The compact-class wagon from Jeep brings an unusual combination of attributes.

It's easy to drive on pavement but highly agile in tough off-road situations, which makes it a rare vehicle of multiple personalities. The unibody structure creates a strong container that resists flexing and twisting when set in motion on pavement or dirt and ultimately enhances Liberty's smooth-riding manners.

Four doors provide a separate entry for every seat, and the tall structure carves out ample room for heads and legs of all passengers. The tailgate consists of two pieces with a flip-up window and swing-out door. Together, they offer flexible access to the cargo bay.

Liberty in debut issues divided into two trims of the base Sport and luxury-lined Limited, although now there are two more versions with Renegade and the Freedom Edition. Sport remains the price-leader. It draws from a 2.4-liter in-line four-cylinder engine that develops 150 hp through a manual five-speed stick.

Jeep's V6 becomes an option for Sport but is the standard plant for Liberty's three other trims. The six-pack displaces 3.7 liters and runs up to 210 hp. Either a heavy-duty manual five-speed or optional four-speed automatic works with the V6. Power from the engine channels to rear wheels exclusively in a RWD system or to all four through one of two Jeep 4WD transfer cases - a part-time Command-Trac system keyed to either engine or the Selec-Trac full-time system with V6 and the automatic transmission.

A monochromatic Liberty Limited rolls on 16-inch chrome wheels and features brushed aluminum trim elements in the cabin plus a leather-wrapped steering wheel, power windows and locks, remote keyless entry system, and exterior embellishments like foglamps and a roof rack. Limited packs the V6 and automatic four-speed transmission exclusively.

Liberty Renegade looks tough wearing a two-tone front fascia, unique wheels and bolt-on wheel flares, plus removable tubular side steps and a rooftop cargo basket. Renegade's cabin gets luxury gear including leather seats and power controls for the driver's bucket. It comes in either 2WD or 4WD with the part-time Command-Trac equipment.

A limited-production Freedom Edition stands out with a grille tinted to graphite with special fascia, plus bolt-on wheel flares, curvy side moldings painted in the body color and Mopar tail lamp guards. Graphite-tinged aluminum 17-inch wheels on Freedom Edition are capped by black sidewall Goodyear Wrangler all-season. Freedom draws from the V6 and is available in 2WD or 4WD with Command-Trac transfer case.

For safety, a new Enhanced Accident Response System (EARS) works through Liberty's electrical system to automatically shut off the fuel pump, unlock doors and turn on cabin lights in five seconds following deployment of front or side air bags.

The Rubicon Trail - rated Class 10 (out of 10) as most daunting four-wheeling trace on the continent - scrambles over granite slabs and boulder-spiked sluices in the Desolation Wilderness of California's Sierra Nevada Range.

So much experience running Jeeps across the Rubicon led Jeep designers to create the ultimate dirt-dog trail vehicle outfitted at the factory with all armaments needed to successfully scale the Rubicon's walls of granite or slip down steep chutes on a Class 10 trail. It's called, appropriately, Rubicon and amounts to a supreme off-road edition crafted from the rough-and-ready Wrangler wagon.

Rubicon installs important hardware for off-road running, like driver-selectable locking differentials fore and aft with Dana model 44 axles plus a low-range transfer case geared down to four-to-one ratio and heavy-duty drive shafts with 1330 universal joints.

Wrangler's base four-cylinder displaces 2.4 liters and produces 150 hp. A mega-torque in-line-six with 4.0-liter displacement is stock on Rubicon and delivers 190 hp plus 235 lb-ft of torque through a five-speed manual transmission or optional four-speed automatic. Latest paint shades for Wrangler are a vivid Solar Yellow or Electric Lime Green. (...BACK)