Base price: Sport, $17,920–$19,430; Limited, $22,110– $23,620; Renegade, $22,270–$23,880
Vehicle type: front-engine, rear- or rear/4-wheel-drive; 5-door 5-passenger wagon
Interior volume, F/R (cu ft) 54/47
Cargo volume, seats up/maximum (cu ft) 29/69
Wheelbase 104.3 in
Length/width/height 174.4/71.6/70.9 in
Turning circle 35.9 ft
Curb weight 3650–4100 lb
EPA city/highway mpg 16–19/20–23
Fuel-tank capacity/range 18.5 gal/296–352 mi
Passive restraints driver and passenger front and head (opt) airbags, rear head airbags (opt)
POWERTRAIN
2.4-liter DOHC 16-valve 4-in-line, 150 hp; 3.7-liter SOHC 12-valve V-6, 210 hp; 5-sp man, 4-sp auto
SUSPENSION
F ind, unequal-length control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar
R rigid axle, coil springs, leaf springs, anti-roll bar
BRAKES
F/R vented disc/drum
ABS optional
|
JEEP LIBERTY
The Liberty replaced the ancient Cherokee in 2002 and sold well enough to help put Chrysler back in the black. For 2003 it gets standard four-wheel disc brakes, a new overhead console, upgraded options, and the Renegade trim package, among other detail changes. Though the Liberty has the unmistakable look of a Jeep, it’s a fairly conventional SUV box which rides on a pair of huge, integral frame rails that bear all suspension loads coming from an unequal-length control-arm setup in front and a coil-spring, live-axle arrangement in the rear. For power, there is a 150-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder or a 210-hp, 3.7-liter V-6, backed by either a part-time or full-time four-wheel-drive system. Jeep touts the Liberty as a “tough truck” compared with “cute utes” such as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. Well, maybe, but it’s not nearly as refined.
|
