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Jeep Liberty
The Jeep Liberty is a compact SUV from DaimlerChrysler. The Liberty was introduced in 2002 with styling inspired by the Dakar and Jeepster show cars. It competes with the Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, Chevrolet Equinox and Nissan Xterra. The Liberty was the first Jeep to use two new PowerTech engines: A 150 hp 2.4 L I4 and a 210 hp 3.7 L V6. Despite popular belief, the Liberty was not the first Jeep vehicle to use an independent suspension; the Jeep Wagoneer first used it in the 1960s.
The Liberty has been very successful for Jeep, outselling the Ford Escape in 2005 to become the best-selling compact SUV in the United States. 70 percent of Liberty buyers are new to the Jeep marque, and the Toledo North Assembly factory in Toledo, Ohio is running overtime to produce the model.
See Wikicars' comprehensive Jeep Liberty Review.
Recent Changes
The 2008 Jeep Liberty has been completely redesigned and restyled. For example, the rear window is much larger, and the vehicle overall looks like a Jeep Patriot with higher suspension. The rear and grille are similar to that of the Jeep Commander. Overall, the vehicle is much more macho.
Styles and Major Options
The 2008 Liberty comes available in two trims: the Sport and the Limited. Both operate on the same 3.7L 210hp V6 engine, and while the Sport is available in a 6-speed manual transmission as well as a 4-speed auto, the Limited is only availble in auto. Though the Limited does include some options and cosmetic touches not found on the Sport, most of the standard features remain the same. Some of these include:
Liberty Sport
- 16" silver styled steel wheels
- 4-way cloth bucket seats
- 6-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system
- Power windows, locks, mirrors
Liberty Limited
- 17" Silver alloy wheels
- 8-way (6-way power) driver's seat
- Roll-up cargo cover
- 6-Speaker AM/FM/CD/Sirius satellite audio system
- Cruise control
- Body-colored fender flares
- Chrome bodyside and grille moldings
- Front Passenger Side Fold Flat Seat
- Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel
For a full list, see [1]
Pricing
Today's actual prices for the Jeep Liberty can be found at CarsDirect.
Liberty Trims |
|||
Sport 2WD |
Limited 2WD |
Sport 4WD |
Limited 4WD |
MSRP |
|||
$21,365 |
$25,000 |
$22,875 |
$26,510 |
Invoice |
|||
$20,022 |
$23,330 |
$21,416 |
$24,724 |
Gas Mileage
As seen on the FuelEconomy.gov website, the City/Highway MPG averages are as follows:
Trim |
|||
MPG |
|||
18/22 |
17/23 |
18/22 |
17/22 |
Reliability
Safety
According to the NHTSA, the 2007 Liberty performed well overall in safety tests. For driver front-impact and all side-impact crash tests, the Liberty received a 5-Star rating, while passenger front-impact tests earned it a 4-Star rating. However, rollover tests performed on the 2WD and 4WD versions both yielded only 3-Star ratings.
Some of the standard safety equipment that can be found on all versions of the Jeep Liberty include:
- ABS and driveline traction control
- Electronic stability control
- Front and rear anti-roll bars
- Four wheel anti-lock brakes
- Driver/passenger front-impact airbags
- Side impact bars
Photos
Colors
A full list of colors for the 2007 Jeep Liberty is viewable at CarsDirect.com. Some of the available combinations include:
Exterior
- Black Clearcoat
- Bright Silver Metallic Clearcoat
- Inferno Red Crystal Pearlcoat
- Light Khaki Metallic Clearcoat
- Stone White Clearcoat
Interior
- Dark Khaki/Light Graystone
- Khaki
- Medium Slate Gray
Main Competitors
Hybrid Models
There are currently no hybrid models of the Liberty.
Unique Attributes
Resale Values
According to Kelley Blue Book, "the Liberty is projected to retain an average residual value over 24-, 36-, 48- and 60-month periods. The Liberty Limited holds its value better than the Nissan Xterra, Kia Sorento and Suzuki XL-7, but falls behind the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V."
