The recent spike in fuel prices got many people thinking about fuel economy. In the SUV segment, the hybrid versions of the Ford Escape and Toyota Highlander have been receiving a lot of attention. I drove and reviewed both of them last month (click links to go to those reviews).

Before the advent of hybrids, diesel engines were the most common way to maximize fuel economy in an SUV. Since diesels produce most of their power at low RPM and tend to last longer than gasoline engines, they are especially well-suited for trucks.

In Europe, virtually every SUV is available with a diesel, and this is how the great majority are sold. In the U.S., we have only the Jeep Liberty. GM, Ford, and Chrysler all offer excellent diesel engines in their heavy-duty pickup trucks, but do not currently offer these engines in an SUV.

Among compact SUVs, it is fitting that the Liberty be the one to offer a diesel. Unlike Europeans, Americans largely associate diesels with trucks. And, unlike most competitors, the compact Jeep is a true, off-road-ready SUV. Put another way, it is the most truck-like vehicle in the segment.

To examine the viability of a diesel in a compact SUV, I took a Liberty Limited CRD ("common rail diesel") for a test drive.

Styling

I've personally always liked how the Liberty's exterior styling resembles that of the hardcore Wrangler, and thus looks unlike any other compact SUV. But I'm in the minority here. Most people prefer the boxier styling of the SUV the Liberty replaced, the classic Cherokee. Newer Jeep designs return to that theme.

At any rate, the Liberty has been on the road for four years now, and you've no doubt already formed an opinion of its styling. Last year the exterior was tweaked a bit, but not enough that many people will notice.

Four years ago the Jeep Liberty's interior struck me as of good quality and stylish. The unique styling of bits like the air vents and door handles and the use of interesting textures and faux metal finishes lent the interior more character than others in the class. Since then the average vehicle interior has improved immensely, and some of the more stylish components in the Liberty's interior have been toned down. As a result, the Liberty's interior no longer stands out like it did originally. The surfaces look and feel too much like the hard plastic they are. As in other recent Chryslers, interior color choices are limited to gray and taupe. If you want black or a warm tone you'll have to go elsewhere. Still a passable interior, but now a bit below the segment average.

Accommodations

Any compact SUV has a much higher driving position than a conventional car, but the Jeep Liberty’s is a few inches higher still. The Liberty’s relatively high seating position is enabled by its Wrangler-like 70-inch height. It’s about four inches taller than a Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander, or Saturn VUE. (On the other hand, a Ford Escape is nearly as tall, and its driving position is almost as high.) Together with tall windows and unobtrusive pillars, the Liberty’s extra-high seating position provides excellent visibility all around, a primary reason many people buy SUVs. Even compared to other compact SUVs the Liberty’s interior feels airy, a characteristic that appeals to me.

If anything, the driver seat is mounted a bit too high. I'm only 5-9, yet my line of sight was close to the windshield header. Taller drivers might find this irritating. Even shorter drivers should rarely have a need for the seat's power height adjuster.

The driver’s seat is comfortable, though not remarkably so. A slightly larger cushion would be welcomed by larger adults. If I were ever to take a Liberty off-road I’d wish for more lateral support. For around-town use, though, support is adequate given the relatively low cornering speeds prudent in such a tall vehicle.

The generous height of the seats off the floor provides welcome thigh support in the rear seat, much like that found in the Escape but lacking in many other SUVs, including Ford’s Explorer and Jeep’s own Grand Cherokee. Combined with room for toes under the front seat—missing in the Grand Cherokee with power seats—the rear seat of the Liberty is considerably more comfortable than that of its more expensive sibling despite a marginal amount of knee room.

The height of the Liberty's body cannot similarly help the cargo room. Here the fairly short length of the Liberty—the Honda, Saturn, and Mitsubishi are four to seven inches longer—has an effect. (Here as well the Escape resembles the Liberty more than the others—it’s an inch shorter than the Jeep.) There is a useful amount of space behind the Liberty’s rear seat, especially since the spare tire is attached to the outside of the tailgate. And the rear seat folds to roughly double the available volume. But anyone who needs mucho cargo space should find the cash for a mid-sized SUV.

On the Road

I drove a Mercedes E-Class diesel a few months ago, and from its sound quality and smoothness could barely tell that it was a diesel. I had no such "problem" with the Italian-made powerplant in the Liberty. From the second the salesperson started it up, a high volume of clattering and the smell of diesel fuel (when outside the car) made the engine's nature readily apparent.

As is generally the case, the diesel makes fewer peak horsepower but more midrange power than the gas engine it substitutes for. Compared to the 3.7-liter gas V6 standard in the Liberty, the 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel kicks out 50 fewer horsepower, for a total of 160, and 60 more foot-pounds of torque, for a total of 295. The latter figure is V8 territory. Because they run much higher compression ratios, diesels have heavier internal components and so cannot be revved as high. The redline in the Liberty CRD is 4,000 RPM.

