[Commander in Jeep]

I just recently purchased a Jeep Commander with the V6 engine and the all time 4wd. I was wondering about the beach sand offroad worthiness of this vehicle. It being so new, and the fact that I have a very capable Wrangler Sahara I usually take out on the sand I'll probably not do it for a while. But what do you think about the capability of taking this Commander out onto Corolla, or Oregon Inlet's sandy North Carolina beaches for some shore fishing? I hardly ever take my Wrangler out of 4HI to get into these locations? Is this 4WD or really AWD? BTW, I love the ride of this thing. Its really smooth for a SUV. I've recieved many compliments on it and double takes thinking it was some new Hummer (UGH). hehe

 

[Dabitz]

I think you'll have to deflate your tires somewhat to be able to move around in sand. I am no expert by any means but I did read a post from another JC owner that does the same thing you intend to do. I own the V6 as well and I am very happy with its performance.

 

[topcop38]

i also have the 3.7.
2 years ago i went to nags head and rented a house on corova beach. i had to drive a few miles on the beach to get there. i had a '94 F-250 x-cab 4x4 460. i didn't lower my air pressure and had no problems at all. there was a suburban that i had to pull out. he stopped in the soft stuff. don't do that!
i left mine in 4 HI.
from what the salesman tell me that is what the traction control button on the dash is for. they said if you're stuck in a snowdrift or something to disengage the traction control.

my main concern with driving in the sand is for the following 2 years that i had that ford i had sand everywhere. when i put my windows up or down you could hear it scraping on the glass.
unless you know what you are getting in to or you don't mind tearing everything apart to clean it then i wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Creek]

Go for it....... air down to 20 lbs and enjoy your day. I will be on the Hatteras beaches with mine in November. Use the same common sense you would use in you Wrangler

 

[Commander in Jeep]

I have a soft top on my Wrangler, so the sand issue concern wasn't even there. Something like my Commmander would probably not come away unscathed. Between the sand and the salt water, it seems that driving on the beach is more hazardous than mud boggin' through the woods.