The Jeep Commander might have been voted 4x4 of the year by readers of 4x4 magazine, but how would it handle a series of more mundane challenges? Danny Savage, Managing Director of Radcliffe-based Pulsar Computers, finds out.

Anxious, excited and not at all sure what to expect, I was delighted to take the opportunity to review a car for Fleet Times, despite my wife Lisa's questioning of my suitability to undertake such a task. " What do you know about cars?" she asked. Well, I drive one, I've bought over 20 in my time and I've lost a small fortune on many of them. In my book, that qualifies me to have a valid opinion.

My eight year-old son, Theo, was more enthusiastic. "What are we getting, dad?" he asked. "A Jeep Commander CRD- a limited edition model," I replied. "Not bad," he said, and went back to his Playstation." I hope it's a proper American army one. "

He was in for a disappointment. The Commander might be big (it looks like a big baby Hummer) and is rough enough round the edges to give the impression that it's seen some "action". But it looks like its held together by some rather ugly rivets.

Still, with a full tank of petrol and the sunniest morning of the year to date, it was time to take this baby out into the country. Lisa had other ideas, though. "You promised me a trip to the garden centre," she said. I'll bet Clarkson doesn't have to put up with this.

A couple of hundred quid lighter, I tried to load a bunch of heavy plant pots into the back. This proved difficult, given the high boot space and the fact that there was very little of it.

The next task was a trip to the local tip. "What else do you use a Jeep for in Manchester. "

Not for that, it turns out, as the Commander was too big to go under the barrier. In fact, the Jeep's height of just over six feet {although it felt like more) meant it was too big for most of the city's multi-storey car parks. All was not lost, though, and we decided to put this beast through its final and most demanding test- a trip to the Trafford Centre.

That was the big one, in more ways than one. Have you ever tried parking something resembling a Sherman tank in the centre's car park and opening the door without squashing the vehicle next to you? Not easy. Also, the bulk of this monster meant we experienced more of a wobble than usual on the approach over Barton Bridge. Still, at least the driving position is so high that you can see where you are wobbling towards. 

Overall, despite the leather seats, cruise control and all the usual gear, the Commander wasn't my cup of tea. Its not particularly attractive, doesn't come with a satnav as standard and there's no real room for your left leg (my guess is that it's an American right hand drive vehicle with little thought given to its conversion). This means an uncomfortable drive and, at the best part of £34,000 (with a couple of extras thrown in), you might decide you'd be better off with a VW Touareg or even a BMW X3.

I was just happy to get back into my Mercedes-Benz CL5- I can park it anywhere, and it wont be used for garden centre duties.