretty much useless. If only they had made it as big as a GL450 it would have been a much bigger success. It is always debatable whether TLC commands a 10K premium over the competition, including the Sequoia. If you do just the math, it doesn't make sense, but many people including me have paid the premium and have no regrets. Did you try the third seat? There is talk that Commander will be discontinued after 2009. If Jeep throws in the diesel engine in the commander as they have in the Cherokee, I will definitely consider it. The only reason, I am moving to a different manufacturer is that I am a big fan of diesel due the the milage it gives. I am planning on getting a GL320 CDI Turbo. I feel like I can have my cake and eat it too. i.e full size SUV with avg of 24 MPG. Don't even get me started on Toyota's hybrid plans. The prius is the only true hybrid with the milage if you ask me. The RX400H is just a fad. It' barely gives 1 or 2 miles better MPG than a RX330 and has an 8K premium.
|
|
|
Replying to: dds872 (Jan 24, 2007 10:22 pm)
|
|
|
Replying to: mercara (Jan 25, 2007 5:31 am) Most of the time for us the 3rd row will be folded down and use for basic cargo. |
|
|
Replying to: philg87 (Jan 25, 2007 1:27 pm)
|
|
|
Replying to: dds872 (Jan 25, 2007 4:00 pm)
|
|
|
IMHO the commander is a real alternative to the TLC. Loaded up it is almost $20K less than the LC and although the jury is out on reliability....the commander has more features and creature comforts than the LC. I just purchased an LC and am dissappointed in the lack of basic (not even luxury) featues on this car. For $60k it is not only dated it is lacking in some basic (and easily dealt with) areas.
|
|
|
Replying to: bdb888 (Feb 05, 2007 10:18 am) |
|
|
Replying to: pjc1 (Feb 26, 2007 6:44 am) |
|
|
Dear dds872, pjc1, bdb888: You all have valid points. dds872: I researched the market for over 12 months for the same reasons (one of my neighbors bought the Commander in 2005, the other the Sequoia). I compared these to the Landcruiser, 4Runner V8 and Tundra V8 (same engines). pjc1: Just like you, I watched the reliability, depreciation, and maintenance issues and voted for the 4Runner V-8, 4x4. With select options it cost me US $31K. (Labor in case of the 4Runner is approximately $67/hr, for the Sequoia and Landcruiser I was quoted $95/hr.) bdb888: The Commander is a good candidate - especially with the new engine but past reliability was an issue. The Sequoia is an other good SUV but pricey and the ride was stiffer than in the 4Runner. The availability of spare parts, maintenance and skilled mechanics were also considered. I also wanted the same V8 engine/ transmission that is shared between the LC, Sequoia and Tundra. The least expensive solution was the 4Runner V-8, 4x4 - it saved me about $24,000 - but I am still thinking of the LC! Don't follow my example! My advice to you all: buy the car of your dreams; enjoy it; have fun with it because - you deserve it. We are young only once! Good luck and happy motoring: Andrew17
|
|
You are here:
Forums
SUVs Toyota Land Cruiser Toyota Land Cruiser v Jeep Commander
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2010 Toyota Land Cruiser
2010 Jeep Commander
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
