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Friday, May 20, 2011
The 2011 Jeep Liberty ranks 21 out of 23 Affordable Compact SUVs. This ranking is based on our analysis of 49 published reviews and test drives of the Jeep Liberty, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.
Jeep designed the 2011 Liberty to be a good-looking off-road SUV. The Liberty meets these standards, but compared to more capable compact SUVs like the Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage and Nissan Xterra that offer better fuel economy, increased cargo space and a cheaper price, the Liberty is easy to pass up.
The 2011 Jeep Liberty stands out for two reasons: it has an eye catching rugged exterior and a unique Sky Slider full-length canvas roof that isn’t available on the competition. Other than that, the Liberty doesn’t have much to offer. Its fuel economy ratings and cargo space are so-so; the backseat is tight and it’s pricey for what you get.
Why buy a Liberty if it obviously isn’t the best car in the class? First, it has all wheel drive, which doesn’t come with all compact SUVs. Second, the Liberty carries Jeep’s nameplate, so if you’ve always wanted a Jeep and are willing to compromise in a few areas, the Liberty will suit your needs just fine. Still, keep in mind that the Liberty is not an ideal family car.
The Liberty's cabin has all the aesthetic flair of a storage shed -- it's angular and drab. The materials are also on par with a storage shed, though at least some of them get covered up with some padding and leather in the Limited. In any case, most non-Jeep SUVs feature more welcoming and higher-quality environments. At least the standard cabin controls are generally well-located and easy to use -- the optional touchscreen interface can be a tad unintuitive, however.
Rear legroom and shoulder room are adequate in the Liberty, but the seat is flat and not particularly comfortable. Luggage space with the rear seat in place is a healthy 31.5 cubic feet; fold the seatback and you're looking at 64 cubic feet, an average figure for this class.
A sunroof is optional on the Sport and Renegade, while the full-roof "Sky Slider" cloth sunroof is optional on all trims. Optional on the Sport and Limited 4x4 is the Media Center 430, which adds a CD/DVD player, digital music storage and a touchscreen interface. A navigation system can be added to the Media Center, and the two together are available on all Liberty trims. The Renegade can be equipped with the Navigation Convenience Group, which adds the Media Center 430, the navigation system, a tire-pressure monitor display, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and the Limited's eight-speaker sound system. The Renegade's Premium Group is similar, but swaps out the navigation system in favor of rear parking sensors, remote ignition and Bluetooth.
The 2011 Jeep Liberty is a compact SUV available in Sport, Renegade and Limited trim levels. The Sport and Limited can be had with either rear- or four-wheel drive, but the Renegade is 4x4 only.
The Limited includes the Popular Equipment Group and adds 17-inch wheels, exterior chrome trim, heated power front seats (six-way driver, two-way passenger), driver memory functions, leather upholstery, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, and an eight-speaker sound system. The Comfort/Convenience Group adds rear parking sensors, remote ignition and automatic climate control. Also optional are 18-inch chrome-clad wheels.
The Renegade is an off-road-oriented model that to the Sport's equipment adds different 16-inch wheels, all-terrain tires, an enhanced 4x4 system, tow hooks, different exterior trim, skid plates and much of the equipment from the Popular Equipment Group.
Once offered with a four-cylinder, Jeep has dropped this engine option from the Liberty with the introduction of its four-cylinder Patriot and Compass models.
The only motivating source for the Liberty is now a 3.7-liter V6. Featuring lightweight aluminum components, it produces 210 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque.
It is connected to a standard fully synchronized six-speed manual transmission or optional four-speed automatic, which transfers power to either two wheels or all four. The automatic has a special tow-haul button to adjust gear shifting for better efficiency when towing. When properly equipped, the Liberty can tow up to 5,000 pounds.
Both the Selec-Trac II and Command-Trac II four-wheel-drive systems are very well integrated into Liberty's various systems, including traction control, Electronic Stability Program, hill-start assist, hill-descent control and available trailer tow package.
Fuel economy for two-wheel-drive models is 16 miles per gallon in the city and 22 on the highway. Four-wheel-drive models achieve only slightly lower numbers, at 15 mpg city and 21 highway.
A 19.5-gallon fuel tank provides an approximate driving range of 389 miles.
Available on Liberty Limited and Sport models is a Sky Slider roof, an expansive sunroof that is 3.5 times larger than a regular sunroof. A regular sunroof is also available.
The Liberty comes standard with antilock disc brakes, stability control, active front head restraints and side curtain airbags. In Edmunds brake testing, the Liberty came to a stop from 60 mph in a longer-than-average 134 feet.
The 2011 Jeep Liberty has not been rated using the government's new, more strenuous 2011 crash testing procedures. According to 2010 ratings (which aren't comparable to 2011), the Liberty received the highest five-star rating in all frontal and side categories. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the Liberty its top mark of "Good" in the frontal-offset and roof strength tests, but the second-lowest of "Marginal" in the side crash test.
reference:www.leftlanenews.com,usnews.rankingsandreviews.com,www.edmunds.com
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