The three of us talked for a few minutes and finally Dr. Doom presented us with a sheet of paper documenting my new vehicle. Flag-Smasher readily appeared, picked up the phone and wished us luck as he began dialing Chrysler financial; the call was abruptly cut short by my mother. Dr. Doom must have sprayed me with some kind of mind fog (new car scent, if I had to wager a guess); I was applying for a loan, the amount unknown. My mother, utilizing the common sense that I had been robbed of, asked the most simple of questions: “how much of a loan are we applying for?” The disappointment on the face of Flag-Smasher was unmistakable. Was I so anxious to get a car that I never asked for a price? Was the price of the car I so caringly “built” on the Jeep website nothing but a phony ploy to get me in the door? And then I remembered something, something I had heard many times before: Car salesmen are liars. I had simply forgotten that the website is nothing but an electronic car salesman, an e-liar. The number on that sheet of paper in Flag-Smasher’s greedy little hand, displayed in minuscule font, destroyed all faith I had in the rejuvenation of American car companies. $31,732! Didn’t the government just give Chrysler 4 billion dollars? This number shattered my dream of owning a car. I felt betrayed by Dr. Doom and decided to leave on the spot.

The squared shoulders mirror the vehicle's handling. This is a real truck, not a suburban poseur in big boys' clothes more fit for traversing the Farm Fresh parking lot than some wooded knoll. It's a trail-rated Jeep, and for Jeep lovers, that's good news.

...snip...

The Liberty feels like the Jeep that it should be. Yes, you hear the engine when it's pressed for power. Yes, the body will lean going around corners. Yes, there's nosedive while braking. And, of course, there's some body movement over bumps.

But that's on the road. Take the Liberty off road, and you'll understand the suspension calibration. Its joyful play-in-the-dirt persona is intrinsic.

Balancing off-road agility and on-road comfort is handled without the bells and whistles of other SUVs. It works perfectly well, thank you.

We were able to go for a ride in the Dodge EV and the Jeep ER-EV with Crysler's Douglas Quigley, executive of product engineering for ENVI (the Chrysler electric vehicle "start up") when we were in town last week, and you can see our video of the rides (no drives yet, sadly) after the jump.

Throughout its history Jeep has built unique vehicles with world-beating off-road ability, while the brand’s various corporate owners have suffered disastrous fates. Jeep has often found itself the only profitable division of an automaker on the ropes. Fiat or whichever other company might be tempted to acquire Jeep should consider that, next to the Hope Diamond or the Maltese Falcon, few enterprises have brought worse luck to their owners.

In tribute to the heritage of the Jeep brand, the 2009 Jeep Wrangler retains the body-on-frame chassis, solid front and rear axles, removable doors, fold-down windshield and most-capable drivetrains that establish it as the most capable SUV.

Whether choosing a Wrangler X, Sahara or Rubicon(R) model, Jeep Wrangler customers experience best-in-class off-road capability in a true open-air sport-utility vehicle. Jeep Wrangler does not wander from the brand's coveted core values of freedom, adventure, mastery and authenticity.

With 68 years of legendary off-road prowess under the hood, the 2009 Jeep Wrangler doesn't sacrifice anything inside the cabin, offering safety and convenience features, interior space, versatility and comfort.

2009 Jeep Wrangler models add even more refinement with standard Hill Start Assist (HSA) that prevents rollback on a graded surface. In addition, available Trailer Sway Control (TSC) monitors vehicle movement relative to the intended path and activates the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) if the trailer begins to sway outside set parameters.