The Jeep Liberty, or Jeep Cherokee outside North America, is a compact SUV that was produced by Jeep for the model years 2002–2012 for US consumers. Introduced as a replacement for the Cherokee, the Liberty was priced between the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee. It was the smallest of the 4-door Jeep SUVs until the car based 4-door Compass and Patriot arrived for 2007. Like the XJ Cherokee, the Liberty featured unibody-construction. It was assembled at the Toledo North Assembly Plant in the United States, as well as in other countries including Egypt and Venezuela. The Liberty ceased production on August 16, 2012. The next generation restored the previous nameplate of Jeep Cherokee that was always used outside of North America.
Inspired by styling from the Dakar and Jeepster concept vehicles, the Liberty was intended as a replacement for the discontinued Jeep Cherokee. The Liberty also marked a few firsts for Jeep. It was the first Jeep vehicle to use rack and pinion steering. It's also the first Jeep to use the two then-new PowerTech engines; the 2.4 Lstraight-4, which was discontinued in 2006, and the 3.7 L V6, as well as a short-lived 2.8 L VM Motori turbo diesel. The Liberty was the first Jeep vehicle to use an independent front suspension since the 1963-1965 Jeep Wagoneer. Three trim levels were initially offered; the top end Limited, a more rugged looking Renegade and the base Sport. All were made available with either 2WD or 4WD. In 2005, all Liberties received a minor facelift. The 2005, 2006 Renegade and 2005 Rocky Mountain Edition Liberties received an exclusive flat hood and taller grille. In 2007, the Renegadetrim level was replaced with the Latitude which appeared to focus more on an urban appearance and lost the Renegade trim's unique hood and grill. While the Liberty was nominated for the North American Truck of the Year award for 2002, complaints about Liberty styling and reliability persisted, in addition to safety recalls.
The Jeep Liberty received a complete redesign for the 2008 model year with a more boxy and off-road look, like that of the 2007 Dodge Nitro, the latter of which lasted until its final production in December 2011. The 2008 Liberty debuted at the 2007 New York International Auto Show. With the smaller Patriot and Compass crossover SUVs now available to cater to economy conscious buyers, the four-cylinder engine was dropped from the Liberty's offerings. The iron-block, aluminum-head V6 was the only engine available for 2008. Towing capacity was. Jeep discontinued the Liberty CRD for the American market because it could not meet tougher 2007 emissions standards for diesel engines. Transmission choices were both carry-overs: a six-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. Standard equipment included electronic stability control with roll mitigation, traction control, and anti-lock brakes with brake assist. Jeep offered a rare 2WD version on the "Jet" model. New Features included standard side airbags. Optional features are rain-sensing wipers, Sirius Satellite Radio, Bluetooth, a navigation system, and the MyGigentertainment system complete with a 30GB hard drive.
