Jeep Liberty: Is It Tough Enough?
by Ann Job
MSN Carpoint
First new Jeep in nine years sparks heated debate about "real" Jeeps and "real" off-roading.
Ever since the first Jeeps helped American soldiers liberate Europe during World War II, few have questioned the macho capability of Jeep sport-utility vehicles.
But a new Jeep debuting 60 years after the famous war vehicle and named, coincidentally, Liberty, is stirring up more than just a little debate about the real attributes of Jeeps and real off-roading in today's America.
It's also drawing attention to the emerging and sometimes nasty divide between the vast majority of American SUV drivers who never go off-road and hardcore ones who do.
Arriving in showrooms starting in spring 2001, the Liberty is a new, compact, four-door SUV that's designed to attract mainstream, non-off-road drivers while still living up to Jeep's off-road heritage. With a starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, of just over $17,000, the first new Jeep model in nine years brings new competition to the compact SUV market. Liberty replaces the aging Cherokee in Jeep's lineup.
But depending on which Internet chat room you visit or which group of off-roaders you talk with, you might come to view Liberty and its lofty mission as being stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place.
About That Front Suspension . . .
While Jeep officials are eager to prove the Liberty is as rugged and capable as other Jeeps, Jeep purists seem to automatically point to the Liberty's independent front suspension and cry foul.
They haven't had a chance to test the Liberty yet; still, they contend only solid axles can handle the really rough stuff off-road. Besides, Jeep tried an independent front suspension in the 1960s and it was quickly withdrawn from the market, they say.
Robert Jordan, manager of production engineering at Jeep vehicle development, said Jeep went to an independent front suspension in order to provide as good an on-road ride as possible. "That was the part of the program that allowed us to add this level of on-road refinement and improved NVH (noise, vibration and harshness reduction) and solidness to the vehicle," he said.
But don't consider this a sissy suspension, said Jack Broomall, director of Jeep vehicle development.
The Liberty's short/long arm, double wishbone front suspension "isn't just any old front suspension," he said. "It's a Jeep front suspension. The thing that makes it pretty unique, frankly, is fully 8 inches of front suspension travel—4 inches up and 4 inches down. You won't find that on any of the car-based sport utilities. The other thing you'll find . . . is the control arms and all the structures are not the typical stamped steel weldmans, but rather some very serious looking cast lower control arms—big, thick, beefy sections, heavily ribbed. They're more than capable [and] that we've demonstrated in testing, negotiating the Rubicon Trail alongside all [the Liberty's] Jeep brethren."
Another handling upgrade for the Liberty is the use of rack-and-pinion steering, which is more precise than the old-style recirculating ball type that's on the Jeep Cherokee. Rack-and-pinion steering is found in cars, too.
New Engine
Some Jeepsters, as they're sometimes called, blast Jeep's replacement of the well-known, old inline six-cylinder engine with a new V6 that's in the Liberty.
The 4.0-liter overhead valve inline six has been in the Cherokee since the 1987 model year and is generally thought of as a stalwart powerplant, tested and true. In the Cherokee's final year of production, the 2001 model year, it was the only engine offered.
But Rick Péwé, editor of 4-Wheel & Off-Road magazine, based in the Los Angeles area, takes a longer view. "Everybody has to change with the times," he said, adding, "the new V6 will get better mileage and do a better job."
There's more power in the new 3.7-liter V6. Compared with the inline six's 190 horsepower at 4600 rpm, the new Power Tech 90-degree V6 generates 210 horses at 5200 rpm. Torque in the new engine is 235 lb-ft at 4000 rpm, compared with 225 lb-ft at 3000 rpm in the inline six-powered Cherokee.
Jeep officials acknowledge the new V6 is, basically, a six-cylinder version of the 4.7-liter Power Tech V8 that is in the larger Jeep Grand Cherokee. Tow rating in the Liberty is a maximum 5,000 pounds, which equals that of the 2001 Cherokee.
Fuel Economy Nothing to Brag About
Neither engine is likely to excite buyers who fret about high gasoline prices, though. The four-wheel-drive Liberty with V6 is expected to carry a rating of just 16 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway with automatic transmission.
