By the way, while I only tested the Limited trimmed Commander in 5.7-litre OHV HEMI V8 trim, the Limited comes standard with

The Commander incorporates one of the slickest flip-folding middle rows in the industry. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

Chrysler Group's very capable 4.7-litre SOHC V8, making 235-horsepower at 4,500 rpm and 305 lb-ft of torque from as low as 3,600 rpm. In base trim, a 3.7-litre SOHC V6 with 210-horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 235 lb-ft of torque available at 4,000 rpm can be had, both mated to a five-speed automatic transmission with manual mode.

Even base models come with that third row of seats I mentioned previously, and despite having one of the slickest flip-folding middle rows in the industry to make rear access a breeze, its rear seat accommodations truly separate the midsize Commander from its larger competitors - it's really tight back there.

Where the third row is abbreviated is in legroom, being the foot well is not very deep. This won't matter to the majority of rear passengers, your kids or grandkids, so it shouldn't be a problem. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

Now, to be clear, there is plenty headroom, and lots of space for hips and shoulders. Where the third row is abbreviated is in legroom, being the foot well is not very deep. This won't matter to the majority of rear passengers, your kids or grandkids, so it shouldn't be a problem. And as long as you opt for the extremely easy to operate roof-mounted DVD-system, you'll never hear a peep out of them all the way to the cabin.

With the rear seats upright luggage space comes up a little short, only managing 170 litres (6.0 cubic feet). That's about a third the size of a conventional midsize sedan's trunk, to put things in perspective, so you may want to look into one of Jeep's roof-mounted storage systems - available at your local dealer.