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2002 Jeep Liberty Review

Related Articles:
Chrysler Turnaround Moving On by Joseph Szczesny (7/29/2002)

No denying it — I was busted. While slowly scrambling up an off-road vehicle trail at Beartown State Park in Massachusetts' Berkshires, a park ranger walks up to the window of the Jeep Liberty Renegade and says, "Uh, pardon me, but you don't belong up here — you'll have to turn around and leave."

He said I had apparently ignored a sign indicating the trail — a narrow, rising, log- and boulder-strewn path — was for ATV use only. "But, really, this is an ATV," I explained, "which I'm road-testing for...."

"No it isn't — now move it."

I meekly complied, but could I be blamed? The Renegade certainly looked the part, what with its integrated light bar and "bolted on," trapezoidal wheel flares. And like all good Jeeps, it could conquer wild terrain as well as any ATV, with nearly nine inches of ground clearance and Command-Trac 4WD giving it mountain-goat agility, and a 210-hp, 3.7-liter V-6 providing the oomph.

In Bright Cactus Green, (light khaki and bright silver are also available) with color-keyed 16-inch alloy wheels sporting white-outline-lettered Goodyear Wranglers, the Renegade simply oozed capability. Check the "D" package on your Liberty order form, and for a $4850 premium over the list price of the base Liberty Sport you get the V-6, the off-road activity light bar (four halogenic Hellas providing 150,000 candlepower, neatly integrated into a slick black housing, for trail or beach volleyball illumination), the stainless steel bolt heads on the wheel flares, removable side steps, one of the three unique paint colors and the nice alloy wheels.

Looks are a subjective reality, but personally, I loved the package and the stares it generated. What DaimlerChrysler loves are the profits that come with entering the aftermarket business, providing nice bolt-on parts and accessories, and preassembling the package on what would ordinarily be a low-margin, base-level vehicle, a growing practice that saves the consumer the hassle of attaching said parts later on.

Flavors and options

The Renegade comes in both 2WD and 4WD flavors; the latter can be kitted out with either Command-Trac part-time 4WD controls or the full-time Selec-Trac system, a $395 option. The only option on our Renegade was the $825 four-speed automatic tranny, which still retains the irritating stutter-start tendency noted by Marc Stengel when he first reviewed the Liberty Limited for TheCarConnection.com a year ago. Downshifts for passing maneuvers take a goodly while to take hold, and arrive with a bit of a clunk when they do. The manual would be nice, but press cars with sticks are rarely found in the New York metro market, where (according to one frustrated company rep) most of the so-called automotive media are pretty boys who ride buses, can't drive a standard, need an explanation of the concept of torque and "regard cars solely as props for supermodels."

Back to options: I would have also liked having four-wheel ABS ($600), the sunroof ($700) and the Trac-Lock differential ($285). Most manufacturers dress to impress, sensibly loading up press fleet vehicles with every available option, but outside of branded trimline packages, Chrysler Group apparently provides only slushboxes.

Fuel mileage was roughly as advertised: we averaged 17.8 mpg during our Renegade's brief stay. This is not a bad tradeoff for the class-leading power offered by the PowerTech V-6; its 210 ponies peak 500 revs short of the engine's 5700 rpm redline with the top torque number of 235 lb-ft accessible at 4000 rpm. Off-the-line acceleration is quite good, but, as already observed, you really need to stomp the gas to downshift for passing maneuvers, if you're driving an automatic Renegade.

Jeeponality

Off-road, the Renegade is a Jeep through and through. Yet it is also an amazingly refined road car with a very comfortable ride. The coil spring independent front suspension, with a link-coil solid rear axle setup, gives the Renegade its dual capability. It briefly see-saws when ruts or bumps are hit at speed, but recovery is quick. Responding to media reports that initial Liberties were somewhat unstable, Jeep lowered the ride height about three-quarters of an inch by decreasing spring size and damper travel, which helped improve overall ride as well. We experienced a small degree of body roll through fast sweeping turns, but its onset is progressive and there is never any sensation that the Renegade would be prone to tipping over, either on-road or off. Road handling is quite decent for an SUV, and Jeep's first rack-and-pinion steering system provides firm and accurate control, with very little kickback off-road.

Such refinement carries over to the interior. The activity light bar does create a fair amount of wind noise, and the Goodyear Wranglers contribute their tire whine, but you'll find yourself completely isolated from body resonance. There's also a fair degree of engine noise upon acceleration, but only the dorks writing for the consumer protection rags would consider this a problem. Interior materials are of a very high quality, with the seats in a unique combination of flat woven cloth and leather. Head room and leg room are very good next to all four doors, but, once seated, some niggling irregularities surface. Lateral support in the front seat cushions hardly exists, due to their lack of firm bolsters and their rounded corners. The power window controls are all located on the central console, and the driver's power door lock control is confusingly constructed of the same switchgear as the window controls. Entry and egress from the back is difficult because of the narrow doors, but once you're seated, you'll find plenty of toe space under the front seat. Rear passenger beverage holders are all but inaccessible on the bottom of doors, where the seat cushion prevents reasonable access to your drink.

The Flipper Swing Gate is not the entranceway to a private club for naughty dolphins, but rather the Liberty's somewhat cutesy answer to rear-cargo access. Pull the handle on the side-opening door, and the separate rear glass flips open vertically on a roof hinge. Cute, as I said, but I can't imagine what problem it solves. Why not simply frame the glass in the door? It also opens with a push of a button on the remote key fob, but, frustratingly, not from anywhere in the cockpit, which makes helping a passenger load stuff while you sit behind the wheel impossible.

But the Liberty is a youngster and these are all solvable problems. On the whole, it is a state-of-the-art compact SUV, comfortable and capable, the best value in its segment, and one in which you can trace all sorts of Jeep design lineage. The Renegade package amplifies its sheer Jeepishness and gives the parent company the bucks to make it even better. Long may it run, I say.

2002 Jeep Liberty Renegade 4WD
Price as tested: $24,680
Engine: 3.7-liter V-6, 210 hp
Drivetrain (as tested): Optional four-speed automatic transmission (five-speed manual standard), Command-Trac part-time 4WD, two-speed transfer case
Length x width x height (inches): 175.0 x 71.6 x 72.5 in
Wheelbase: 104.3 in
Curb weight: 4251 lb
EPA City/Hwy: 16/20 mpg
Safety equipment: Driver and passenger front airbags, LATCH-ready child seat anchor system
Major standard equipment: Roof-mounted light bar; front suspension, transfer case and fuel tank skid plates; speed control; keyless entry; AM/FM/CD stereo with six speakers; leather-wrapped tilt steering column; 16-inch alloy wheels; side steps; rear-mounted, full-size spare tire; power windows and mirrors; 160-amp alternator; power steering cooler; leather-trimmed seats; roof rack; fog lamps
Warranty: Seven years/70,000 miles