Jeep Liberty blends traits of on-road car and off-road wagon
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Jeep, the DaimlerChrysler brand devoted exclusively to four-wheel-drive vehicles, serves up a new compact-class wagon for 2002 to replace the Cherokee in a line that also includes luxurious Grand Cherokee and the boxy Wrangler workhorse.
Labeled as the Liberty, this latest Jeep not only possesses smooth-riding traits of new car-based wagons but rugged characteristics of brutish Jeeps capable of taking a hard tack over rough terrain far away from pavement.
That unusual combination of attributes -- easy to drive on pavement but highly agile in tough off-road situations -- makes Liberty a rare vehicle of multiple personalities that surface in the light of varying tasks to challenge it.
We challenged it with three dramatically different situations that developed while driving a series of Liberty prototypes through the convoluted folds of Virginia's James River Valley out of Charlottesville.
First, we steered a Liberty over urban streets and navigated paths through narrow parking lots, the bane of shoppers and commuters.
The concise package size allowed Liberty to slip easily into tight confines.
Four doors provided a separate entry for everyone, and the tall structure carved out ample room for heads and legs of all passengers.
At the rear, a clever design for the two-piece tailgate -- combining a flip-up window with a swing-out slab door -- brought flexible access to the cargo bay in back.
Next, we drove Liberty over twisty back roads and multi-lane freeways to feel the smooth ride.
A unit-body structure forges a stable platform on Liberty to mount the independent suspension elements and handling mechanisms that make the wagon act like an easy-driving sedan.
Our Liberty also revealed nimble manners when traveling around curvy sections. It moved quickly, easily cutting right or left as commanded, and felt downright frisky.
Then we headed away from pavement on a two-rut trace in the forest. Recent rain made this trail soppy and there were several tracks of tire-sucking mud.
We shifted into four-wheel-drive and forged ahead, the Command-Trac part-time transfer case distributing engine torque evenly between front and rear wheels mounted with nubby 16-inch Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires.
Treads grabbed the goo and propelled Liberty steadily through the mire without incident.
When the trail reached a broad creek etched deeply into red Virginia loam, we switched to four-wheel low so Liberty could slowly descend a steep pitch while we held a tight rein. It inched down the seemingly sheer embankment until meeting the flat bed of a rocky rivulet, where the sharp approach angle at the prow afforded an easy transition to the stream.
Such an off-road obstacle like the steep embankment would no doubt prove too daunting to a car-based wagon ill-suited for severe four-wheeling chores, but not Liberty.
It acted like a Jeep and went right to work.
Liberty also looks cool in a taut package dressed with progressive shapes.
It stands tall in the traditional two-box format of a wagon but with all corners contoured and the horizontal lines chiseled and planed in streamline fashion.
The familiar Jeep signature of a seven-slot grille flanked by large round headlamps becomes a focal point on the nose, which tapers from a narrow top to the broad bottom to add visual solidity to its stance.
Muscular features show up in the squared wheel flares and a broad band of body cladding wrapped around the base of the vehicle.
In back, the full-size spare tire mounts on the door -- a space-saving measure that not only makes the spare easy to reach but contributes to the muscular look.
For off-road work, wheels pin at extreme corners of the platform to set up a stable platform as front and rear overhangs crimp to make transitions easy on steep slopes.
The unibody structural design creates a strong container that resists flexing and twisting when set in motion on pavement or dirt and ultimately enhances Liberty's smooth-riding manners.
Precise rack and pinion steering, in the first application on a Jeep, produces quick-response turns.
Liberty's suspension system, with independent A-arms up front tied to coil springs, enables the front wheels to travel up to eight inches vertically. They bump over trail obstacles like other Jeeps and keep on rolling.
For motivation, Liberty packs either a four-cylinder or V6 engine and translates all power through a manual five-speed or optional four-speed automatic transmission.
Jeep's Power Tech 2.4-liter in-line four generates 150 hp at 5200 rpm and torque to 165 lb-ft at 4000 rpm.
The four-cylinder plant with a manual stick slips into Liberty Sport as the price-leading entry.
A new Power Tech six, essentially a six-pack variation of the V8 powering Grand Cherokee, appears as an option for Liberty Sport but becomes the standard in a deluxe edition, Liberty Limited.
It displaces 3.7 liters and runs up to 210 hp at 5200 rpm with torque numbers as high as 235 lb-ft at 4000 rpm.
With the V6 and an automatic transmission, Liberty can lug a hefty trailer rig weighing 5000 pounds.
Power from the engine channels either to the rear wheels exclusively or to all four through one of two Jeep transfer cases -- a part-time Command-Trac system for Liberty Sport keyed to either engine or the Selec-Trac full-time system with the V6 and automatic transmission of Liberty Limited.
The passenger cabin contains cozy buckets in front of a three-person bench divided into unequal sections with the back folding flat to expand cargo space. Soft-to-touch materials are utilized extensively, and the dashboard shows high-tech styling with white-faced analog instruments and for Liberty Limited trim elements in satin chrome.
Jeep hones prices for Liberty, beginning at $17,035 for a base Sport with two-tone cladding, or $18,500 with the Command-Trac 4WD. A monochromatic Liberty Limited with V6 power starts at $21,795 in two-wheel-drive and $23,305 with the full-time Selec-Trac.
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| 2002 JEEP LIBERTY VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Compact 5-door SUV
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| Model Options: |
Compact 5-door SUV
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| Wheelbase: |
104.3 inches
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| Overall Length: |
174.4 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.4-L I4
SOHC 3.7-L V6
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| Transmission: |
I4: Manual/5
V6: Manual/5
Auto/4
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| Drive: |
Rear 2WD, 4WD
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| Braking: |
Power disc/drum/ABS opt.
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| Airbags: |
2 (front)
+ opt. 2 (side curtain)
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| Towing Capacity: |
I4 M/5: 2000 pounds, V6 M/5: 3500 pounds, V6 A/4: 5000 pounds |
| Gas Mileage: |
I4 M/5: 19/23 mpg
V6 M/5: 16/21 mpg
V6 A/4: 16/20 mpg |
| MSRP Price: |
$ 17,035 to $ 26,000 |
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