You probably haven't seen one on the road yet — they hit local showrooms only a couple of weeks ago — but there's a new sport utility vehicle in town, and I suspect this one's going to be a player.
I know, another SUV coming to market would normally be about as newsworthy as announcing that Larry Miller sells cars for a living, but this one is different, really.
Daimler-Chrysler is introducing an all-new Jeep for the 2002 model year, called Liberty, and when the mother of American-made sport-utes gives birth to a new sibling for the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee, it qualifies as a major happening, overcrowded though the SUV market may be.
Liberty needs to be good because it comes to market as a long overdue successor to the Jeep Cherokee, introduced in 1983 and arguably the vehicle that jump-started the trend away from compact four-door sedans to compact four-door SUVs.
Thankfully, it is not being sent into battle against Ford Excursion, Chevrolet Suburban, Toyota Sequoia and the other pricey mega-utes. This one is competition for the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Santa Fe, Ford Escape and other mini-utes that seat four or five, offer comparatively decent gas mileage and are priced in the $20K, not $40k, realm.
But unlike most of its small competitors, the Liberty is a serious off-roader with a manually operated transfer case offering 2WD high, 4WD part-time, 4WD full-time and 4WD low-range, assuming you have the strength to wrestle the lever into those nether regions. (I almost gave up before I finally made it into 4WD low range just as my arm was getting ready to take leave of its shoulder socket.)
The new Liberty may even cannibalize sales from potential Wrangler buyers, those who don't feel they should suffer while driving around the city just so they can go dirt-dancing on the weekend.
That's because Liberty is the first Jeep to have an independent front suspension for a car-like ride, rack-and-pinion steering for better steering feel and tighter turns and the stiffest body structure found on any other Jeep for excellent ride and handling. (It felt bumpy to me at first before I realized I had just come out of a week with the Cadillac Escalade, which would land softly if it fell off a cliff.)
And don't look for Wrangler's exposed hinges, tail lights that seem to be attached as aftermarket equipment and lots of hard edges that love to bang into soft body parts. If the first President Bush were to describe the new Liberty, he might call it a kinder and gentler Jeep.
Jeep's press materials say Liberty was created to expand the Jeep lineup and broaden its global appeal, and I think it will do that. There's something magical about the Jeep name, not only in this country but I expect in Europe as well, where the original "General Purpose" (which became GP, then Jeep) military vehicle was a familiar sight during and after WWII.
If any Jeep is going to be a hit "over there," the Liberty may have the best chance, what with the name of the vehicle seeming to play on the theme of America riding to the rescue of war-torn Europe twice in the last century. (Although Europeans could just as easily decide the name is patronizing.)
Everyone seems to agree that Liberty is a cool-looking ride. Most noticeable are the huge, round headlights, a retro look that ironically seems fresh in the current design era. The headlights and the vertically slotted grille make it instantly recognizable as a Jeep, even though it has little in common with its predecessors, especially the Wrangler and Cherokee.
The styling usually met with approval from everyone who saw it during my test week, including women, a demographic that DaimlerChrysler hopes will take to the new car as it has other small SUVs.
Whoever buys it, they'll have an SUV that stands out from the rest of the field for its daring styling, a look that was inspired by the Jeep Dakar concept that made the round of car shows in 1997 and the Jeepster concept, a V-8 powered "sportster" that followed in '98.
Unlike many of its competitors, which are powered only by four-cylinder engines, the Liberty is available with both a four-banger and a new 3.7-liter PowerTech V-6 motor similar in design to the 4.7-liter V-8 found in the Grand Cherokee. With 210 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque, Liberty enters the small SUV wars with horses to spare.
Having said that, I was not overly impressed with the new engine, at least when mated to an automatic transmission, as was my tester. It seemed a bit sluggish both off the line and in passing maneuvers. Maybe it works better with the five-speed manual tranny.
On the inside, it's all good news. The instruments are as classy looking as any I've seen, and there are a variety of trim pieces that look nifty in brushed aluminum a la the Audi TT. My wife loved the interior door handles shaped like the D-rings found on mountain climbing gear.
Like the Chrysler PT Cruiser, the Liberty's styling is at once nostalgic and futuristic, and I expect to see more of that in coming years. Like movie makers, the auto industry tends toward "Me too!" when something proves successful.
Libertys range in price from $17,035 for a base 2WD Sport model (they won't sell many of those in Utah) to $18,545 for the bottom-line 4WD version and $22,720 for the top-line Limited Edition 4X4 version. With every bell and whistle known to luxury utedom it will sell for around $27,000.
Those goodies include anti-lock brakes for $600, a power sunroof for $700, side curtain air bags for $390 and heated front seats for $550. My tester had those and more.
The V6 version is rated at 16 mpg in city driving and 20 on the highway. The base model gets 3 mpg more in both venues.
Rear access is made via a pop-up window and/or a swing-out door upon which is bolted a full-size spare tire.
E-mail: max@desnews.com