“I thought you said that Jeeps were hard to live with,” my wife said upon meeting the Jeep Liberty.  “This looks like a real car inside.”  Say hello to the Jeep Liberty, the kinder, gentler replacement for the very long-in-the-tooth Jeep Cherokee.  By borrowing the looks of the Wrangler (and more than a bit from the very popular Jeep Dakar show truck, which did the auto show circuit in 1997) it looks like Jeep hopes to cushion the blow to the Cherokee faithful while courting Ford Escape and Honda CR-V buyers with a slick new around-town package.

But wait, there’s more.  The Jeep Liberty isn’t as kind and gentle as its brushed aluminum trim and nicely styled body might suggest.  There’s no frame underneath, because the Liberty has a car-like unibody–but it’s the most rigid body ever seen on a Jeep vehicle.  Strengthened steel covers most of the body.  Even the one-piece tailgate has been designed with strength in mind.  The suspension components are made of sturdy cast iron, rather than weight-saving aluminum.

All of that structure does, unfortunately, make itself known to the powerplant.  The 3.7 liter V6 is all-new and related to the powerful 4.7 liter V8 found in the Grand Cherokee, but its 210 horsepower isn’t quite enough for the 4115-lb body.  Ford Escapes and Toyota RAV4s are quicker away from the stoplights.  A 150-horsepower four-cylinder is also available, with a manual transmission only.  It may feel more nimble off-road, but waiting for the four to drag the Liberty up to speed could try even the most patient soul.  The Liberty does better on in-town commutes than on long freeway trips.  The four-speed automatic transmission operates with minimal fuss unless pushed to accelerate quickly.   Hard acceleration equals hard, clumsy feeling shifts.  Downshifting to pass is a similarly neck-jerking affair.  Luckily, for those morally opposed to automatic transmissions in Jeeps, a five-speed manual is also available.  The four-wheel drive is engaged with a lever, like that of the Jeep Wrangler, and moves solidly in and out of gear.  It’s a part-time system that incorporates a”creeper” gear for serious off-road work or extremely hostile weather.  In two-wheel drive mode, the rear wheels provide power.

Like all Jeep products, the Liberty went off-roading during its development.  A coil-spring front suspension and link-coil rear have eight inches of travel, for crawling over off-road obstacles.  The Liberty also possesses a tight turning circle, making its maneuverability nothing short of miraculous both on and off-road.  It’s not as twitchy as other short-wheelbased SUVs like the Jeep Wrangler and Isuzu Rodeo Sport.  Brakes are a front-disc, rear-drum setup, and ABS is optional.  The ABS is sensitive to the needs of off-roaders, with a special setting that helps to monitor wheel lockup in the “creeper” gear.  It is also smart enough not to be triggered by washboard pavement or railroad tracks.

At a glance, the Liberty is a housebroken Jeep.  So much for not being able to judge a book by its cover.  The familiar round headlights and seven-slot grille of the Jeep are integrated with a tall, slab-sided wagon body.  It’s a very vertical truck, but handsome styling details abound, from the stacked-circle taillights to the Wrangler-style fender flares.  Out back, the swing-out tailgate incorporates a separately-opening glass hatch, which can be a bit hard to close but is handy nonetheless.  An exposed spare tire and roof rack complete the look.  The Liberty blends the timeless look of the Cherokee and the familiar face of the Wrangler into a retro-modern design that’s hardly a jellybean, and looks ready for action.  The wide stance and white-letter tires give the Liberty a rough-and-ready look on the road.  It’s a vehicle that looks good in motion.

The Liberty blends aspects of its stablemates at Jeep into an interior that is stylish and rugged.  My Limited test vehicle included handsome brushed-aluminum dash trim and pretty round aluminum door handles.  Black lettering on cream-colored instruments is reminiscent of more expensive Chrysler products.  Thanks to the high roof, visibility is good except for a minor blind spot created by the nearly vertical A-pillars.  And like any self-respecting truck, a big step is required to get over the high sill.  Once inside, the Liberty is comfortable enough for a full day’s drive, should you plan to be there that long.  On the safety front, side curtain airbags are available.

A good measure of a vehicle’s off-road, go-get-em nature might well be the extent to which it makes one want to remove the doors.  Think about it.  All of the great off-road SUVs–Jeep Wrangler, Suzuki Samurai, Land Rover Defender–are frequently seen in action in doors-free form.  Hard-core off-roaders sometimes remove the doors from their Jeep Cherokees as well.  On the other hand, try to imagine tooling around in a Lexus RX300 with no doors.  Not going to happen.  The Jeep-faithful will be happy to hear that the Liberty had me considering the proper size socket to disassemble the door hinges.  The little trucklet’s weight makes it a little sluggish from stoplights, but the Liberty has just the right mixture of eagerness and frisky handling to feel “like a Jeep.”  It’s ready to crawl up and over whatever is put in front of it, just like the Wrangler.

The Liberty is a bit more expensive than the outgoing Cherokee, but still represents a good value.  On the Liberty Limited Edition I tested, air conditioning, fog lamps, a full-size spare and the roof rack were standard.  The Limited starts at $22,720, and my test vehicle featured the optional overhead console, six-CD changer, and a handy storage net in the tailgate, for a grand total of $25,165.

SUV buyers who plan to spend quality time getting dirty off-road will find the Liberty a good compromise between the all-out ruggedness of the Jeep Wrangler and pavement-friendly “soft-roaders” like Honda’s CR-V and the Hyundai Santa Fe.  It’s not completely civilized…but that’s a good thing.

Specifications:
All specs are for the 2002 Jeep Liberty Limited 4wd, which we tested.
Length:     174.4 in.
Width:        71.6 in.
Height:        70.9 in.
Wheelbase:    104.3 in.
Curb weight:    4115 lb
Cargo space:    29.0 cu.ft (seats up); 69.0 cu.ft (seats folded)
Base price:    $22,720
Price as tested: $25,165
Engine:     3.7 liter SOHC V6
Drivetrain:     four-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Horsepower:     210 @ 5200
Torque:     235 @ 4000
Towing capacity:    5000 lb.
Fuel capacity:    18.5 gal.
Est. mileage:    16/20