Description
Inspired by styling from the ''Dakar'' and ''Jeepster'' concept vehicles, the Liberty was designed by Bob Boniface in 1998. Intended as a replacement for the discontinuedTrim Levels and Equipment
The Liberty KJ was offered in three basic trim levels, each offering their own level of standard and optional equipment: Sport: The Sport served as the "base" model. It offered the following standard equipment: a 2.4L "Power-Tech" Inline Four-Cylinder (I4) engine, a five-speed manual transmission, sixteen-inch (16") steel wheels, an AM/FM stereo with cassette player (later, a single-disc CD player), a six-speaker audio system, cloth seating surfaces, dual manually-adjustable front bucket seats, a split-folding rear bench seat, full instrumentation, manual windows and door locks (power windows and door locks became standard equipment starting in 2005), gray front and rear bumpers and body side cladding panels, and a rear-mounted spare tire and wheel. * Optional equipment: ** Included an AM/FM stereo with single-disc CD player (this later became standard equipment), power windows and door locks with keyless entry and automatic front windows, (also later became standard equipment), an Infinity premium amplified audio system, aluminum-alloy wheels, a full-size spare tire and wheel (this later became standard equipment), air conditioning (also later became standard equipment), a four-speed automatic transmission, a 3.7L "Power-Tech" V6 engine, a 2.8L Common-Rail Diesel (CRD) engine, a five-speed automatic transmission, and front-mounted fog lamps. "Special-Edition" models of the Liberty KJ, such as the 2003 Freedom Edition, the 2004 Columbia Edition, the 2005 and 2007 Rocky Mountain Edition, and the 2006 65th Anniversary Edition, were all based on the base Sport trim level. Renegade: The Renegade served as the "off-road-ready" model of the Jeep Liberty between midyear 2002 and 2007. Based on the base Sport' model, it added the following equipment: a 3.7L "Power-Tech" V6 engine, power windows and door locks with keyless entry, cloth-and-vinyl-trimmed seating surfaces, air conditioning, sixteen-inch (16") color-keyed aluminum-alloy wheels (in Cactus Green, Mineral Gray, or Light Khaki), gray front and rear decorative wheel flares, Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), front-mounted fog lamps, and an AM/FM stereo with single-disc CD player. * Optional equipment: ** Included seventeen-inch (17") chrome-clad aluminum-alloy wheels, roof-mounted "Off-Road" lamps, an Infinity premium audio system, leather-trimmed seating surfaces, low-back front bucket seats, a power tilt-and-sliding sunroof, and a four-speed automatic transmission. Limited Edition: The Limited Edition was the top-of-the-line model. It added the following equipment to the Renegade trim level: a 3.7L "Power-Tech" V6 engine, a four-speed automatic transmission, sixteen-inch (16") aluminum-alloy wheels (later seventeen-inch (17")), color-keyed front and rear bumpers, chrome body side cladding panels, an AM/FM stereo with single-disc CD player, security system, power-adjustable front driver's bucket seat, air conditioning, front-mounted fog lamps, an overhead Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC), and premium cloth seating surfaces with low-back front bucket seats. * Optional equipment: ** Included an AM/FM stereo with Radio Data System (RDS) and cassette and single-disc CD players (later, a six-disc, in-dash CD changer), an Infinity premium amplified audio system, luxury leather-trimmed seating surfaces, dual heated front bucket seats, a power-adjustable front passenger's bucket seat, seventeen-inch (17") chrome-clad aluminum-alloy wheels, Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), a 2.8L Common-Rail Diesel (CRD) engine, a five-speed automatic transmission, and a power tilt-and-sliding sunroof.CRD in North America
In 2005, DaimlerChrysler began offering aFour wheel drive systems
The Liberty is available with either a part-time Command-Trac or full-time Selec-Trac transfer case. The Command-Trac transfer case has four positions: 2-HI, 4-HI, Neutral, and 4-LO. The lever is placed in 2WD HI for regular driving. This allows the two rear tires to receive power. The second position, 4WD HI, is used for driving on slippery or loose surfaces. This position locks both the front and rear drive shafts together allowing the vehicle to maintain drive as long as at least one axle has traction. The third position, Neutral, disengages both drive shafts from the transfer case allowing the car to roll freely; this is used for towing behind another vehicle, for example. The last position, 4WD LO is used for situations requiring higher torque or slow speed when traversing rough terrain. A common misconception is that 4WD LO provides more traction. It only changes the gear ratio and does not add any more friction between the tires and the driving surface. This position, like 4WD HI locks both the front and rear drive shafts together, and by using a lower gear ratio, allows for 2.72 times more torque (however, the speed is limited to around 25 MPH max). Turning while in 4WD HI or LO on dry pavement is hazardous to vehicle components, through driveline binding and wheel-hop. The Selec-Trac transfer case has five positions: 2-HI, 4-HI Part-Time, 4-HI Full-Time, Neutral, and 4-LO. The transfer case is different from the Command-Trac transfer only in the extra 4WD HI Full-Time position. The 4WD HI Full-Time position adds the same traction benefits that the part-time 4WD setting offers, but features an open differential between the front and rear axles to allow the two axles to spin at independent speeds and eliminate drive line binding and wheel-hop. The down side of 4WD Hi Full-Time is that, due to the open differential between front and rear drive lines, at times the drive train will only deliver power to the front or the rear e.g. when the front of the vehicle has reached a high traction surface such as dry pavement and the rear is in sand, the rear tires will spin with 100% of engine power, the front receiving no traction. Under equal traction conditions (front-rear) this position gives the rear wheels 52% of the engine's power and the front wheels 48% of the engine's power. The division of power and open center differential allows the Selec-Trac transfer case to be operated at all times in an "All Wheel Drive" mode with no adverse effects.Government/Fleet use
Even though no special Jeep Liberty was introduced in 2002 for police use, police and rental agencies continue to purchase it for fleet use. Most are equipped with the 3.7L "Power-Tech" V6 Engine that produces 210 horsepower mated to a 4-Speed Automatic Transmission, however, some fleet Liberties used a 2.4L I4 Engine that produced about 150 horsepower with a 4-Speed Automatic Transmission. In 2008, when the Jeep Liberty was fully redesigned, the I4 engine was dropped, and the V6 engine was the only engine choice, as was the 4-Speed Automatic Transmission. Most fleet and government Liberties also use either the Selec-Trac or Selec-Trac II 4WD Systems, but some Liberties used 2WD. Since it was introduced in April 2001 as a 2002 Model Year vehicle to the time it was discontinued in 2007, the Liberty KJ also found its way into rental car fleets. Most rental Liberty KJ's were the V6-powered Sport models with automatic transmissions and 4WD.International versions
Numerous versions were available in markets outside the U.S. and Canada. Early-2002 through mid-2003 model year CRDs were equipped with a 2.5lt VM Motori Diesel producing and . An external wastegated turbo was standard and the engine was available only with aAssembly
The Liberty was assembled at the Toledo North Assembly Plant in the United States, as well as in other countries including Egypt and Venezuela.U.S. sales
References
See also
* Jeep Liberty {{Jeep car timeline