Car and Track viewers "who get their kicks departing from the man-made ribbons of concrete and heading off across the wilder backwoods country" were treated to a series of SUV road tests in 1970, including this winter Jeepster Commando test.
In a slight departure from the cars we've seen tested in our Car & Track series, this week we have a Jeepster Commando which isn't too luxury and doesn't have a whole lot of muscle. That being said, in the words of host Bud Lindemann, the 1970 Jeepster Commando is "a little plusher, lusher and jazzier than ever" and "underneath this fancier façade is the power and agility of a bobcat". The Commando also does something the other we've seen road tested so far would have a tough time with; drive in the snow.
Car and Track didn't let a little Michigan snow stop them from testing the Jeepster Commando. It can be seen snowing throughout the test footage and it doesn't look like the Jeep had any problem with it. Taking a (then) brand new Jeepster Commando through a pylon course in three inches of snow looks and sounds like our idea of a good time.
The Jeepster tested was a slightly improved model. In Lindemann's words, "Some degree of comfort" had been built into the Jeepster making it "possible to drive for a longer period of time without the aid of your chiropractor." In addition to the improved standard of comfort, equipped with the optional 160 horsepower Dauntless V6, the Jeepster had "A lot more scat and scurry under the bonnet". Lindemann sums up the Jeepster Commando nicely explaining "Jeep still builds them tough, only now they are a little prettier".