Ford Explorer vs Jeep Liberty

The Jeep Liberty is an off-road-ready compact SUV with the heart and soul of the brand’s much heartier vehicles. It’s able to climb, crawl, and wade through much stiffer terrain than its tiny size would suggest, and it makes use of four-wheel drive (4WD) and a solid rear axle to get through the tough stuff.

The Liberty is targeted at new-car buyers who want a rugged and capable SUV to take them where more pedestrian vehicles just can’t go. It competes with the Toyota RAV4, the Honda CR-V, and the Subaru Forester. Jeep offers the Liberty in just two trim levels: Jeep Liberty Sport and Jeep Liberty Limited Edition. Though it slots below models like the Grand Cherokee, the Liberty carries much of the same styling and off-roading attitude as those pricier models.

A single engine is available for the 2007 model year: A 3.7-litre V6 engine that produces 210 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque. Power hits all four wheels through a six-speed manual transmission by default, but a four-speed automatic transmission is available on Sport and standard on the Limited Edition.