I installed one of these on my last boat and they are a great pleasure to have aboard. At 1.5 amps...probably less on a small boat like the Commander... they're not very hungry. On big boat deliveries offshore, I've enjoyed the sophisticated autopilots that include a sea state compensation feature...even in some pretty extreme conditions (see Ocean Navigator Nov/Dec 07, October 2010, pg 28-33, and May 2012 pg 24-28.) Incredibly, this little Raymarine T-1000+ has all the same features for way under $500 bucks, including sea state compensation. Often, I'm alone when the conditions are just right so my companions are the Pandora app on my Iphone/stereo and my T-1000+.
This generation of autopilots has nothing in common with the older Navicos, et all. If you gave up on them then, it might be time to give them a try again.