This compares with the four-wheel-drive Ford Escape's fuel economy rating of 18 and 24 mpg, respectively, with automatic transmission.
Jordan said a four cylinder will be offered in the Liberty in fall 2001 and is "for someone who wants a Liberty and a bit better fuel economy." He estimated a 150-horsepower 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder-powered Liberty will be rated around 19 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway.
But the lighter weight 2001 Toyota RAV4 with a 148-horsepower 2.0-liter four cylinder and automatic transmission is rated at 23 and 27 mpg, respectively, for a four-wheel drive model.
What Does a Modern Jeep Look Like?
Many Jeep loyalists question the Liberty's modern, rounded styling.
In one Web chat room, opinions raged about whether the Liberty looks like a Kia Sportage or a Toyota RAV4. ". . . My first impression is `Yuck, it looks like every other hybrid Japanized crap on the market,'" wrote one critic.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, for sure. But there's some early indication that the looks of the base Liberty Sport model—where bumpers and fender flares are a plastic gray material and convey a more rugged look—may be more popular than company executives projected.
As a result, officials said they might be forced to change some equipment offerings that initially were meant solely for the dressier and more expensive Liberty Limited. An example: The new V6 which in Jeep's early press materials was specified only for the Liberty Limited.
Low-Priced Liberty Not Available Initially
In March 2001 Jeep issued a press release announcing the low starting MSRP for Liberty. It's only about $1,500 above a Jeep Wrangler.
But since the Liberty's four-cylinder engine won't be available until fall 2001, early Liberty shoppers face starting MSRPs, including destination charge, of more than $21,000 for Libertys with the V6.
And with lots of options added in—such as leather seats, anti-lock brakes, off-road group, upgraded sound system, sunroof and towing package—Liberty prices can top $28,000.
New Ideas Inside and Out
Still, there are lots of new features in the Liberty. It's the first Jeep to offer side curtain airbags. They're a $390 option and provide head protection for both front- and backseat riders.
Unlike the Cherokee, where the spare tire was stored inside the cargo area and took up space, Liberty has its spare mounted on the outside tailgate.
Jeep's parent company, DaimlerChrysler, pioneered grocery bag hooks in its minivans. They're in the Liberty, too, behind the second row of seats, so plastic shopping bags stay secure while you drive.
Liberty also has a nifty, new, patented rear flipper glass/swing gate that opens via remote keyless entry or by pulling on the tailgate handle. Rather than moving up and above the heads of people, the Liberty's tailgate opens curbside.
Jeep Banking on Success
With parent company DaimlerChrysler struggling financially, Jeep officials make no bones about the fact that Liberty must succeed.
And auto analyst George Peterson of AutoPacific Inc. said a new Jeep has been needed for some time. Referring to his firm's annual survey of new vehicle buyers, Peterson said, ". . . the Cherokee has consistently, over the last few years, received below average vehicle satisfaction scores. It's pretty long in the tooth, relatively small inside and it's a crude piece. The Liberty has a much better interior and is more sophisticated and refined."
Jeep officials also hope the Liberty will help them grab a bigger share of the growing compact SUV market. Auto research firm J.D. Power and Associates said one in five SUVs sold now is a small model, up from one in eight in 1997.
As Jordan put it: "There will be skeptics, of course, when they look at the independent front suspension of the Liberty. We feel that once they get a chance to take a look at the vehicle and evaluate it, those so-called hardcore Jeepsters and people that have always enjoyed Jeeps for their solidness and durability will be drawn to the Liberty just like they're drawn to every other Jeep. We feel we'll also be able to attract a new crowd of buyers, because the key to us is going to get people to drive the vehicle. Once they get in and see how quiet is, how solid it is, how nice an on-road ride it has, and how precise and nimble it is for parking and so on, they'll also be drawn to it. I think people will be surprised, quite frankly, that we've been able to take a vehicle and make it very car-like on-road and still make it very Jeep-like, capable and rugged off-road."
