The 2007 Jeep Liberty

The 2007 Jeep Liberty is unique, in that it has amazing off road abilities, yet it possesses on-road sophistication.  A higher degree of off-highway capability separates the Liberty from other small SUVs.  Tougher and more trailworthy than most compact SUVs, the Jeep Liberty offers a good compromise fun and practicality. Fold the rear seats and it can move two people and some serious cargo.  With steep approach and departure angles and plenty of suspension travel with a solid rear axle, the Liberty is at ease when climbing over boulders or stirring up gravel. True to its Jeep heritage, Liberty offers superior off-road capability that sets it apart from the herd of compact urban cute-utes.  It does not ride or handle as well as some of the other small SUVs. The Liberty's V6 provides good acceleration but drinks plenty at the gas pump.

Trims for the Liberty

The 2006 Jeep Liberty is available in three trim levels: Sport, Renegade, and Limited Edition.  Each is offered with two-wheel drive (2WD) or four-wheel drive (4WD).  Sport 2WD and Sport 4WD  are entry-level models, although they do come with air conditioning, tilt steering, power windows, power mirrors remote keyless entry, engine immobilizer, six-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo, gray fender flares, P225/75 tires on 16-inch steel wheels and, as we mentioned earlier, ABS, electronic stability control (ESP), and traction control.

The mid-range Renegade looks the part, with its flatter hood, taller grille, off-road foglamps and taillamp guards. Renegade also features functional rock rails and skid plates. Renegade 2WD and 4WD add unique Trexx cloth upholstery, speed control, leather-wrapped steering wheel, deep-tinted sunscreen glass, vanity mirrors, and 16-inch alumin

um wheels finished in Mineral Gray Metallic. Special exterior trim includes free-standing submersible halogen fog lamps, accent-color fender flares, tubular roof rails, functional rock rails, and tow hooks. 

Option Packages for 2007

An Off-Road Group for four-wheel-drive Sport and Renegade adds heavy-duty engine cooling, P235/70 all-terrain tires, tow hooks, and skid plates for the front suspension, fuel tank, transmission and transfer case.

The Luxury Group for Renegade adds leather seats with power adjustment, upgraded inside door panels; power heated foldaway mirrors, and an overhead console with HomeLink transmitter and a vehicle information center (VIC) that allows the customer to program automatic locking, lighting, and other features.

Limited Edition 2WD and 4WD add upgraded seats and interior trim with satin-silver accents, security alarm, cargo compartment cover, P235/65 all-season

tires on 17-inch Sparkle Silver aluminum wheels, and a spare-tire cover. Fender flares are body-color. Limited deletes Renegade's rock rails but adds lots of exterior brightwork.

Leather for Limited is available as part of a big Customer Preferred option package that includes the programmable overhead console, power seat adjusters, deep-tint glass, power heated outside mirrors, a security group, and an AM/FM/6CD stereo, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls and Infinity speakers.

Interior

The Liberty was extensively updated for 2005, with more comfortable seats and a more contemporary appearance.  The Jeep Liberty provides decent room for four adults (five in a pinch), with satin aluminum accents and chrome

-ringed, black-on-white gauges. The Renegade front seats are tailored with unique cloth center panels and vinyl bolsters. The front seats in the Limited are more comfortable. The door openings are relatively narrow, the step-up height is a little higher, the seats have those side bolsters to get past, and your feet must clear relatively high side sills. The Liberty's rear seats are comfortable, capable of holding three people. The Liberty offers a generous amount of cargo space behind the rear seats.  Fold the rear seats down and the Liberty offers a lot of cargo space (69.0 cubic feet), virtually the same as in the Escape. Dropping the split rear seat is a one-hand operation in the Liberty, as the rear seat bottom stays in place. The manual shifter is on the tall side, but works well.  A full-size spare is hung on the nifty rear cargo door, which features a single-action swing-gate/flipper-glass system. The Liberty's main fault is entry and exit for rear passengers; it can be challenging due to the small rear doors and the intrusion of the rear wheel well into the doorway.

Liberty Exterior

The Liberty's body is tall, providing the driver with a commanding view of the terrain ahead. In its exterior dimensions, the Liberty fits between the Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee. The Renegade model features a flatter hood that complements the traditional round Jeep headlamps for a distinctive appearance reminiscent of the hardy old Jeep CJ3B of 1953-64. Freestanding fog lamps with black bezels, side sills to protect the body from road blast, tow hooks and a bright silver metallic appliqué across the body-color front fascia add to Renegade's rugged appearance. Tubular roof rails are finished in brushed silver metallic.  Yanking hard on the outside handle of the rear cargo door causes the glass hatch to swing up as the door itself is swinging out, which saves time and effort.

Safety

Safety features add to the Liberty's appeal.  For 2007, all Liberty models come with Jeep's Electronic Stability Program (ESP), anti-lock brakes (ABS), Electronic Roll Mitigation, and all-speed traction control.  The electronic stability program that comes on Liberty models can help the driver avoid accidents. In NHTSA crash tests, the 2007 Jeep Liberty earned a perfect five stars for driver protection in a frontal impact and four stars for front-passenger protection. Side-impact testing resulted in a five-star rating for bo

th front and rear passengers.

Performance from the Liberty

The standard engine in all Liberty models is a 3.7-liter V6. A six-speed manual transmission is standard in Sport and Renegade. A four-speed automatic was optional on those models and standard on Limited.  The Jeep Liberty's 3.7-liter V6 works well with the optional automatic transmission, delivering good response. Fuel economy is EPA-rated 18/22 City/Highway mpg with the standard six-speed manual, 17/22 mpg with the automatic.  The turbocharger is an advanced design with variable-geometry vanes that deliver significant induction improvements at both low rpm and high rpm, and at high altitudes.  The diesel comes standard with a stronger five-speed electronic automatic transmission, which benefits from advanced logic.   For the Sport trim level, a six-speed manual transmission is standard. The automatic comes standard on the Limited trim.  Properly equipped, the Jeep Liberty can tow up to 5,000 pounds.

Driving a Liberty

On the road, the steering is reasonably solid on-center, a benefit of its power-assisted rack-and-pinion design. For a different view on the Liberty, read Motortrend's review.  That said, the Liberty rides reasonably well for a short-wheelbase 4x4. The Liberty can tackle steep ditches and gullies on an off-road trail, thanks to its short front and rear overhangs and a suspension that articulates well. Jeep says Liberty can handle 20 inches at 10 mph. For more pricing and information, click here.