piscopo

I spent much of today looking at the Jeep Liberty Sport edition. I do have a few questions and was wondering if anyone had any opinions on some of the subjects..

First thought was that the Jeep liberty is much more attractive and basically a better vehicle overall compared to the Ford Escape.

The other question is what do you think about the foriegn imports such as Nissan xterra, toyota Rav 4.

And lastly is buying a small Suv worth it considering the only real need it fufills is driving in tough jersey winters?

KeyserSoze

The Liberty suspension sucks, sorry but it does. The room in the back is unfuckingcomfortable for passangers.

Get the Xterra all day long over the Liberty and especially over the RAV.

What is you budget??

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platypus

Hmm. I love my Liberty. Never noticed any issues with the suspension, but then I don't go rock hopping either. As for back seat room, no complaints there either, and I am often the one driving when my office mates and I go to lunch. These guys (six foot and over) would bitch if given a reason.

I spent a long time comparing the Liberty with the Rav4, Xterra and Escape before I bought. Each one had something I liked, but the Liberty came up with more in the plus column for me.

I bought it mainly for driving in NY winters. It was tested well last winter, and came through with flying colors. I've had it for about 10 months now and really have no complaints.

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drawerfixer

I know it all goes down to personal preference, but Car&Driver rated the Ford Escape/Mazda twin better overall. Of course, if you're going semi-offroading, the Liberty is better. However, if you saw both and think the Liberty is better quality, I see no reason to not go for it. They drive alright for an SUV, and it does what it's supposed to...


I'd vote you save another 30000 dollars or so and get an Infiniti FX45 though. :P

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Magpie0001

Sweet ride there drawerfixer. Im with him.

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dogma13554u

got one
had nothing but trouble
got rid of it in less than a year

don't make the same mistake

Stinky Pee

I don't really enjoy the one I drive. I love the torque it has; I can pull a midsize boat easily with it, and it's fairly comfortable, but it just isn't very enjoyable to drive. Blind spots up the ass piss me off. Cheap though, and strong; that's why you buy a Jeep.

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Atomic Pinkie

Audi All-Road!

Get some nice 250 Twin Turbo!

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Scrub0

I'd go with an Xterra instead, but that's just me.

Booty Man

after that...........chip that bish!

Stare At The Sun

I like the xterra, very cool rugged look to it

okeefe19

Try renting one from a car rental agency and see how it feels for a longer period of time. I drove one as a rental and was not impressed. I would definitely go foreign, better on gas.

Toyota Rav4 is small, but I think the Honda CR-V is very functional. I'm certain cost is slightly higher than the Liberty

Scorps

Get it with the crome front on it

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MSD

If the biggest thing is getting through the Jersey Winter, I'd suggest considering a 4WD sedan or wagon.

You could get the similarly priced Subaru 2.5TS Sport Wagon with a nice sound system, 5-speed transmission, Fog Lights (useful for bad weather,) a cargo bin or net to give you similar carrying capacity to the Jeep, HEPA filtration system if you have allergies like me, and the price would come to just over 20k. The fuel economy would be 21/28 with the 5-speed. Jeep's interactive website wouldn't load for me, so I couldn't get the fuel economy specs to compare.

Compared to between 18 and 19k base price for the Liberty Sport, and judging by my experience with Subaru, I would consider it as an alternative. If you wanted to go a few grand higher, you could go for a nice, sporty WRX, but it's really up to your personal taste in cars and your budget.

MikeyChalupa

I'll be upgrading from my ol' 96 Cherokee Sport here within the year. I considered the Xterra, it was actually my first choice. I test drove one and liked it, but I didn't like the interior. The knobs felt too plasticky, like they'd break given half the chance. The wheel didn't feel right, ergonomically, I just didn't feel comfortable in it. Liberty I liked, but I think it's a shade too small, or at least seems that way. I haven't driven an Escape yet, but if I'm impressed by it I may go that way since Grand Cherokees look like they're going to be out of my budget range.

-Mikey

Peryn

Do you want brand spankin new, or do you want slightly used with good warranty (certified used)? Do you have a lot to haul around? If given the chance and the capability would you go more off roading than just a drive in the snow? And how big do you want? These are questions ya gotta figure out first.

Personally, i say limit it to the Nissan and Jeep. I dont like the ford design, and find it uncomfortable inside and out, same with Toyota.

With the Nissan SE supercharged V6, your looking at a *slightly* larger car. They are virtually identical in size, weight, and power, with the jeep getting better fuel mileage, plus no supercharger to die. The Jeep has more ( much) passenger space, but less cargo room, and waay better rear leg room. Its not quite as long and a little wider.

Check out this site for some side-to-side comparisons of the cars. Its most excellent for getting an idea of the differences.

http://autos.msn.com/compare/choose....=10529&pt=dual

In the end it comes down to personal preference. go out and Test Drive them all before deciding. Again, i reccomend certified used cars though.
Im also a Jeep guy though, with nothing but the best, most reliable of luck, so im slightly biased.

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Ramega

The Liberty REALLY pissed off the Jeep faithful when it was announced. They even had a petition to stop its production. You see, the Liberty is the first Jeep with independent suspension as opposed to the traditional Jeep live-axle. Despite what you might assume, independent suspension BLOWS for serious off-roading, and that's what Jeeps have always been known for.

That said, you might never take it off the pavement (like most SUV owners) so that might not matter to you. Just know that you'll be scorned by the mighty Jeep community.

TM875

I've always been a dedicated Wrangler fan. I used to have one with the V6 engine. There is no better car for semi-serious off-roading, driving really fast on the highway, or just having a lot of fun.

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bodymassage3

I don't really know that much about Kia's, but they have a new SUV which looks really similar to the Lexus SUV. I would compare it to a grand cherokee or 4-runner in size.

forumguy

haven't heard great stuff about reliability or safety, for what it's worth.

fnaqzna

FWIW, the Xterras are not imports. They are built here in the U.S.