02 Jeep Liberty 4x4 vs 06 Explorer XLS 4x4

[06XLS]

I know there are some comparisons out there but not for this particular combination, or for what I am about to ask specifically.

I recently bought a new to me '02 Liberty. I only had it a short time and the engine blew, and it is still in the shop, so I haven't been able to try it out at all off road. Also, because of the Liberty being in the shop I was forced to buy another vehicle. I had t trade my wife's Suzuki XL-7 for an '06 4WD Ford Explorer, in order to take a family trip 1000 miles round trip. My wife picked it out. She has good taste!

Yesterday, my wife and I went for a little drive to the beach. An easier than walking way to the beach was to drive through about a mile and a half of sand dunes, and it drops you right off at the water front on this particular beach. I decided to give the 4WD a try and see what she could do. I was very impressed with the handling and nimble sure footedness (<Not really a word, but it fits) of the Auto 4WD mode that the truck is always in. Then I stopped and put it in 4LO, and wow. it really had no trouble at all going anywhere I wanted to go.

Now, I have driven these trails in 2 previous 4WD vehicles. A 95 Chevy Suburban, and a 93 Toyota SR5 Extra cab pickup. Neither of these two did very well at all and I had no confidence that I wouldn't get stuck while driving them.

I had no thought or worry in the Explorer. Here is where the vs comes in. How will my '02 Libby compare to the '06 Explorer in the same situation? I am hoping it will do just as well or better. What do you think?

They both have 235/70 16 tires at highway air pressure, the Ford has BF Goodrich All Terrain T/As and the Jeep has General Grabber STXs.

Is this enough info? Or do you need more detail about the soft sandy dune trails I was driving on?

I hope you can help, and when I get my Libby back, I will take the same trails and report back my results.

 

[06XLS]

No one? Really?

 

[Themightyquinn]

you are asking a question on the Explorer Forum about the performance of a Jeep Liberty.....

 

[thebrakeman]

Yeah, never owned a Liberty. Too small for my needs.
As far as the Explorer in the sand, I would recommend you NOT leave any Auto-4WD (aka AWD) vehicle in auto in these conditions. This will have the center diff moving in an out of lock, working it more than necessary. Yes, it's designed to do this for occasional needs (like a small patch of ice at a stop light). But if you know you are going to be in sand for over a mile, just put it in 4WD-Hi (or Lo) to lock that center diff. It will be much smoother, and you won't feel/hear that clunking as it's contactly engaging/disengaging.

Good luck fixing the Jeep! I borrowed a 4-door Wrangler with the Rubicon package this weekend. What a vehicle! I wish I could have found an area to test it out without getting too crazy.

 

[06XLS]

you are asking a question on the Explorer Forum about the performance of a Jeep Liberty.....

Just thought maybe someone with an Explorer may have had an opinion about how the two would compare in the sand. I guess I am the only one with both of these vehicles.

Yeah, never owned a Liberty. Too small for my needs.

Perfect for mine. I just pull a 4x8 utility trailer once in a while to help people move or take trash to the dump, as well as pull my boat to whatever lake or bay dock I can find, and I am sure it will do this just fine. Also, great for recovering downed game animals, because it can get into some tighter spots.

As far as the Explorer in the sand, I would recommend you NOT leave any Auto-4WD (aka AWD) vehicle in auto in these conditions. This will have the center diff moving in an out of lock, working it more than necessary. Yes, it's designed to do this for occasional needs (like a small patch of ice at a stop light). But if you know you are going to be in sand for over a mile, just put it in 4WD-Hi (or Lo) to lock that center diff. It will be much smoother, and you won't feel/hear that clunking as it's contactly engaging/disengaging.

Thanks for the advice. I have never owned an AWD vehicle before, so this is new to me. I did figure out what you said though, when I did put it in 4lo. Much smoother and responsive.

Good luck fixing the Jeep! I borrowed a 4-door Wrangler with the Rubicon package this weekend. What a vehicle! I wish I could have found an area to test it out without getting too crazy.

Thank you for the well wishes. Someday I will be getting a Rubicon for myself or my wife. Not sure which. Depends which vehicle lasts longer I guess. I want the 4 door version. Not sure what they call it. Would definitely have to look that up. I would have driven out of the way to find somewhere to "test" it out... Oops, I knew I should have turned left in Albuquerque

 

[Trac Marks]

Never driven a Liberty... but size-wise its very similar to the Escape, which I've owned two of. One 4WD (06 model) and the other 2WD (I believe 02). Happened to have both on the beaches in Galveston Island, TX and both did fine on the sand, no issues with either whatsoever. Snow and ice regular winter driving, the 2WD Escape did fine as well, ended up with a 4WD Escape because it had the features we wanted and 4WD was just a plus. My Explorer (Sport Trac) seems every bit as capable and sure-footed off-road as the Escapes did, so I'd imagine the Liberty will be well suited for whatever you throw at it. It might not help much, but there you go.

 

[06XLS]

That's all I was trying to get at. to open a dialog and discuss the possibilities. Trac Marks, I appreciate your comments, and I do see how they are relevant. I am surprised that the 2 WD escape would do good on a beach. We have really fine loose sand on our dunes here on the Oregon coast. May be different where you are. I know the sand here is different than Southern California, where I grew up. So Cal is much larger grains and harder packed.