Once a year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) round up the UK press offices and a selection of their fleet cars for a one-day event at the Millbrook Proving Ground. It's a chance to catch up on colleagues and new personnel as well as an opportunity to drive some of the latest vehicles on the high-speed bowl and entertaining 'Hill Route'.

Some outlets write full 'road tests' from the day's activities, though time in each car is fairly limited. This year I got behind the wheel of no less than 25 different cars, which goes to show perhaps how little time I did spend in each, though that included at least one lap of the challenging Hill Route in each car. There are so many new cars being launched this year that we thought it would be worth compiling my first impressions on these cars. Many we will test in depth at a later date.

Jeep Commander
Model tested: Jeep Commander CRD Limited
Price: £31,035 on-the-road.
0-62mph: 9.0 seconds
Top speed: 118mph
Combined economy: 26.2mpg
Kerb weight: 2410kg
Relevant links: All Jeep road tests.

As part of DaimlerChrysler UK's new money-saving measures we don't currently have access to the Jeep test fleet, so it was interesting to get a chance to drive the huge new Jeep Commander, the largest car Jeep now sells in the UK.

Though the Commander is based on a virtually unchanged Grand Cherokee platform, it looks much bigger and is a full seven-seater. The blocky styling serves to increase the physical bulk of the Commander and the rear overhang and raised roof section helps achieve the extra passenger space.

Inside, the Jeep Commander mixes utilitarian design with a luxury specification, which we're not so sure appeals to Europeans. Despite the appearance of exposed hex bolts, the interior does feel quite well screwed together, though Land Rover does it much better. The workhorse genes are referred to for some of the exterior styling too, including more hex bolts around the wheelarch extensions. I don't think it suits a top of the range luxury SUV, but painted black with darkened rear windows, large alloys and plenty of chrome, our test car managed to disguise its roots fairly well.

Predictably, the Hill Route is not the natural habitat of a car such as the Jeep Commander so it would be unfair to rate it on that alone. Suffice to say that it feels more like an old-school off-roader with imperfect body and wheel control and some wallow through the corners. It may make more sense in the real world, but not here. The CRD engine makes a good case for itself though.