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D8 IS YOUR GARAGE PROTECTING YOUR CAR BETTER THAN YOUR | BARGAIN-RATE INSURANCE? Don't trust just anyone to insure your car, see me: THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, September 19, 2001 Bob M cIntosh Wayne McGill 2345 Rd *21. Oakville 616 York St. Oakville Direct: 9 0 5 -8 2 7 -7 1 9 1 1 W c le a s e a ll m a k e s a n d m o d e ls . An Oakville Beai'er Advertising Feature To advertise in this section call 845-3824 Fax:337-5567 Jeep continues tmilblazing with Liberty one. C ase in point is the 2002 Jeep Liberty as tested. It is a blending o f two concept vehicles. The first was the T luming dream vehicles into reali ty is something D aim lerChrysler does better than ju st about every JIM ROBINSON RoadWorthy Dakar shown in D etroit in 1997. More of an updated TJ with four doors, it did show Chrysler (as it was then) intended to bring in som ething under G rand Cherokee as a possible replacem ent for the Cherokee. The other 1997 concept was the Jeepster. Sort o f a dune buggy with unmistakable Jeep influences, this was also V8 powered. I actually drove the Jeepster and came away convinced it would be built and be the fourth Jeep in the lineup. Well, I was part right and part wrong. The Liberty is largely based on the Jeepster, but it is not designed to supplant Cherokee, but be the fourth model in the lineup. One thing for sure, the interior o f the Liberty is all Jeepster. Large gauges with black on beige graphics, round knobs for secondary controls and deep sculpted doors are ail Jeepster. In hindsight, the pugnacious Jeepster w ith its tw o doors and designed really for two to travel com fortably made little sense with the rise o f platoons o f m id-size SUV s like Escape, Tribute, Santa Fe and the list goes on seemingly endlessly. Liberty is equipped with a 3.7-litre V6 called the PowerTech. Basically a six-cylinder version o f the 4.7-litre V8 used in the Grand Cherokee, this V6 belts out a healthy 210 hp and 225 ft/lbs o f torque. T hat kind o f grunt allows up to 5,000 lb. (2,268 kg.) to be towed by the Limited Edition no problem. Currently the only model offered is the Liberty Lim ited Edition with V6 starting at $28,400. A 2.4-litre inline four-cylinder will be added called the Liberty Sport. Priced at $22,600, the Sport has 150 hp and 167 lb-ft o f torque. There is no m istaking this as any thing else but a Jeep, especially from the front. The traditional seven-slat grille, off-set by round headlights, says it all at a glance. Like all Jeeps, Liberty is fully offroad capable. After all, Jeep set the bar and they feel they have a 60-year histo ry o f being the leader in this part o f the SUV segment. In Canada both Lim ited and Sport are sold as 4X4, the 4X 2 model in the US not offered here. Standard transmis- The 2002 Jeep Liberty Limited pulls together 60 years o f 4W D experience along with the latest creature com forts. sion is a five-speed manual, with fourspeed automatic an option on Limited only. Liberty com es standard with the C om m and Trac transfer case. It is a part-tim e system that lets the driver choose 2W D. full-time 4W D high, and 4W D low. O ptional is the electronic, full-time Select-Trac transfer case. In addition to 2W D and 4W D, it has a high range and low range lock capabil ity that allows for full-time or part-tim e 4W D depending on conditions. Axles have open differentials at both front and rear to ensure proper grip. For those who w ant a lim ited slip rear, Jeep's Trac-Lok is an option but on the rear axle only. T hat all sounds pretty confusing so the sim ple explanation is to drive in 2W D on dry roads, part-tim e 4W D high in w et or slushy conditions. If you have to use 4W D low it will only be for the m ost rugged ground as 4W D high should get you through alm ost any thing. The 3.7-litre V6 as mentioned has 235 lb/ft o f torque w hich it needs as the Liberty weighs in a 4 , 115 lb (1.867 kg) in 4W D autom atic form as tested. A ccording to the specifications, the 2.4litre 4W D base model with manual transm ission will still w eigh in at 3,826 lb (1,735 kg). I hope the 2.4 is up to the jo b w hen it com es to real off-roading. This is, after all, the same engine as in the PT Cruiser, where it feels adequate but is hardly a road rocket I guess it's a m atter o f dollars and sense but the Liberty Lim ited seems like the better buy. If I wanted a 4W D Jeep but at a more affordable price, Cherokee is a valid option and so is the TJ especially if you like bushwacking. M ind you, Liberty is still all-Jeep and that means it absolutely has to be able to crawl up and down rocks even if less than one per cent o f Libertys every The Jeep Liberty features a slick tailgate that lets the bottom panel sw ing out while the glass window pops up for easy access and all in one ryotion. sold will ever venture off a gravel road. Liberty can ford streams up to 20 inches deep at 10 mph. The snub nose offers a 38.2 degree angle o f approach while the rear is even better at a 32.4 degrees angle o f departure. Now I mentioned at the top that the base price o f the L iberty L im ited Edition is $28,400 and that results in a very desirable package indeed. But this is 2001 and few SUV buyers w ant to scrim p when it com es to creature com forts. One o f those com forts that stands out is the innovative rear sw ing gate/flipper glass door. Liberty patented this single-action gate that opens from the curb side o f the vehicle for easy loading. A pull type latch opens the glass w hich flips up w hile the gate also swings open and all in one motion. The simple way is to press the cargo door button on the keyless entry fob. You have to try it to see how simple, yet convenient it is. My test Limited had a price as test ed o f $36,165. M uch o f the six grand extra cam e in the form o f the $4,120 27G Package. W hile the kitchen sink w asn't part of the deal, ju st about everything else was like mini overhead control, deep tint sunscreen glass, power/heated/folding remote mirrors, prem ium leather, secu rity system, Select-Trac, concert sound system with six speakers and a six-disc remote CD. Added to that was $885 for the O ff Road Group, $850 for the pow er sunroof, $640 for the four-wheel disc brakes with ABS system, $480 for the trailer tow ing package, $450 for side airbags, and $340 for heated front seats. It's like being inside a Chrysler Town & Country or LHS. The lavish interior is enough to m ake you forget you're in one o f the best off-road luxury SUVs on the mar ket. Did I say luxury SUV? Well it may not have the size and girth o f a big D odge Durango or the new class of leviathan SUVs com ing from GM and Ford, but I w onder if they, even at dou ble and triple the sticker price, could com plete the Rubicon Trail run that every Jeep product has to pass before it is put on the market. Like many in the autowriting profes sion, it's getting trickier every three m onths to guess what new SUV niche w ill be discovered and covered. Now that even Porsche is bringing out a SUV, making the right choice is more difficult than ever. But when it's all said and done, the Jeep Liberty will still be seen and instantly recognized for its abilities and its pedigree. Yes, I said pedigree because the Jeep name is instantly rec ognized around the world. If you've considered a m id-size SUV and you're as confused as even I am, ju st rem em ber Jeep pioneered the SUV concept and they are still breaking new trails. 2001 R 120 0C 2001 R 12 0 0 C IN D E P E N D E N T 1.9% 1 .9 % 2 .9 % F in a n c in g o r F in a n c in g o r $2,250 $3,000 $4,000 R e b a te R e b a te 2001 K 1 2 0 0 LT F in a n c in g o r R e b a te Budds' BMW www .budsbm w .com Motorcycles 2400 South Service Road West 905-845-3577