Ride Report - '12 Jeep Liberty Sport 4x4
Nov 27, 2012, 8:13 pm
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Ride Report - '12 Jeep Liberty Sport 4x4
Last month I went to visit my friends in Rochester, NY. Last year I rented there twice; in September 2011 I got a cloth-trimmed 2011 Impala LT, and two months later I got a 2010 Corolla 
Now with Five Star status, I was hoping that things might go better but still wasn't expecting much. I was originally assigned a 2011 Mazda3, so I asked if they had anything else. First I was offered a Nissan Rogue for $10 per day more, but then agreed to a Jeep Liberty with Sirius for only $5 per day. Not a bad deal all told!
www.jeep.com/liberty
Car Description: 12 SIR LIBERTY 4WS (2012 Jeep Liberty 4x4 w/ Sirius)
Class: Q4/IFAR
This particular Liberty came in the Sport trim, which is the lowest of the three available trims. The MSRP for this car was $26,320 when new. When I picked it up, it had 27,587 miles on the odometer; I added 64 miles to it over a two-day period.
(Sorry about the image quality -- I left my camera at home so these are cell-phone shots.)
Powertrain: The 2012 Liberty is powered by a PowerTech 3.7L V6 engine, which produces only 210 horsepower and 235 ft-lb of torque. Even with these surprisingly low numbers, I felt that the engine competently served the Liberty and it seemed like it had plenty of power. Interestingly, it howled like a Crown Vic!
The Liberty also has a 4-speed automatic transmission, which generally provides smooth gear changes but was occasionally jerky at lower speeds (reminds me of my family's '00 Grand Cherokee). Also present was the Command-Trac II® part-time 4-wheel-drive system, which allows you to select between 2WD, 4WD, and a 4WD low gear via an electronic switch; in older Jeeps, you used a separate handle to mechanically switch between modes, and I think this is a great improvement. Unfortunately, with the large but low-power engine and the 4-speed, the Liberty only gets an atrocious 15 mpg city and 21 on the highway; I averaged around 18 mpg with slightly more city driving than highway.
Ride/Handling: The Liberty feels large for a midsize SUV, very different than something like a Ford Escape; it feels more like you're driving a truck. Steering was slightly heavy, and the Liberty has a tighter turn radius than I thought it would. Bumps in the road were felt but suspension wasn't overly stiff. It rained a lot over my weekend in Rochester and I had no problems with traction on the slick roads, even in 2WD.
Interior/Features: The Sport trim is the lowest trim level for the Jeep Liberty, and this one didn't come with any extra features. The Dark Slate Gray cloth seat trim looked fine in my opinion. A basic AM/FM/XM radio with CD/MP3 format capability and an active Sirius subscription is included along with an audio jack; this is connected to a 6-speaker sound system which is nothing special. One nice touch is the steering wheel-mounted audio controls. However, I thought the resolution on the clock/radio display could have been better. The gauge cluster is your classic Jeep 4-circle layout, which is fine by me. Climate control comprises of three large knobs and is very effective. Unfortunately, you only get a singe 12V DC outlet. Seats are manually adjustable but are comfortable.
There is plenty of space in this SUV. The glove compartment is large, as is the center console. The trunk is pretty big as well, and apparently there is an extra compartment built into the floor of the trunk. And lest you forget you're in a Jeep, a horizontal handle over the glove compartment could be useful when going off-road, but you're not going to do that in your Hertz rental, right?
Exterior/Design: In the past several years it seems like Jeep has returned to a design similar to the Cherokee of the 90s -- a boxy, utilitarian body that gets the job done. I don't mind it. The vertical stripes of the grille are a classic design of Jeeps. I liked the Bright Silver Metallic paint quite a bit. As with most SUVs, the glass window on the liftgate can open separately; this can also be conveniently opened remotely from the key fob. I did not like the door handles, which operate by pushing a large round button on the rearward end of them; even by the end of my rental, I still wasn't used to it.
Value: Using the Freedom Rate (XCT1) with the USAA CDP, I had originally booked a compact (CCAR); I was told they were having a special on midsize SUVs, and the Liberty ended up being only a $5-per-day upgrade. I booked this back when we were able to combine XCT1 with a $10-per-day PC, and included the email confirmation when I dropped off the paperwork after hours. This only cost me $24.05 all in
Summary
PROS:
CONS:
Final Verdict: Jeeps are renowned for their off-road capabilities, and the Liberty combines this with modern-day comfort and convenience, but at the expense of power and fuel economy. I really liked the Liberty, but unless hauling a ton of stuff or wanting the peace-of-mind of 4-wheel-drive, I can't justify renting one of these again.
-J.
