Besides the new grille, which Jeep figures will reduce the female buy rate from 60 percent to 50 percent, the old side-hinged rear hatch door and its exterior-mounted spare have been replaced with a top-hinged door (with separate opening glass), the spare now under the rear cargo floor, which has a panel that doubles as a baby-changing table. For fathers and mothers: don't forget the 50/50 female/male grille design. Like the Nitro, the cool, $1,200 Sky-Slider power canvas sunroof option opens most of the cabin to the great outdoors. A worthwhile feature.

Jeep's new Liberty is a huge improvement. And it's an appealing SUV, slated between the silly Compass and Patriot cute-utes and the more serious Wrangler models. It's a right-sized sport/utility with real off-roadability and descent, if flawed, road manners. It comes in second in a two-car comparo with the Nissan Xterra, but it's not as big and tall as that competitor.

Way more than the Compass/Patriot, it's a real Jeep. But then, so is the Dodge Nitro.