From the ArcaMax Publishing, Automotive Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/automotive/s-371011-144224
When a Wrangler's too small (even the new four-door version) but a
Commander's just too huge (and too thirsty) maybe a Liberty will be
just right. That's why Jeep added the Liberty to its lineup of 4x4
SUVs. But the question is, should you be interested?
If you need a real-deal 4x4 compact SUV - and not a posuer-mobile
crossover that sort of looks like one but which would be as out of its
element in the backwoods as Ned Beatty in "Deliverance" - then the
answer is, "yes."
ENGINES & PERFORMANCE
For now , the Liberty comes with just one engine - the same 3.7 liter
V-6 used last year. It is rated at 210 hp and while it offers decent
low-end torque, the hp is a little on the low side given the load it's
tasked with pulling. A 2WD Liberty weighs almost 4,000 lbs. at the
curb - before you and your amigos climb aboard. 4WD versions with the
optional 4-speed automatic transmission beef that up to almost 4,300
lbs. - "Biggest Loser" territory for sure and a serious chunk of
sheetmetal avoirdupois for a 210 hp V-6 to drag along.
The spec sheet says you can pull up to 5,000 lbs. with a Liberty - but
it would surely be slow (and sweaty) going with a combined load of
almost 10,000 pounds and just 210 hp to do it with.
Zero to 60 takes about 10 seconds; 2WD versions are slightly more
athletic-feeling than the 4WD models because they're a couple hundred
pounds lighter and there's less inertial drag. (Even when it's not
engaged a 4WD system still saps a little of the drivetrain's available
power output. Normally, this is no big deal - but when you're dealing
with an engine that's already on the verge of being overtaxed, it's
something to take into account.)
On the upside, the Liberty comes standard with a six-speed manual
transmission and it really helps make the most of the V-6's available
output - with tighter gear spacing than the optional wide-ratio
four-speed automatic.
The optional 4WD system can be ordered in either part-time Command
Trac form or full-time Selec-Trac, which automatically kicks power
front to rear (and back) as necessary. Unlike the light-duty AWD
system found in "crossovers," the Liberty's 4WD has a two-speed
transfer case and Low range gearing - what you want for serious
off-road work. You can order up beefy equipment such as locking
differentials, skid plates, Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control
for even more capability.
What you'll sacrifice for this of-road capability is decent gas
mileage. While a similar-in-size crossover like the Honda CR-V can
reach into the mid-high 20s, the Liberty is in the mid-teens around
town - and barely out of the 20s on the highway. A 4WD,
automatic-equipped Liberty is rated by the EPA at 15 city/21 highway.
Bottoms up!
RIDE & HANDLING
The Liberty's a real 4x4 SUV - so like others of its kind, it
sacrifices some ride quality and doesn't corner like a car, in order
to be able to do things off road that would make a car (or crossover)
squeal like a pig. It has lots of suspension travel and sits higher
off the ground than a car - or a crossover. But these are the
attributes/design features you want - if you want to go off-roading.
To complain about them - and the compromises in terms of ride
quality/handling grip in a fast corner they impose - is as ridiculous
as complaining about the low ground clearance of a Corvette and its
inability to make its way up a muddy trailhead. If you want a soft
ride and car-like handling, get a crossover. But if you want
legitimate off-road bona fides, the Liberty will not disappoint you.
I personally liked the trucky, manly feel of the Liberty. You sit
upright and tall in the saddle. Huge potholes don't seem to faze it -
or give the impression you just broke something real expensive. The
stock all-season tires are pretty quiet, too. (M/S-rated knobbies are
available - or you can add them later.)
Sixteen inch rims are standard - but you can go all the way up to 18s.
STYLING AND UTILITY
The Liberty looks like a Jeep. Its boxy, distinctive shape is an
American icon that dates back to the Willys Jeeps of the WW II era
through the wood-paneled Wagoneers of the '70s to the present day. Not
only is the look familiar, it's enduring. Jeeps age gracefully because
the changes, year to year, tend to be minor and evolutionary. Consider
the Wrangler/CJ series. It's hard for the non-expert to tell a '74
model from an '84 model - or for that matter, a '94 model. The
Liberty doesn't have the same lengthy lineage, but it shares the
Wrangler's (and Jeep vehicles generally) overall shape/styling themes.
