Jump to content
News
Reviews
Discussons
Activity
Create New...
Close
  • Blake Noble
    Blake Noble

    By Blake Noble •

    Jeep’s Liberty Replacement Isn’t an Alfa Romeo on Stilts

    G. Noble

    Editor/Reporter

    CheersandGears.com

    March 30, 2012

    With much bated breath, Jeep enthusiasts have been keeping a close eye on what will turn up to replace the Liberty. While most, if not all Jeep-philes have been clamoring for a revival of sorts of the venerable old XJ Cherokee — the SUV the Liberty originally replaced back in 2001 — recent news seems to suggest that Jeep’s upcoming new model will be anything but. We’ve seen the photos of a few mutilated Alfa Romeo Giuliettas running around in hiking boots on stilts. After that, what those images suggested was confirmed; the Liberty’s replacement would use a Super-Sized version of the front-drive CUSW platform that pins the upcoming Dodge Dart compact sedan. It’s that news that has hardcore Jeep fans everywhere worried the brand is catering more to buyers who buy Jeeps just for the “rough-n-ready, tough-n-steady” image, not for the legendary, uber military-grade off-road capability they’re renowned for.

    On the upside though, it was also more or less confirmed afterward the new mid-sized Jeep would have a nine-speed auto and a 3.2 liter version of the corporate Pentastar V6. However, that news alone is by no means enough to put any worries the die-hard Jeep guys out there have about the Liberty’s replacement to bed.

    Lately, after a media preview of a few new Jeep concepts set to officially debut during the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, Jeep’s chief designer Mark Allen spilled a little info about the Liberty’s replacement to the Toledo Blade. And while what’s coming down the pipeline is certainly going to be much different from the current model, Allen says there is no chance the new model is going to disappoint anyone expecting it to live up to Jeep’s rugged image.

    “It’s definitely not the old Liberty,” Allen said. “It’s a step in the right direction. It’s a much more efficient Jeep. It’s a much more efficient-looking Jeep, honestly. It’s not what we have now.” Mr. Allen declined to give any technical details about the upcoming model, only saying that he was proud of its design.

    Aside from the shrunken Pentastar V6 and umpteen-speed transmission which should help with fuel economy, the Liberty’s replacement should offer all-wheel drive in addition to the front-wheel drive layout expected on lesser trims. Dealers who have been keyed in on the new model’s front-wheel drive offerings aren’t worried it will turn away any potential buyers, though. Neither is Mark Allen, although he is aware of concerns Jeep loyalists have about another front-wheel drive Jeep joining the stable.

    “Will it have off-road chops? It will. I’m impressed with what I’ve seen so far,” he said. “It’s not a Giulietta with a Jeep body on it. It’s not. There’s some specific Jeep hardware in it.”

    As for what they’ll call it? While Chrysler officials haven’t said anything, it seems as if they’ll either continue with the Liberty moniker or bring the Cherokee name out of mothballs. When asked about the issue, Jeep’s CEO Mike Manley said, “The Cherokee has a huge amount of equity. Liberty, I think, has built up some equity as well. I don’t think we’re going to invent a name.”

    Manley says the Liberty’s replacement will debut early next year, and that only means one venue: the 2013 Detroit Auto Show.

    Source: The Toldeo Blade

    Go to articles

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

    ×

  • google-news-icon.png



  • google-news-icon.png

  • Subscribe to Cheers & Gears

    Cheers and Gears Logo

    Since 2001 we've brought you real content and honest opinions, not AI-generated stuff with no feeling or opinions influenced by the manufacturers.

    Please consider subscribing. Subscriptions can be as little as $1.75 a month, and a paid subscription drops most ads.*
     

    You can view subscription options here.

    *a very limited number of ads contain special coupon deals for our members and will show

  • Community Hive Community Hive

    Community Hive allows you to follow your favorite communities all in one place.

    Follow on Community Hive

  • Posts

    • David
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By David · Posted

      I am not aware of travel cases for internal drives. Usually you have the drive and once you have made sure you own static electricity is discharged on your body, open the computer and unplug the power cable and data cable to the HD. Then you unscrew the screws holding the drive in. Put the drive into an Anti-Static bag and then usually into a box that has foam padding on all sides to protect the drive and then tape it up to close it.  With both drives in their proper storage bags, you can then have both drives in between foam insulation for handling any dropping of the box, etc. Pack them in a box and tape shut, should then easily handle going through your carry on or checked in luggage. To ship a hard drive, you need to: Secure the hard drive in its original packaging or anti-static bag. If you don't have an anti-static bag, place the drive into a zipped freezer bag to prevent any moisture getting into the drive during transit. Sandwich the drive between foam or wrap it in bubble wrap to absorb any minor shocks. Put the hard drive in a padded shipping box. Close and seal the box. Label your package. Amazon.com : hard drive shipping box This is pretty much all you need.
    • David
      Airplanes

      By David · Posted

      Either a co-pilot first time landing or something truly went wrong on the plane.
    • trinacriabob
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By trinacriabob · Posted

      The incoming rectangular lamps on many GM cars in that era made them much more attractive.  They made a big difference. Now, as far the powerplant went, the notion of 500 cubic inches was mindboggling even during the malaise era.  If you want to see someone's jaw drop, tell a European that their engines have 8200 cc or 8.2 liters.  For those who aren't driving the occasional Mustang or Camaro you see, they freak out at anything over 2,500 or 3,000 cc.
    • trinacriabob
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By trinacriabob · Posted

      Thank you for the response. I want to reinstall them into the computers, especially the "newer" one.  The old one has been a real champ.   The reason for not leaving them in the desktop is that the basic tower might have to be transported ... and not by me.  That means it will be out of my possession for a while.  Since the HDs would be traveling with me, they'll have to get scanned through airport security a time or two.  I'm guessing that shouldn't mess with the data.   I've already backed up the C drive on several large 1 TB portable hard drives.  I don't want to touch the basic functions and files on the computers since I don't know how that all works.  I stay away from the drives and files I am not familiar with. I tend to donate other things to charity.   I did give the Regal I once owned to charity.   A good friend told me that, about a month or two later, he saw it being driven around the city by its new owner and we had a good laugh. This is what I want to do.  I'm just trying to figure out if the guy or gal at Office Depot can size a case based on looking up the unit and the HD in it.  Any ideas on that part?  Or should I do that and approximate the size and weight of the part to get the cases?
    • trinacriabob
      Airplanes

      By trinacriabob · Posted

      I'm wondering about a lot of things related to this.  I am sure that, sadly, the passengers inside were jolted.  This is way different from a rough landing. Why was it even necessary to do it?  What was going on at the airport property at that time?  How does one even pull this off?  I've seen some vids of where they barely touch and then go off again, but this one looks way more complicated.

  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online

  • My Clubs

×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

I've whitelisted
Continue without support

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search

Change privacy settings