See the Stars with the 2009 Jeep Liberty

The 2009 Liberty is a Jeep which offers an excellent value between on road handling anf off road capability.   Jeep calls Liberty one of its 'traditional' trucks, as it retains the brand's trademark off-road prowess -- unlike the more car-like Compass and  Patriot. Available for 2009 is the Sky Slider, a fully opening canvas roof. For mileage it gets 18 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. The Liberty was actually redesigned in 2008 model, and the end result gave it a more rugged , yet classic Jeep look. The Jeep Liberty is carried over for 2009 and the manual transmission is no longer available on the Sport, so the automatic is now standard.  The Liberty's strong suit is its excellent off-road capabilities. Its competition includes the Nissan Xterra and Ford Explorer.  The 2009 Liberty is  available in two trim levels, Sport and Limited.

Jeep Liberty Safety

 Standard on the 2009 Liberty are antilock disc brakes, stability control, traction control, electronic roll mitigation and side curtain airbags. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTS) awarded the Liberty a perfect five-star rating in both front and side impact crashworthiness. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the Liberty its highest rating of "Good" for frontal offset impacts.

Drive and Handling

The 2009 Jeep Liberty continues to exclel in its off-road performance, but does not feel like it was engineered for a comfortable on-pavement ride. The SUV responds quickly to steering and acceleration changes. For an SUV, it has a smooth, pleasant ride and handles well over rough terrain.  The Liberty gets rear-wheel drive is standard.  Hill Descent Control, which keeps vehicle speed to a minimum when traversing treacherous terrain, is included on four-wheel-drive models.  Although the 2009 Jeep Liberty exhibits better on-road manners than in previous years, there's still plenty of body roll to contend with. Like other Jeeps, the Liberty receives top marks for its off-road prowess, but on road driving lags behind competition and may not be the best daily driver. The Liberty's unspectacular acceleration would be tolerable if it achieved good fuel mileage, but it doesn't -- quite the opposite.  The bottom line is it's not a good choice for daily commuting or a lot of on-pavement driving.

 Liberty Powertrain

Both trim is offered with two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive systems. The standard engine in all Liberty models is a 210 hp 3.7-liter V6. A four-speed automatic transmission, already standard on the Limited Edition, becomes standard on the Sport trim for 2009.  The V6 produces 210 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque. Properly equipped, the Liberty can tow up to 5,000 pounds.

2009 Jeep Liberty Design

The newly shaped Liberty has shed its feminine styling for a more rugged, masculine.  It features Jeep's traditional seven-slot grille and trapezoidal fender flares that enhance the vehicle's side profile.  An optional panoramic room is available.  Jeep's Sky Slider roof is made of canvas rather than glass. The fabric roof folds on itself as it opens, and Jeep says the top is leak-proof.  The Liberty is the larger version of its predecessor, the Cherokee. Jeep has 16-inch wheels, with 17-inch versions on the Limited. The spare is mounted on the outside of the tailgate, giving the vehicle a distinct Jeep look. The Liberty and Dodge Nitro share a common underpinning, yet the Jeep Liberty is made shorter and narrower than the Nitro to distinguish the pair. The Liberty comes in at 176.9 inches long and 72.1 inches wide. This is within an inch of the Grand Vitara and Xterra in width, but the Xterra's body is longer by a couple of inches.

Liberty Cabin Features

The 2009 Jeep Liberty is a five-seat interior; it is comfortable enough, but the materials could be better.   Much of the interior is hard plastic with no soft-touch surfaces. It's appropriate for a 'Trail Rated' Jeep but trails most rivals for overall ambiance. After last year's overhaul, the Liberty is now bigger and therefore more spacious for passengers. Rear legroom and shoulder room are particularly improved. Cargo space is quite good with 31.5 cubic feet with the rear seats raised and 64.6 cubic feet with them lowered. The rear bench seat splits 65/35, adding cargo space when needed.  The Liberty has a cabin that is very similar to the Dodge Nitro's. For 2009, the leather package on Limited models gets a soft-touch armrest on the door, upper-door trim pieces, and upgraded grained plastics on the instrument panel and center co nsole.  Both left and right rear panels have cargo tie-down loops for securing items to the load floor. The left rear panel houses a concealed compartment for jack storage and tools. Cargo room behind the second-row seat measures 31.5 cubic feet but can be expanded to 64.2 cubic feet by folding the seat.

Trim and Options

The Sport trim includes 16-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry, automatic headlamps, air-conditioning, full power accessories, a 65/35 split-folding rear seat, a trip computer and a six-speaker stereo with a CD player, an auxiliary audio jack and satellite radio. The Popular Equipment Group is optional for the Sport, and it adds roof rails, cruise control, upgraded cloth upholstery, a fold-flat front passenger seat, foglamps, rear privacy glass and a cargo cover.

The Limited comes standard with the Sport's Popular Equipment Group and tacks on 17-inch wheels, a power driver seat, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and an eight-speaker upgraded stereo that also adds steering-wheel controls.

Other optional items are grouped in a confusing array of packages. The optional Premium Sound Group adds a six-CD changer and Bluetooth, while the Premium Group I adds leather upholstery, heated front seats, a power front passenger seat, remote engine start and driver memory settings. The Premium Group II includes all the Premium Group I items plus 18-inch wheels, rear parking sensors, automatic climate control and automatic wipers. Also optional on the Limited with the Premium Group II is the uconnect hard-drive-based navigation system, which includes real-time traffic, digital music storage, a USB audio jack and Bluetooth. Optional on both trims are a towing package, a sunroof and the Sky Slider full-open cloth roof.

Summary


Standard on all models is a SIRIUS satellite radio, an electronic stability program, anti-lock brakes with brake assist, all-speed traction control, and electronic roll mitigation. To view another review of the Liberty, check out the Kelley Blue Book Liberty review. The SkySlider option is a full-length open canvas sunroof that can slide accordion-style forward, backward or partially opened to any position in-between.  For more deatailed pricing and specifications, click here.