Like them, it'll probably still look current in ten years' time. Or at
least, not "old."
The layout inside is not as zippy cool as what you'd find in
competitors like the new Toyota FJ Cruiser or the military-themed
Hummer H3 but it's got good economy of design and is very
straightforward and functional. Sight lines are better, too. The H3
and LandCruiser have "chopped" low rooflines that look great from the
outside but limit visibility onthe inside, especially behind you and
to the sides.
The FJ's also more expensive - $23,725 for the six-speed version vs.
$20,330 for the Liberty Sport w/six-speed - and is only slightly more
capable, cargo and towing-wise. The Toyota's got 67 cubic feet of
space; the Jeep almost 65. Both tow up to 5,000 lbs. The FJ's main
draw is its stronger 4.0 liter, 239 hp V-6 engine.
The H3 is in another universe, price-wise. It starts at $30,595 -
almost ten grand more than the Liberty. It does offer V-8 power (new
for 2008) and while the base model's 3.7 liter in-line five sounds
stout at 242 hp, the H3 scales in at 4,700 lbs. - about 700 lbs. more
than the base Liberty - which negates the hp advantage of the Hummer.
It can only pull 4,500 lbs. - 500 lbs. less than the Liberty. And
while the H3 might look ready for eye-rack, it is cramped inside -
with just 56 cubic feet of usable cargo space. And, it's a real gas
hog, too - 13 mpg in the city, 18 on the highway.
Also on the plus side, Liberty-wise, is the availability of cool
options such as the Sky Slider folding cloth soft top that extends
virtually the entire length of the Liberty's roof. It is a
mega-sunroof that turns the Liberty into a kind of Pope-mobile; you
can stand up in the second row and wave to the crowds if you like. Or
just enjoy the breeze - and the feel of what's as close to a
convertible Wrangler as you can get without actually cutting off the
steel top completely.
QUALITY/SAFETY
Jeep's had some issues with quality control in the recent past - but
then again, so has Toyota. The '08 Liberty is significantly updated
from the suspension up, so hopefully they've engineered in a higher
standard of durability/reliability than some recent Jeep products have
boasted.
My tester seemed solidly put together; but only time - and tens of
thousands of miles in daily use - will tell.
All models - including the base 2WD Sport ($20,330) come equipped with
traction and stability control, aside/curtain air bags (both rows),
rollover sensor and ABS brakes.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
The Liberty's biggest weak point is its almost-overburdened V-6
engine. Compared to the (lighter,smaller) six cylinder-equipped
Wrangler, it is seriously slow-pokey. Yes, you get the extra room
inside - but it'd be so much nicer if Jeep amped up the power of this
engine - or better yet, brought back the diesel option that got killed
off last year due to slow sales. But that was when gas was still
relatively cheap; now that's a gallon of regular is holding steady at
$3.20 or so - and very likely to tap $4 by summer - bringing the
diesel back seems to make sense on multiple counts. Better mileage -
and much more low-end grunt. The Liberty's ex-diesel offered almost
300 lbs.-ft of torque at just 1,600 RPM. The current gas V-6 delivers
much less - 235 lbs.-ft - at much higher engine speeds (4,000 RPM).
The high torque diesel made the old Liberty feel much stouter at low
speeds, pulling off the line -a and of course, it offered the prospect
of better fuel economy.
It looks like a good possibility that a diesel engine option will be
returned to the Liberty lineup - and it might just be worth waiting a
bit to see if that comes to pass.
BOTTOM LINE
While the current (and gas-powered) version of the Liberty is a
value-priced alternative to more expensive competition like the H3 and
FJ Cruiser - and more roomy/serviceable for people who need more
space than a Wrangler can provide - it would be a whole lot more
tempting if it could be ordered with a diesel.
The Liberty's most compelling competitor is probably the Nissan
Xterra. Though slightly more expensive to start - $21,240 for the base
2WD version - it boasts a very strong 4.0 liter, 261 hp V-6 as
standard equipment - and has 66 cubic feet of cargo space and will tow
5,000 lbs, too.
But it's an older design - and you may just like Jeep's look and
attitude better. In that case, you can save yourself about a thousand
bucks - all else being equal - and drive around in a real-deal SUV
that's as capable as anything else in this segment.
========
www.ericpetersautos.com or EPeters952@aol.com for
comments.