Now with Five Star status, I was hoping that things might go better but still wasn't expecting much. I was originally assigned a 2011 Mazda3, so I asked if they had anything else. First I was offered a Nissan Rogue for $10 per day more, but then agreed to a Jeep Liberty with Sirius for only $5 per day. Not a bad deal all told!www.jeep.com/liberty
Car Description: 12 SIR LIBERTY 4WS (2012 Jeep Liberty 4x4 w/ Sirius)
Class: Q4/IFAR
This particular Liberty came in the Sport trim, which is the lowest of the three available trims. The MSRP for this car was $26,320 when new. When I picked it up, it had 27,587 miles on the odometer; I added 64 miles to it over a two-day period.
Powertrain: The 2012 Liberty is powered by a PowerTech 3.7L V6 engine, which produces only 210 horsepower and 235 ft-lb of torque. Even with these surprisingly low numbers, I felt that the engine competently served the Liberty and it seemed like it had plenty of power. Interestingly, it howled like a Crown Vic!
The Liberty also has a 4-speed automatic transmission, which generally provides smooth gear changes but was occasionally jerky at lower speeds (reminds me of my family's '00 Grand Cherokee). Also present was the Command-Trac II® part-time 4-wheel-drive system, which allows you to select between 2WD, 4WD, and a 4WD low gear via an electronic switch; in older Jeeps, you used a separate handle to mechanically switch between modes, and I think this is a great improvement. Unfortunately, with the large but low-power engine and the 4-speed, the Liberty only gets an atrocious 15 mpg city and 21 on the highway; I averaged around 18 mpg with slightly more city driving than highway.Ride/Handling: The Liberty feels large for a midsize SUV, very different than something like a Ford Escape; it feels more like you're driving a truck. Steering was slightly heavy, and the Liberty has a tighter turn radius than I thought it would. Bumps in the road were felt but suspension wasn't overly stiff. It rained a lot over my weekend in Rochester and I had no problems with traction on the slick roads, even in 2WD.
Interior/Features: The Sport trim is the lowest trim level for the Jeep Liberty, and this one didn't come with any extra features. The Dark Slate Gray cloth seat trim looked fine in my opinion. A basic AM/FM/XM radio with CD/MP3 format capability and an active Sirius subscription is included along with an audio jack; this is connected to a 6-speaker sound system which is nothing special. One nice touch is the steering wheel-mounted audio controls. However, I thought the resolution on the clock/radio display could have been better. The gauge cluster is your classic Jeep 4-circle layout, which is fine by me. Climate control comprises of three large knobs and is very effective. Unfortunately, you only get a singe 12V DC outlet. Seats are manually adjustable but are comfortable.
There is plenty of space in this SUV. The glove compartment is large, as is the center console. The trunk is pretty big as well, and apparently there is an extra compartment built into the floor of the trunk. And lest you forget you're in a Jeep, a horizontal handle over the glove compartment could be useful when going off-road, but you're not going to do that in your Hertz rental, right?
Exterior/Design: In the past several years it seems like Jeep has returned to a design similar to the Cherokee of the 90s -- a boxy, utilitarian body that gets the job done. I don't mind it. The vertical stripes of the grille are a classic design of Jeeps. I liked the Bright Silver Metallic paint quite a bit. As with most SUVs, the glass window on the liftgate can open separately; this can also be conveniently opened remotely from the key fob. I did not like the door handles, which operate by pushing a large round button on the rearward end of them; even by the end of my rental, I still wasn't used to it.
Value: Using the Freedom Rate (XCT1) with the USAA CDP, I had originally booked a compact (CCAR); I was told they were having a special on midsize SUVs, and the Liberty ended up being only a $5-per-day upgrade. I booked this back when we were able to combine XCT1 with a $10-per-day PC, and included the email confirmation when I dropped off the paperwork after hours. This only cost me $24.05 all in
Summary
- 3.7L V6 engine (210 hp, 235 ft-lb)
- 4-speed automatic transmission with selectable 4WD and 4WD low-gear modes
- 15/21 mpg (city/hwy)
- Sport trim, no extra features
PROS:
- It's a Jeep
- Selectable 4WD
- Lots of space (feels larger than the second-generation Ford Escape)
- Handles very well
- Chicks dig it (or so they told me)
CONS:
- Terrible fuel economy
- Awkard exterior door handles
- Low power output from the V6 (although it's still better than I4-powered IFARs)
- 4-speed transmission is outdated
Final Verdict: Jeeps are renowned for their off-road capabilities, and the Liberty combines this with modern-day comfort and convenience, but at the expense of power and fuel economy. I really liked the Liberty, but unless hauling a ton of stuff or wanting the peace-of-mind of 4-wheel-drive, I can't justify renting one of these again.
-J.
Last edited by GW McLintock; Nov 27, 2012 at 8:19 pm
