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Years ago when I first began tramping around the globe, my rental car of choice in the Caribbean islands was always a Jeep Wrangler. For my money, there was no better vehicle on earth for tackling the notoriously steep and tricky hairpin turns of St. John’s Northline Road or the oft-times potholed backcountry of Jarabacoa in the Dominican Republic....




Years ago when I first began tramping around the globe, my rental car of choice in the Caribbean islands was always a Jeep Wrangler. For my money, there was no better vehicle on earth for tackling the notoriously steep and tricky hairpin turns of St. John’s Northline Road or the oft-times potholed backcountry of Jarabacoa in the Dominican Republic.

Photo by James Gaffney/The Times-Picayune



Now that I’m wearing middle age as snugly as Onesies, my youthful vagabond ways have distilled into dreams of winning the lottery and building a luxurious little villa tucked somewhere in the West Indies. It will be so far from the madding crowd and tour buses that in order to ring my doorbell guests will first have to traverse a deliberately lengthy and craggy dirt road.



All of this before reaching the moat.



Naturally, I’ll require a rugged four-wheel-drive vehicle. But it will need to be a bit more refined than my cherished, scrappy Wranglers of yore. Something resolutely comfortable that will also put my pampered mainland friends at ease when I scoop them up at the island airport and inform them of the trek that lies ahead (using my best Bette Davis voice):



“Fasten your seatbelts — it’s going to be a bumpy ride!”



Boxy and brave

Fortunately, I think I might have found the wheels for this scenario: the Jeep Liberty.

As the oldest off-road vehicle made (it even reportedly inspired development of the Land Rover), Jeep and its earliest incarnations, which date to the 1940s when the vehicle was then merely nicknamed “jeep,” simply has been doing it longer than any one else around. And the Liberty, a compact four-door SUV, which first rolled off the assembly line in 2002 as a replacement for the Cherokee, is no exception to the manufacturer’s tradition of taking drivers off-road and at a price point that doesn’t break the bank.

Photo by James Gaffney/The Times-Picayune



In 2008, Chrysler-owned Jeep gave the Liberty a total redesign that resulted in a more boxy, rugged look. Quite frankly, I like it. More importantly, I respect it. This because this Jeep doesn’t try to look like a Murano or any of the Liberty’s nearest competitors such as the Subaru Forester, Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Escape or Honda CR-V. It seems, well, rather confident in its own boxy skin. Not to mention the fact the Liberty’s acclaimed bushwhacking game and substantial ground clearance allow it to gobble up terrain that would leave most rivals scrambling for Tums.



In addition, this “road scholar” can tow up to 5,000 pounds and has earned a perfect five-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.



Inside, the cabin is refreshingly simple and restrained. Those accustomed to flashy consoles resembling a carnival midway probably won’t appreciate the Liberty’s unfettered dash (which features a three-knob climate-control rack and a bare minimum of buttons), but I do. It makes the learning curve short indeed — two minutes flat and only then if you’re easily distracted. The model I drove featured a monochromatic, dark slate-gray hue with silver-colored plastic accents (and only a minimum of these). This, too, is part of the Liberty Limited’s decidedly macho demeanor. To me the absence of unnecessary interior design flourishes and textures is a welcome departure from those automakers that feel compelled to cram into the cabin every type of leftover material lying around the factory floor.



Sure, I could probably do without the “Jeep”-emblazoned seatbacks, but this is nitpicking.



What grabbed my eye was the presence of a fat, wide-grip handl

Tags: Jeep, is-featured

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Jeep Liberty 'road scholar' leaves rivals in the dust was originally published by New Orleans Auto Reviews: Jeep. Read the full story by clicking here.