Jeep debuted the Liberty for model-year 2002 as the replacement for the 18-year-old Cherokee. The company was hopeful that it could move maybe 160,000 copies of the Liberty in the U.S. per year, and even now, the little SUV that could still does. Jeep sold 133,557 of them in 2006—that’s down from almost 167,000 in 2005, but it’s still a respectable number.The company figured a six-year model run is long enough, and so the second-generation Liberty debuts at the New York auto show. To what extent Jeep is changing the looks of what has been, next to the Grand Cherokee, its bestseller—well, that’s a bit of a surprise. As with the larger Commander, Jeep has taken the 2008 Liberty in a moderately retro direction to the point where, as the photos suggest, it looks like a slightly shrunken Commander and uncomfortably close to its mechanical twin, the Dodge Nitro. And since the Commander has not exactly been flying out of dealerships, even with $3000 rebates, we’d suspect there’s a little trepidation at HQ in Auburn Hills, Michigan, not to mention at the assembly plant in Toledo, Ohio.
[Source: Car and Driver]
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That said, the 2008 Liberty has some things going for it, including a “Trail Rated” badge that confirms it’s a real Jeep, for those who insist car-based vehicles such as the Compass are diluting the Jeep gene pool. There are, in fact, two four-wheel-drive systems offered—good ol' part-time Command-Trac and the new full-time, on-demand Selec-Trac II. The ’08 Liberty has an all-new independent front suspension and a new five-link rear suspension to control the unruly solid rear axle. Steering is rack-and-pinion. A rear-drive model will be offered, but as before, the product mix favors four-wheel drive.
The 2008 Jeep Liberty has a wheelbase of 106.1 inches, nearly two inches longer than the current model's. Overall length, at 176.9 inches, is an increase of 2.4 inches. Width is up a half-inch, to 72.4 inches.
The original Liberty was offered with the ubiquitous 150-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder and 210-hp, 3.7-liter V-6, but at present, the somewhat feeble iron-block, aluminum-head V-6 is the only engine for 2008. Towing capacity is 5000 pounds. Somewhat surprisingly, the new Liberty doesn’t get the 260-hp, 4.0-liter and five-speed automatic from its twin, the Dodge Nitro. For now, there’s no diesel model for the U.S., either. Jeep stopped building the clattery Liberty CRD last May because it couldn’t meet tougher 2007 emissions standards. Transmission choices are both carry-overs: a six-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. Standard equipment includes electronic stability control with roll mitigation, traction control, and anti-lock brakes with brake assist. Also standard: side airbags and rain-sensing wipers. Sirius satellite radio, Bluetooth, a navigation system, and the MyGig entertainment system, complete with a 20-gig hard drive, are options.
Two models will be offered at rollout—Sport and Limited. Wheel choices are 16-, 17- and 18-inchers. Among the more interesting features is the Sky Slider, a power roof made from “reinforced acrylic cloth” that opens over the front and rear seats. Jeep says it is “weather resistant and leakproof,” but that’s what Renault said about the Le Car, isn’t it?
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