Fold the rear seats down and the Liberty offers a lot of cargo space (69.0 cubic feet), virtually the same as in the Escape. Dropping the split rear seat is a one-hand operation in the Liberty, as the rear seat bottom stays in place. But that means that the cargo floor isn't perfectly flat when the rear seats are folded down, and that is our biggest gripe with this vehicle. Nor are the rear seats readily removable as they are in the Toyota RAV4. Also, removing the rear headrests requires pressing two buttons at once to release them.

Cosmetically, the interior features a round motif, with round door handles, round instruments, round air inlets, a round horn pad. Textures and finishes are nicely done. Big gauges use black-on-beige graphics. The Limited adds attractive satin chrome highlights to the instrument panel and doors. The interior on the Limited is particularly nice and executed with quality materials. The Renegade gets silver mini-carbon highlights on the instrument panel that give it a serious/functional look consistent with its rough-and-ready exterior theme.

The manual shifter is on the tall side, but works well. The available leather-wrapped steering wheel is comfortable and features well-designed cruise controls.

The accessory controls work well and intuitively, and don't look like they came out of a sedan or a minivan because they didn't. The power window switches are located on the center console, however, more awkward than having them on the door. The manually operated heating and air-conditioning controls work well, though the mode selector demands attention. The radio works well, but uses a separate and poorly located button to preset stations, an unnecessary distraction when driving. The addition of Sirius Satellite Radio is a major plus, especially when driving into areas where AM/FM reception is spotty.

A notable option on Renegade and Limited is UConnect, a hands-free, in-vehicle communications system. UConnect uses Bluetooth technology to link your cell phone with the Liberty's stereo speakers. A hands-free microphone, voice recognition interface, and phone button are housed in the rearview mirror. The system works when you set your mobile phone down anywhere inside the vehicle. You can even continue a conversation while entering or exiting the vehicle without interrupting your call.

A power accessory delay feature maintains electrical power for 10 minutes after the key is removed from the ignition or the front door is opened. That's useful when you turn off the ignition then notice you forgot to close the windows or when you want to finish listening to a song or newscast before getting out.

The optional tire-pressure monitor integrates into the information center in the overhead mini-console. The system displays individual pressures for all four rotating tires, and a warning message when the pressures fall below or exceed set thresholds. The spare tire is also monitored. Tire-changing and jacking equipment is stored under the rear seat and can be quickly grabbed as a unit

Driving Impressions

The Jeep Liberty's 3.7-liter V6 works well with the optional automatic transmission, delivering good reponse. The V6 is rated at 210 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque. Fuel economy is EPA-rated 18/22 City/Highway mpg with the standard six-speed manual, 17/22 mpg with the automatic.

The available 2.8-liter turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine is surprisingly satisfying, combining the horsepower of a small gasoline V6 with the torque of a V8 and the mileage of a four-cylinder. The diesel is rated at 160 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The EPA says the diesel should get 21/26 mpg city/highway. During a week of testing, we averaged about 21 mpg, including a fair amount of time spent off-road in low range. On the highway, the diesel Liberty becomes an easy cruiser, showing just 2000 rpm on the tach at 70 mph. Our highway mileage was close to 24 mpg, some 30 percent better than the 18 mpg we saw with the gas V6. And, just like the V6, the diesel is rated to tow up to 5000 pounds with the optional hitch.

Best of all, the new diesel seems to suffer few of the tradeoffs associated with oil-burning engines of the past. There is practically no smoke, and very little noise or vibration. This is largely thanks to the new common-rail technology developed in Europe, which uses a high-pressure fuel injection system that burns diesel fuel much more cleanly than earlier designs. There is no warm-up period before starting, because the glowplugs are electronicaly controlled. The turbocharger is an advanced design with variable-geometry vanes that deliver significant induction improvements at both low rpm and high rpm, and at high altitudes.

The diesel comes standard with a stronger five-speed electronic automatic transmission, which benefits from advanced logic. Depending on throttle input,this transmission can deliver two separate second-gear ratios, a lower ratio for quicker acceleration, a taller one for smooth downshifts.