Criticisms
- "You really feel the weight [4,115 pounds with V6 engine] under braking..." - AutoWeek
- "You'll feel the mass at the gas pump, too, with an EPA estimate of 16 mpg in the city, 20 highway." - AutoWeek
- For some the Liberty might be a bit too "cute" to carry off the image they want from a Jeep, even though the model is very capable off-road. The small rear cargo area may also persuade some to look for a bigger vehicle." - Kelley Blue Book
Current Generation (2008-Present)
The Liberty has grown in size and style. It's cutesy looks of the previous generation have grown up, looking like the big boy Jeeps. It's now more of a mid-size SUV, competing more with the Toyota Highlander, Nissan Murano, and Honda Pilot, although it is the most capable off-road of all three of those vehicles. This is due to the release of new, more compact SUVs courtesy of Jeep for the urban jungle: Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot.
1st Generation: (2002–2007)
4-wheel disc brakes were added for 2003. For 2005, a 2.8 L VM Motori turbodiesel engine became available in the CRD model. Although diesel engines are not familiar in the American market, Jeep reported that they sold 10,000 Liberty CRD models in the first calendar year of sales.
Worldwide
In European markets, the Liberty is sold as the Cherokee, and is available in Sport and Limited models. For the 2007 model year, the Renegade was dropped, itself a development of the Extreme Sport which was a limited-run model in 2004. For the 2008 model year, the V6 petrol engine was dropped from the European range - only the 2.8 CRD remaining, either in manual or automatic transmission guises. The range itself apes the USA range, with the same colour options available, and the same options lists. The Cherokee was updated alongside the Liberty in 2005.
The Cherokee is Jeep's most popular European model, but is something of a forgotten entity - the car has a cult following in off-roading circles, and is the darling of those who wish to buck the trend. The Cherokee is not to all European tastes - it is incredibly thirsty, and certainly not as refined as key rivals. Also, the Cherokee has the shortest service intervals of any vehicle in its class.
Prices of the car vary across Europe, but in the UK the prices are as follows:
- Sport Manual - £20,095, which equates to $40,037.
- Sport Automatic - £21,095, which equates to $42,067.
- Limited Manual - £22,635, which equates to $45,138.
- Limited Automatic - £23,635, which equates to $47,132.
The EuroNCAP have crash tested the Cherokee, and the results are four out of five stars. This rating breaks down into:
- Front Impact - 9 points, 56%.
- Side Impact - 15 points, 83%.
- Pedestran Protection - 3 points, 8%.
The addition of a belt reminder for the 2003 MY gained the Cherokee enough points to warrant a four-star rating, but the poor pedestrian protection resulted in one out of four stars for the category. Since the car was tested in 2002, child protection was not tested, but each Cherokee sold comes with chassis anchorage points on the rear seats.
Design quirks and oddities
Awards
- The Liberty was nominated for the North American Truck of the Year award for 2002.
See also
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Abarth | Alfa Romeo | Autobianchi | Ferrari | Fiat | Lancia | Innocenti | Maserati | Iveco | Chrysler | Dodge | Ram | Jeep Current SUVs/Cars: Wrangler JK · Wrangler Unlimited · Grand Cherokee · Liberty SRTs: Grand Cherokee SRT8 Historic SUVs/Trucks: CJ-2A · CJ-3A · CJ-3B · CJ-7/8 · Wrangler YJ · Wrangler TJ · CJ-10 · VJ · C101 · C104 · Wagoneer XJ · Wagoneer SJ · Grand Wagoneer · Gladiator · J-Series · Comanche · Forward Control · Cherokee SJ-XJ · Compass · Patriot · Commander Military Concept Gladiator · Hurricane · JT · Rescue · Trailhawk · Wrangler Ultimate · Renegade Hybrid Concept · Z5 Concept · Patriot Back Country Concept · EV Prototype · Wrangler Lower Forty Concept · Wrangler Overland Concept · Wrangler J7 Concept · Patriot Extreme Concept · Wrangler Trail Boss Concept · NuKizer 715 Concept · The General Concept · Mopar ImMortal Concept · Mopar XJ Stroker Concept · XJ001 Concept | ||
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External Links
This page uses content from Wikipedia; see Jeep Liberty, which includes these contributors.