No faults so far other than lower than stated mileage and that may be due to break in period.
The liberty sits a bit higher than most mid sized SUV's allowing a nice view of the road when commuting. Plenty of storage space with the rear seats folded down. Nice amenities and options for the price of the vehicle.
Interior space more generous than BMW X5. Acceleration is solid. With the automatic transmission the liberty seems to want to rev at about 2k rpm most of the time probably contributing to lower than expected mileage. I seem to be averaging near 16 mpg combined city and highway so far which is less than the 17 to 21 MPG the vehicle is rated for. This may improve as the vehicle breaks in.
The Liberty is a heavy vehicle. Normal breaking on dry pavement is not an issue, but optional ABS may be desired for wet or snowy conditions. Excellent handling and traction in snow and ice.
Seats are firm and allow ample leg head and shoulder room even for larger drivers. Factory stereo not audiophile quality, but adequate with nice steering wheel controls for volume and tuning. Great turning radius making navigation into tight parking spaces a breeze. Highway handling is nimble.
Excellent overall review. We have a 2003 and can agree with your observations. News-flash. Even after the break-in period has elapsed, the gas mileage still sucks. I'm constantly putting gas in it. But, you've got to pay to play. Right. It's a very safe, capable "truck", and I don't regret the purchase. I do regret not buying more stock in Exxon-Mobile though...
I purchased a 2005 Liberty Limited 3.7 4x4 automatic. I have 7 months and 7000 highway miles and I can't get over 16 miles per gallon on the highway. (I'm using a true miles per gallon calculation and not just using the on-board computer). The vehicle size, quality, ride, and comfort is great. I use the vehicle off-road occasionally and it performs true to the Jeep reputation. I turned in a 1994 Chevy S-10 Blazer with a 4.3 V6 that was getting a bit over 20 MPG on the highway. I wish I had my S-10 back.
A month and a half ago I bought my jeep liberty limited 4x4, and found out that if I use inexpensive fuel, or 10 percent ethanol I get 2 to 3 mpg less. Is it worth the extra 5 to 10 cents for brand name fuel? Perhaps, I can also feel the extra power from avoiding fuel with ethanol.
It doesn't matter what grade/octane fuel you put in your Liberty. It will continue to get poor gas mileage. They just are not efficient due to their weight and poor aerodynamics. I tried high octane fuel, a K/N air filter, and synthetic motor oil. With all that and 20,000 miles on the odometer, my liberty still couldn't obtain 17 mpg on the highway (conservatively driven).
With that said, I'm now the happy owner of an 06 Honda CR-V. Brand new, I'm getting 20-21 on a mixed city/highway route. The CR-V's mileage should improve a bit as it ages. It'll retain it's value better than the Liberty. The CR-V rides nice and has many more safety features like six airbags and a traction/stability control system. The only thing the CR-V loses to the Liberty is any legitimate off-road ability and any substantial towing ability. Doesn't really matter to me because I don't live in the sticks or on a snow capped mountain top and I don't need to tow anything. In conclusion, the Liberty was a good all around SUV, but it's a fuel hog that I became frustrated feeding all of the time!!!
You must have lead feet!
I ran synthetic fuel in my Liberty Limited, and got 22-25mpg highway,
15-17 in town, and about 18-19 combined. Not great, but not terrible either. Heck, my Wrangler gets around 12-14mpg and it's a stick!
I have a Jeep Liberty 2005 CRD and I love it. I average 20 to 22 mpg city and have got almost 32 mpg on the highway. Not bad I guess you all should have looked at getting the diesel liberty instead of a gas one. I had a problem with the torque converter due do the trans cooler not being big enough for the torque and power of the diesel engine. The dealer got it fixed and it is running just great. While my liberty was in the shop they let me use a liberty with the 3.7 engine and I was really happy that I got the diesel so much more power and quicker and sounds better too. Today I just received in the mail a diesel engine programmer that will increase my mpg by 10 to 15 percent can't wait to see how it does. It sure is a shame that they will not be making the the liberty with a diesel in 2007. But look and see jeep is putting a diesel in three new jeep for 2007.
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