2006 Jeep Liberty GSX

The Jeep Liberty is the successor to the aged Cherokee, which was in production from 1984 to 2001. Evolved from the Dakar and Jeepster concept vehicles ('97 and '98, respectively), the Liberty features design themes from each, such as a large greenhouse, short front and rear overhangs, high roofline, rear-mounted spare tire and 16-inch alloy wheels below pronounced wheel flares. It also borrows from the past; the Liberty is a bloodline descendant of the original Jeep Willys. The Liberty carries the trademark Jeep grille with seven vertical rectangles as well as the traditional Jeep round headlamps. The Liberty, like all Jeep SUVs, is designed as a true off-roader with steep approach and departure angles and a full 8 inches of suspension travel. To help foster competent handling on paved surfaces, the Liberty employs an independent front suspension, a coil-link rear suspension and rack and pinion steering (the first time a rack and pinion setup has been applied to a Jeep product). Generally, the Liberty works best as a go-anywhere Jeep first and a suburban grocery-getter second. As such, for genuine off-roaders, the Liberty is a natural-born leader in the compact-ute segment.