Given this power curve, it should come as no surprise that acceleration from a dead stop is initially very brisk, despite the CRD's extra 260 pounds of curb weight. (As noted above, diesels weigh more than gas engines.) In fact, I inadvertently spun a rear wheel a couple of times when I hit the gas while turning. V8-level torque will do that. The diesel is only available with full-time 4WD. Somewhat seriously I suggested to the salesperson that the diesel should be run in 4-high all the time, as this prevents wheelspin by distributing the torque to an extra wheel or two.

A limited-slip rear differential might also help, but one is no longer available for 2006. Instead, electronic stability control is now standard.

Once over 40 miles-per-hour or so the Liberty CRD's acceleration becomes increasingly less energetic. At this point an engine at full throttle is exercising its top end, and this diesel doesn't have one. Acceleration still isn't quite what I'd call slow, but you'll no longer feel you're driving a V8 or even the fairly mild V6 standard in the Liberty. If you expect to perform a lot of high-speed passing, this engine probably isn't your best choice.

Fuel economy is four miles-per-gallon better than with the gas engine, but ratings of 21 / 26 are still far from hybrid territory. The CRD costs about $900 more than a similarly equipped gas Liberty, and a rebate lower by $1,000 more than doubles the gap.

Worst of all, diesel prices spiked even more than gas prices recently, and haven't come down as much. As a result diesel is anywhere from sixty cents to a buck a gallon more than unleaded regular. [Note: this review was written in November 2005, and fuel prices constantly fluctuate. Gas may no longer enjoy a price advantage.] The Liberty was low on fuel, so the salesperson first drove to a gas station. Once the attendant was convinced that the salesperson wasn't nuts, and the Jeep really did run on diesel--this took a few minutes--$3.95 was paid for each gallon. You don't have to do any sophisticated math to figure out that with diesel so much more expensive the CRD will never pay for its higher price.

Even with the weight added by the diesel, the Liberty remains one of my favorite compact SUVs to drive. The Jeep's character from behind the wheel combines the ruggedness I expect in a true SUV, which is enhanced by the diesel, with relatively quick turn-in and moderately firm yet precise steering. In typical about-town driving the Liberty feels considerably more nimble than a vehicle with its height and weight should be. At least until you push it hard. When pushed the Liberty's on-road handling turns sloppy, with rear-end sway in quick transitions. Fortunately, the stability control standard this year should keep things from getting too far out of hand.

When I first drove the Liberty four years ago the smoothness, quietness, and general refinement of its ride impressed me. Since then, competitors have caught up and in some cases passed it. The ride remains reasonably smooth and quiet, at least for a true SUV, but are no longer exemplary.

The new Suzuki Grand Vitara and the Kia Sorento are the only other true SUVs in the compact class. (The Kia is marketed as midsize, but its actual dimensions are close to the Liberty's.)

Compared to the Jeep the Suzuki feels more car-like, in the Japanese idiom, but less precise and sporty. Though the Suzuki is more refined than the Jeep, I find the Jeep more fun to drive.

In contrast, the Kia feels larger and more truck-like than the Jeep, and its rear axle dances about more on patchy pavement. The Kia has a much more upscale interior, but overall I again find the Jeep more enjoyable.

Jeep Liberty CRD Price Comparisons and Pricing

While affordably-priced compared to other Jeeps, even without a diesel and its nearly $2,000 post-rebate premium the Liberty runs about $3,300 more than the Suzuki. Adjusting for feature differences adds another grand to the gap. On the other hand, the Kia is very close in price.

Prices change frequently, and differences will vary based on feature level. To quickly generate this and other comparisons with the specific features you want, visit my Web site, www.truedelta.com. (It's the only site that provides true "apples-to-apples" price comparisons.)

TrueDelta's page for the Liberty:

http://www.truedelta.com/models/Liberty.php

Last Words

For a true SUV the Liberty remains a surprisingly good vehicle. Its exterior and interior styling possess a great deal of character, it has the off-road capability expected of a Jeep, it seats four comfortably, and it possesses the ride and handling of a more expensive vehicle.

However, the new Suzuki Grand Vitara is much less expensive. Though the Suzuki lacks teh distinctive character and rugged feel of the Jeep, it is more refined and car-like. Whatever your preferences, three to four grand is a lot of money.

The Jeep is more closely priced to the Kia. Between these two I prefer the Jeep, but you might like the more upscale ambiance of the Korean SUV.

And what of the diesel? I enjoyed its low-end grunt, but was generally unimpressed. Unlike other recent diesel designs, you can easily tell that this one is a diesel. And with diesel prices inexplicably high this option will never pay for itself. If that's your goal, and you don't need the Jeep's off-road capability, you'll stand a better chance with one of the hybrid SUVs.

A Note on Jeep Liberty CRD Reliability (also Jeep Liberty reliability)

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy Liberty CRD rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Jeep Liberty reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need data on all cars--not just the Liberty CRD--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. For non-participants, this access will cost $24.95.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

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Some of my reviews of related vehicles:
BMW X3 review
Chevrolet Equinox review
Ford Escape review
Honda CR-V review
Honda Element review
Hyundai Tucson review
Jeep Grand Cherokee review
Kia Sorento review
Mitsubishi Outlander review
Saturn VUE review
Subaru Forester review
Suzuki Grand Vitara review