2003 Jeep Liberty V6 4x4

The SUV landscape has changed radically since 1984—a reality that didn't go unnoticed by Jeep and parent company DaimlerChrysler. In recent years, car-based mini SUVs such as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CRV have established firm footholds. But, that's changed for people who want the on-road capability of the wannabes but with the rock-climbing courage of a genuine Jeep. For 2003, the Liberty receives a new overhead console, available 6-disc in-dash CD player and auto-dimming interior and driver's side mirrors, plus standard sliding sun visors.

The Liberty has some of the marque's traditional styling/personality cues, yet it offers surprising room and quiet operation inside.

The Liberty is manufactured in a new, state-of-the-art facility near Toledo, Ohio (where Jeeps have been built for decades). Capable of 200,000 units annually, the new plant can build domestic left-hand-drive Libertys; right-hand-drive, diesel-powered models for foreign markets; and is even capable of CKD (completely knocked down, for overseas assembly) production. Jeep spent $1.7 billion on this program, and it took just 29 months from concept approval to new-product launch.


Slotting neatly between the CJ-spawned Wrangler—the icon of the Jeep brand—and the Grand Cherokee, the Jeep Liberty replaces the original and now-dated Cherokee. With a 210-hp, 3.7-liter V-6, an independent front suspension (a first for a Jeep), and an optional full-time transfer case, this deceivingly roomy, compact four-door (the only available configuration) is surprisingly capable. Jeep factory testers flogged prototype Libertys over Northern California's infamous Rubicon Trail and reported that the newcomer more than held its own.


Message for Jeep loyalists: the Liberty is worth the wait. It's longer, wider and somewhat roomier than the old Cherokee. Length is 174.4 inches, including the outside spare, width is 71.6 inches, the Liberty is 73.2 inches tall (including the roof rack), and it rides on a 104.3-inch wheelbase. We drove early-production-model Libertys through streams and rock-strewn fields near rural Charlottesville, Virginia. We also logged time on highways and byways. The Liberty was surprisingly smooth-riding on pavement. With its quick—but predictable—steering, classy demeanor and sure-footed ABS brakes, you could easily live with a Liberty as an everyday companion. Ski trips will be a delight; you'll look for foul weather for joy rides.

Accommodating up to four full-size people comfortably, passengers enjoy comfortable seating, plenty of headroom, and lots of storage nooks.

And for off-roaders, the real proof comes on rugged terrain. Here the Liberty lives up to the vaunted Jeep badge. We tumbled down riverbanks, clawed our way up and over boulders, tiptoed through ruts and never faltered. Although the Liberty is an inch lower than the Cherokee it replaces, we never high-centered. Thanks to eight inches of suspension travel, the Liberty cheerfully traversed deeply rutted trails and rock-strewn hillsides.