New cars: What the critics say

The New York Times

The Liberty comes in two editions—the bare-bones Sport and the Limited—with rear-wheel drive in the base model and four-wheel drive in the more expensive model. Standard safety features include anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, seat-mounted air bags, and the Brake Assist function, which provides extra braking power in an emergency. The “cheap look of the cabin” in the four-wheel-drive Sport was hard to bear.

Motor Trend

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

What we like: the industry-first Sky Slider, a full-length canvas roof that causes “surprisingly little wind noise, open or closed.” What we don’t like: the “anemic engine” and “blah four-speed” automatic transmission. The Liberty’s more aggressive styling features are most welcome, but why a measly 210 hp when “the rest of the world is getting between 250 and 270?”

Edmunds.com

The Jeep Liberty hasn’t undergone any major changes since it was introduced in model year 2002. Unlike many lighter-weight SUV competitors, however, the Liberty “is designed to actually venture off-road.” Rear and front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, heated and powered seats, an Infinity sound system, a navigation system, and hands-free cell phone connectivity make it well suited to urban drivers who occasionally venture into the wilderness.