2008 Jeep Liberty Quality Review

With the changeover from 2007 to 2008, the Jeep Liberty grew. EdmundsInsideLine.com noted, “Compared to the outgoing Liberty, the '08 model has a wheelbase that's nearly 2 inches longer. All of that extra length has been given over to the rear-seat passengers, who badly needed it. The legroom is still tight, but being forced to sit in the back of a Liberty no longer violates the Geneva Conventions.” ConsumerGuideAuto must have employed editors with shorter legs and longer torsos, as they thought the interior had “fine legroom, but headroom is limited for tall occupants, despite a high build. The cabin feels narrow and snug overall, though Liberty's high-set seats provide a commanding view of the road.”

For Jeep, 2008 is a year of plasticky interiors, from the entry-level Compass right up to the 2008 Liberty. Jeep testers at Automobile.com recognized the Nitro inside the 2008 Jeep Liberty, too. “Blindfolded in the driver's seat, the interior of the Liberty and the Nitro are almost the same. It's a very different place from the old Liberty, though with better fit and finish. Annoyingly, there's a large hump around the transfer case which translates into a footwell that can be cramped, and worse there's no dead pedal whatsoever.”

These weren’t the only criticisms. The reviewer for the NYTimes.com complained, “I was overwhelmed by the cheap look of the cabin, which provided all the charm of being seated in a plastic bucket. In addition, it appears that when the design team did the footwells they took 'footwell' literally. These are so narrow that it is best to put one foot there at a time. The owner’s manual offers no suggestions about what to do with the other limb.” Internet Auto Guide was less unkind when they wrote, “The previous Liberty had more soft touch surfaces and closer panel gaps, while the current model has more hard-plastic surfaces. Still, it's not an unpleasant cockpit.”