The Jeep Commander was first introduced at the 2005 New York Auto Show. And it was sold as a 5 or 7-passenger counterpart to the third generation Jeep Grand Cherokee, with the initial inspiration coming from the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. It shared its uniframeconstruction, independent short/long arm front suspension and its 5-link live rear axle with the Grand Cherokee on which it was based. However, It featured a more box-like appearance, with an upright windshield and squared-off sides; it more closely resembled the discontinued Jeep Cherokee (XJ), as well as the second generation Jeep Liberty/Cherokee. Another notable attribute was its stepped roof which was cleverly disguised by the roof rack; similar to the GMC Envoy XL and Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT. This allowed the second and third-row seats to be mounted higher than the first-row seats.