Jeep Liberty Redefines Off-Road Performance
Chrysler calls it the Liberty to commemorate the original’s role as a tool of liberation in World War II and the modern version’s status as a symbol of freedom from the confines of the highway.
But the newest Jeep model also is a liberator from the harsh ride and awkward road manners of its predecessor, the Cherokee.
The eyeball-round headlights and seven-slot grille still shout “Jeep,” but the rest of the 2002 Liberty’s exterior, its interior and its on-the-road capabilities are as far from the Cherokee as that 18-year-old sport-utility is from the original Willys-Overland military vehicle.
But enough history. This is a Jeep for the 21st century.
Jeep’s Liberty, released for sale earlier this month, now meets or beats the competition in comfort, handling, good looks and--with Sport and Limited Edition models, each with two- and four-wheel-drive versions in various trim and equipment levels--variety for the shopper. Prices range from $17,000 for a base two-wheel-drive Sport with four-cylinder engine, manual transmission and cloth interior to $27,500 for a loaded Limited with leather, V-6 engine, full-time four-wheel drive, automatic transmission and anything else you can think of.
And it probably beats most at what Jeeps long have been famous for: off-road performance.
*
Jeep executives insist that several showroom stock models from the pre-production pool were run through California’s tough Rubicon Trail in the high Sierra, and while we’d have to try that ourselves before attesting to it, the Liberty did quite well in a daylong series of test drives at the site of Camp Jeep in Virginia.
A new Limited Edition equipped with the standard Command-Trac part-time four-wheel-drive system did everything it was asked to, with ease. It crept down steep, muddy inclines in low range with nary a hint of slippage, forded knee-deep streams, jounced over rocky trails and snaked through twisting forest roads with the sure-footedness a Jeep buyer with off-road intentions should demand.
Its 7.8 inches of clearance and short approach angles front and rear keep it at the top of the class. And the new 3.7-liter, 210-horsepower V-6 gives it enough power to do what the ads say it will. The engine comes standard on the Limited Edition and is an option on the Sport model, which otherwise offers a standard 150-horsepower inline-4. Both power plants are matched with easy-shifting five-speed manual transmissions; the same four-speed automatic used in Jeep’s flagship Grand Cherokee is available with V-6-equipped Liberty models.
Driving the V-6 Liberty on the asphalt through the Blue Ridge Mountains was a pleasure. It didn’t lug on steep hills, and steering was tight and precise. Though not as easy to throw through the twisties as Mazda’s car-based Tribute--a potential competitor for those without serious off-road needs--our Limited didn’t require an abundance of effort to navigate the hills those Easterners call mountains.
Liberty has Jeep’s first rack-and-pinion steering and first independent front suspension, and they work well in keeping the rubber on the road and the wheels pointed where you want to go.
Other niceties: grocery bag hooks in the cargo compartment, more cargo space than the Cherokee, optional side-curtain air bags for head protection ($390), Jeep’s stiffest body and frame, improved anti-lock brakes, a remote-opening, flip-up rear window and a rear door that swings to the left for curbside access.
On the downside: power window controls in the center console, a tiny storage compartment in that console and a lack of headroom in sunroof models for those over 6-foot-2.
*
Final words: Jeep says it designed Liberty for “duality,” meaning appeal to everyone the marketing folks can think of--especially women, who don’t buy as many Jeep products as DaimlerChrysler would like.
They did a good job.
*
Times staff writer John O’Dell can be reached at john.odell@latimes.com.
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
2002 Jeep Liberty
Cost
* Pricing: $17,035 to $27,500.
Standard equipment on base model includes front air bags; cloth seating with front buckets and 65/35 split rear bench; five-speed manual transmission; six-speaker AM-FM stereo with cassette player and CD changer controls; rack and pinion steering; independent front suspension; 16-inch wheels.
Options (standard in some Limited Edition models) include anti-lock brakes, 3.7-liter V-6 engine; 4-speed automatic transmission; air conditioning; leather seating; power moon roof; premium stereo with CD player and remote six-disc changer; remote keyless entry; side-curtain air bags.
Type
* Front-engine, mid-size sport-utility vehicle with seating for up to five. Models include 2WD and 4WD, in Sport and Limited Edition versions.
Engine
* 2.4-liter, 150-horsepower I-4 or 3.5-liter, 210-horsepower V-6.
Performance
* Cargo volume, seat up/seat down: 29 cubic feet/69 cubic feet
* Tow capacity: up to 5,000 pounds
* Minimum ground clearance: 7.8 inch
* Fuel consumption: V-6 with automatic, 16 miles per gallon city, 20 mpg highway; inline-4 with manual, 19/23, as estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Curb Weight
* Base 2wd, 3,648 pounds; 4x4 with V-6 and automatic, 4,115 pounds.
