December 2007
2008 Jeep Liberty
Off-road capable, this redesigned SUV trails competitors in comfort, refinement, and performance
Overview. The original Jeep Liberty was the successor to the old Cherokee and had an established niche for itself as a relatively inexpensive
small SUV with off-road capabilities. But its cramped interior and middling acceleration and fuel economy allowed many competitors
to leave it in the dust.
The 2008 redesign doesn't bring much new to the table. It offers some features that make off-roading easier, such as low-range gearing, hill-start assist and hill-descent control features, but as an everyday vehicle it remains well back in the pack.
We paid $26,060 for our Liberty, which included the off-road items and the 3.7-liter V6 carried over from the previous version.
The engine is mated to a four-speed automatic transmission and a six-speed manual is optional. Electronic stability control
and side-curtain air bags are standard.
First impressions. The 3.7 V6 is the only choice of engine. It accelerates well enough from a stop but feels lethargic when climbing hills and sounds gruff when revving. We cannot gauge fuel economy yet. But we did test the Liberty's corporate cousin, the Dodge Nitro, with the same engine and it attained only 16 mpg, so we're not optimistic.
Handling is not particularly agile and the steering is lightly weighted and conveys little feedback. Like the first Liberty,
this one has a tight turning circle. The ride is more settled that that of the Nitro but it can be snappy at times. The Liberty
is rated to tow a 5,000-pound trailer, but our Nitro struggled even with 3,500 pounds hitched to it.
The front cabin feels cramped, with a wide center console and narrow foot wells. The seats are not very comfortable. Driver visibility is only average. Rear leg room has been increased. A high floor and narrow entrances make access difficult. The exterior door handles require a lot of thumb strength to use. Interior fit and finish suffers from many misaligned hard plastic panels. A giant fabric sunroof is a unique option that we didn't get on our test car. The rear load floor is high off the ground, making loading more of a chore.
CR's take: The redesigned Liberty evokes classic Jeep qualities from the ground up: Off-road capability along with behind-the-times comfort, refinement, and performance. We'll see how it ranks among other off-road-ready peers such as the Nissan Xterra and Kia Sorento online and in a coming issue.
Discuss Jeep in the Cars forum.
The 2008 redesign doesn't bring much new to the table. It offers some features that make off-roading easier, such as low-range gearing, hill-start assist and hill-descent control features, but as an everyday vehicle it remains well back in the pack.
First impressions. The 3.7 V6 is the only choice of engine. It accelerates well enough from a stop but feels lethargic when climbing hills and sounds gruff when revving. We cannot gauge fuel economy yet. But we did test the Liberty's corporate cousin, the Dodge Nitro, with the same engine and it attained only 16 mpg, so we're not optimistic.
The front cabin feels cramped, with a wide center console and narrow foot wells. The seats are not very comfortable. Driver visibility is only average. Rear leg room has been increased. A high floor and narrow entrances make access difficult. The exterior door handles require a lot of thumb strength to use. Interior fit and finish suffers from many misaligned hard plastic panels. A giant fabric sunroof is a unique option that we didn't get on our test car. The rear load floor is high off the ground, making loading more of a chore.
CR's take: The redesigned Liberty evokes classic Jeep qualities from the ground up: Off-road capability along with behind-the-times comfort, refinement, and performance. We'll see how it ranks among other off-road-ready peers such as the Nissan Xterra and Kia Sorento online and in a coming issue.
Discuss Jeep in the Cars forum.
