DRIVEN: 2005 Jeep Liberty CRD

Story and photos by Mark Atkinson

The Jeep Liberty has become a familiar sight on Canadian roads since replacing the original Cherokee back in 2002. By switching to a unibody chassis, incorporating independent front suspension and offering a new V6 to replace the old inline unit, the middle rung on the Jeep ladder was immediately more competitive with its rivals.

On road, at least. Off road, it would scare them silly. The Liberty was still designed to be a Jeep, which means skid plates, optimized approach and departure angles, high ground clearance, and everything else neede for a day of rock crawling. And most importantly, the Liberty features a ‘real’ four-wheel-drive system that uses a traditional transfer case and locking differentials rather than the part or full-time all-wheel-drive that characterizes most ‘soft-roaders.’

For 2005, Jeep has given the Liberty a mid-life facelift, which incorporates the usual freshening of headlights, the trademark seven-slat grill and front fascia, along with different wheels. It’s a tasteful difference, although certainly not extreme. It’s still very obviously a Liberty.



In fact, the most appealing thing Jeep offers for 2005 isn’t apparent from the outside. You have to raise the hood and take a peek at the engine that could hopefully spark a revolution in North America.

It’s a diesel.

Now, for those of you who haven’t stopped reading because of some traumatic event involving one of GM’s old gasoline-turned-diesel V8 anchors from the ‘80s or a glow-plug equipped U-Haul van, stay with me. The 2.8-liter 16-valve, four-cylinder, direct-injection common-rail diesel, features the very latest in clean-burn technology. It’s a Detroit Diesel-built unit, rather than one of Mercedes-Benz’, and has served the European market for some time.



In North America, the Liberty CRD, as it’s called, offers 160 horsepower, which doesn’t sound like much, until you consider the 295 lb-ft of torque that comes along with it (at a low 1,800 rpm). The 3.7-litre gasoline V6 only puts out 235 lb-ft at its peak. Channeled through a new five-speed automatic transmission – well, more like a four-speed with two second gears – that’s exclusive to the diesel unit, the Jeep offers ‘right-now’ power no matter what you’re doing.

While the zero to 100 km/h run isn’t stellar compared to the gasoline unit – few diesels really like that test – in-gear and part-throttle acceleration is stunning, meaning you can pass slow-moving traffic with ease, and steep hills generally don’t even require a downshift. The Liberty CRD is also rated to tow 5,000 lbs, making it quite the hauler for a small SUV.

Fuel economy numbers are impressive, with Jeep claiming a 30 per cent reduction in fuel economy as compared to a similarly sized gasoline unit. For my week spent with the CRD, it was the first time I didn’t have to fill up a Liberty mid-week, despite the liberal application of the ‘go’ pedal. Getting near 600 km to a tank with mostly in-town driving was highly impressive.



There is a small noise penalty paid as the CRD exhibits some of its diesel brethren’s clatter and whirr on idle and during acceleration, although once underway, it’s barely noticeable.

The rest of the package is typical Liberty, which means relatively nimble handling, great turning circle, decent brakes and more grip in the corners than you give it credit for. The interior amenities were numerous in our Limited 4x4 tester, including power sunroof, ABS, AM/FM/CD player with a GPS unit, side-curtain airbags, vehicle information center, etc., etc.

Pricing for the Liberty CRD is broad, mainly because there are so many different options you can choose to outfit your Jeep with. The CRD itself is a $1,990 option on the highest-spec model, the Limited 4x4, so the entry price is already near the top end of the model range.



The CRD option also forces you to select the $275 five-speed automatic. So a base-priced Liberty CRD Limited 4x4 runs $36,935. Our tester also featured the $1,895 six-speaker AM/FM Stereo with CD player and GPS Navigation; the $590 overhead mini console with trip computer, HomeLink and Vehicle Information centre; the $1,050 power sunroof; and the very trick $155 rear cargo organizer that flips and folds away in the cargo area, making the most of the Liberty's small hatch. And just about everything else Jeep could throw at it.



If you tick all the option boxes, including the Trac-Lok rear differential, the tire-pressure monitoring display, and power heated and colour-coded mirrors, you could conceivably end up paying $42,495, including $1,050 destination fee. It’s a pretty price to pay for a small SUV, but tallying up the benefits of extra range and all that torque – plus its genuine off-road credentials – the Liberty CRD makes a good case for occupying space in your driveway.