Want (need) some "official" news about the Jeep Liberty? Then point your browser at www.jeepunpaved.com (the official jeep site) and behold, the greatest source of Jeep Liberty information this side of Stuttgart! Oh yeah, and make sure you have the Macromedia Flash Player installed (http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/download/) - you're gonna need it!
In addition to plenty of official propaganda, you'll find offical pricing information, a FAQ page, a "Build My Liberty" page, and a complete list of specifications. The site touts the Liberty as "the next great Jeep idea" - we've heard rumors that this phrase will be the backbone of the Liberty's massive advertising campaign.
One of our favorite features of the site is the "Vehicle Comparison" section, where you can directly compare the Liberty with the competition's offerings. Just for kicks, we compared the 2002 Liberty 4X4 Limited with the 2001 Nissan XTerra SE 4X4 and discovered the following facts:
- The Liberty has a slightly larger engine (3.7L V6 vs. 3.3L V6) that produces more horsepower (210 vs. 170)
- The Liberty produces more torque (235 lbs ft vs. 200)
- The XTerra has a slightly larger fuel tank (19.4 gal vs. 18.5) - NOTE: EPA fuel economy numbers are not yet available for the Liberty
- The XTerra and the Liberty have identical wheelbases (104.30 in)
- The XTerra is 3.8 inches longer than the Liberty, but the vehicles have virtually the same height and width
- The Liberty has almost 2 more inches of ground clearance (10.10 in vs. 8.4)
- The Liberty weighs over 200 lbs less than the XTerra (automatic transmission)
- The Liberty has over twice as much towing capacity than the XTerra
According to the site (in the "Build My Liberty" section) available exterior colors for the Liberty are:
- Black Clear Coat
- Bright Silver Metallic Clear Coat
- Dk. Garnet Red Pearl Coat
- Flame Red Clear Coat
- Patriot Blue Pearl Coat
- Salsa Red Pearl Coat
- Shale Green Metallic Clear Coat
- Steel Blue Pearl Coat
- Stone White Clear Coat
- Woodland Brown Satin Glow
Another cool area of the site is within the "Design" tab, in the Concept|Designer area - included here is a brief Q&A with the chief Liberty designer, Bob Boniface. When asked what some of the main objecttives when he was designing the Liberty, he replied, "One of the main objectives was to design a vehicle that was totally different from the Grand Cherokee, one that had its own identity and its own image. It still had to be a Jeep vehicle, but it had to have its own identity. So that's when we came up with the more upright profile, the short overhangs and the external spare. That's also the time we came up with the overall aesthetic of the car, which was derived more from the Wrangler side of the family.
If the information on the offical site isn't enough for you, be sure to click on the "Get a Brochure" link to get an actual printed brochure in your mailbox (no, not your email box, but your snailmail box)!
