2008 Jeep liberty Buffed Up And Comfy
2008 JEEP LIBERTY PROBABLY NOT A FIRST-PICK FOR THE HARDCORE; BUT A GOOD ONE FOR THOSE WANTING ON-ROAD COMFORT, CAPACITY AND DECENT OFF-ROAD CAPABILITY
Back in 2002 Jeep introduced their Liberty to the mid-size SUV market. Since then, the market has grown and now so has the Liberty. Originally Jeep’s marketing department targeted it to appeal to 60% women and 40% men buyers. Which was reflected in its original form... cute, yet capable.
With the new 2008 version, Jeep is targeting the growing mid-size SUV market appealing to active 30-40 year old singles, couples and new families with a larger, fancier, Trail Rated vehicle that has some pretty neat amenities not found in other vehicles in the category.
In creating the ’08 Liberty, Jeep’s design engineers listened to its customers and put together a rather lengthy laundry list of what they wanted in a redesigned vehicle. Larger glass space for increased visibility was a top priority along with more interior comfort, more space and more functionality. Jeep designers are “on the money” with all three of these goals.
After a drive of a couple hundred or so miles of highway and a shot of some semi- serious off-roading; this 6’3” bod was none the worse for wear as good leg room up front and plenty of leg and head room in the rear made the ride in both seats a pleasure. On functionality, the folding rear seats and ingenious forward fold-flat front passenger seat makes for plenty of room for long loads of 2x4s, fence posts or even a longboard or two.
The most innovative interior feature though is their industry exclusive, Sky Slider full-length open canvas roof which is four times the size of a “normal” sun roof. Made of reinforced, acrylic cloth, it can open front to rear or rear to front and almost gives a TJ “open air” feeling without the wind-whip.
On the exterior, the soft, rounded lines of the original version are almost gone and have been redesigned with a more robust, hard edged, boxy shape like the other vehicles in the Jeep line. Only the Compass continues to maintain some exterior curves.
In the “go” department, the Liberty comes with a standard 3.7L, V-6 that delivers 210 hp and 235 lb.-ft. at 4,000 rpm. Fuel economy has been improved with an estimated 15/21 mpg in the automatic 4WD version.
Liberty’s engineers pushed the wheels further out to the corners for increased stability as well as rack-andpinion steering in order to improve the off- and on-road manners. Other new suspension features are: independent short and long-arm coil springs in front and a five-link rear suspension that includes upper and lower trailing links and a track bar providing better lateral stiffness.
The Trail-Rated 4WD systems offered are an all new Selec-Trac II that is a full time, active, and on-demand system; and the Command- Trac, their proven, part-time, shift-on-the-fly 4WD system.
The Hill Decent Control (HDC) system is standard on all 4x4 models and provides a controlled downhill rate of speed on rough or slippery grades by automatically applying the brakes to each wheel individually, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight and in control in both forward and reverse modes.
Also standard on all models is the Hill Start Assist (HAS) feature that helps drivers starting from a stop on a steep grade by maintaining brake pressure for a short period of time while the driver’s foot transitions from the brake to the gas pedal. Both systems worked very well in our evaluation drives and would be of particular help to those who lack a lot of behind-the-wheel trail experience and consequent finesse.
In summary, should you buy one as the ultimate trail rig? No, obviously not — Jeep’s JK Rubicon would better fit that need. But if you have an active outdoors lifestyle and are looking for a mid-size 4x4 SUV that’s comfortable, gets fairly good gas mileage, and can definitely hold its own on some pretty rugged trails, the Liberty should be a top choice. Check out more of the details at www.jeep.com.