2006 Jeep Liberty Sport 4X4 6-speed MANUAL

[The O.C.]

I just picked up my new company car.....a 2006 Liberty Sport 4X4 with a 6-speed MANUAL transmission.....surely a rare bird these days. MSRP - $26,400. Sport package, 4X4, 3.7L OHC V6, manual tranny, moonroof, 6-disc changer, Infinity speakers, skid plate package, alloy wheels, dark tint, 6-way power driver seat, etc. Black with Khaki cloth interior. I looked at everything (in my company's price range) from an Equinox, Escape, Tucson/Sportage twins, RAV4, CR-V, etc. I chose the Jeep because ultimately, I wanted something a bit more than a "cute ute" because I do occasionally do some light off-roading when we go to the desert, and I also want to be able to tow our seadoos (about 3K lbs.) AND, a plus for me was the availability of a manual transmission. I did have to special-order it, however, as I wanted a more-or-less "loaded" Liberty WITH the manual tranny and the ONLY manual ones I could find were base strippy "beer cans." Overall, I really like the vehicle. The clutch and shifter are VERY smooth on this Liberty....not truckish at all like the Wrangler I used to have. That was what ultimately sold me on actually ordering the 6-speed manual was how smooth it drove. i'm a fan of the 3.7L V6....as I had one in my '04 Liberty (with the 4-speed automatic.) However, it's not a revver....more of a torquer....and almost seems like a pushrod motor to me in this sense even though it IS an OHC design. The torque of this motor mates nicely with the manual transmission and makes L.A. rush-hour traffic navigating an easy chore...as you don't have to shift too much in traffic (you can lug it pretty well in higher gears as traffic slows down and speeds up.) The engine DOES seem a bit quieter in this application.....why do some engines seems to thrash or moan less when they are paired with a manual tranny...? However, when you really get on it, it does seem quite a bit peppier than the other Liberty I had. I'm sure the two extra gear ratios definitely help. This Liberty has even better ride quality than my old one (did they retune the suspension in the last few years?) and is damn near the equal of the car-based utes such as Equinox and Escape. You DON'T get the usual "head-toss" motion of many truck-based SUVs. It can't quite go around corners as well as they can....but it really is a nice-riding vehicle on the freeway and around town...and it's QUIET. Fuel economy is already better than my '04 automatic. I got 17.5mpg on my first tank (as the Jeep is hardly "broken in.") I only could average 11-13mpg with my other Liberty. I hope to see the mpg increase a bit to 18-19 as the truck gets a few thousand miles on it. I would consider that MORE than acceptable considering the V6 performance, towing, and off-road ability of the vehicle. The new seats ('05) are an improvement and I still like the attractive interior design and instrument cluster with nicely-grained hard plastics and soft door trim. The only downside is that there is not as much front seat room as in Equinox or Escape. It seems a bit tighter in there. Back seat room is okay. However, since it will usually just be me in the vehicle, it's a perfect size. Finally, I'm happy because IMHO I think it's an attractive 'ute and avoids the "soccer mom" appearance of many of the other car-based SUVs. Any other thoughts/comments/questions?

[NeonLX]

I'll grudgingly admit to liking the Liberty. I was royally PO'd when they pulled the plug on the old Cherokee though. My biggest beef against the Liberty was the fact that they replaced the old 4.0L AMC inline six with the hacksaw 3.7L V6 ("hacksaw" because it's based on the 4.7L V8 with two cylinders lopped off). I loved the old inline six because of its monstrous torque down low in the rev range, plus its durability. All that and the fact that it goes back to AMC, which in my opinion built the best inline six in the biz for many years (the old 199/232/258 mills were great for their time). But the new Liberty is superior in most respects to the old Cherokee. It's certainly put together better . And it looks like a Jeep. But the exhaust note of that V6 still doesn't sound "right" like the old 4.0L six did... :(

[The O.C.]

I'll grudgingly admit to liking the Liberty. I was royally PO'd when they pulled the plug on the old Cherokee though.  My biggest beef against the Liberty was the fact that they replaced the old 4.0L AMC inline six with the hacksaw 3.7L V6 ("hacksaw" because it's based on the 4.7L V8 with two cylinders lopped off).  I loved the old inline six because of its monstrous torque down low in the rev range, plus its durability. All that and the fact that it goes back to AMC, which in my opinion built the best inline six in the biz for many years (the old 199/232/258 mills were great for their time).

But the new Liberty is superior in most respects to the old Cherokee.  It's certainly put together better . And it looks like a Jeep.  But the exhaust note of that V6 still doesn't sound "right" like the old 4.0L six did... :(

[post="53123"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

I agree about the 4.0L......(although I DO like the 3.7L.)

It's too bad they didn't re-engineer a new inline-six, eh?

[NeonLX]

I agree about the 4.0L......(although I DO like the 3.7L.) 

It's too bad they didn't re-engineer a new inline-six, eh?

[post="53124"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Heh. Maybe they could have resurrected the old Rambler aluminum six from the early 1960s :blink:

Back in August, we rented a new Grand Cherokee Laredo with the base 3.7L V6 and I was surprised that it was at least adequate in that heavy vehicle. We drove it in the mountains of Colorado and it could keep right up with traffic. It was also reasonably smooth and quiet in spite of my heavy foot. So maybe I don't "dislike" the 3.7L as much as I did at first :)

I have a real soft spot in my heart for Jeeps; I learned to drive in a '48 Willys CJ2A.

[regfootball]

i like the liberty diesel and the v6/6 sp manual combo version too. since you use it for off roading it is the perfect setup for you. however, anyone in the cute ute market that never goes off road, i just don't get why you would suffer through the cramped interior and bad gas mileage when there are many cute utes that have better on road manners and space and gas mileage. like i said, its a true jeep and its a great pick for your needs (congrats)...but why folks like soccer moms would ever get one is beyond me. of course, i am full of it. i mean, if i could have a land rover LR3 for toting around town, I would dig that. so i understand the liking the off road image and aura of a jeep. jeep knows their stuff. at least until the poseur jeeps come out (compass, patriot). Edited December 5, 2005 by regfootball

[NOS2006]

Damn, a six speed manual?! That's a rarity..

[BrewSwillis]

I want to know what you do for work? That seems like an odd choice of vehicle for work! :huh: .....unless you are like a biologist or archeologist or something.

[The O.C.]

I want to know what you do for work?  That seems like an odd choice of vehicle for work! :huh: .....unless you are like a biologist or archeologist or something.

[post="53229"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Nah....I actually work for an automotive finance company.

They give me a certain dollar amount and they let me choose ANYTHING I want to drive as long as.....1) I stay within the dollar amount, or pay the extra and 2) it has four doors.

Then, I order the vehicle at the dealer, or pick one off the lot, and the leasing company then leases the vehicle and charges our company for it.

My first one with them was the '03 Mazda6 V6 5-speed, and for this next company car, I wanted an SUV, had an automatic Liberty before as a personal car so I know I liked them, and the idea of staying with a manual tranny would be more enjoyable to drive.

I think most "soccer moms" still choose Liberty because of styling and looks, and maybe the more "rugged" image. The mileage sucks on the auto, but I've heard other people that got more like 15-17 with them. Not me...my auto averaged 11-13 no matter how light-footed I drove. And they really don't ride that much rougher than an Escape, Equinox....so you don't lose too much there compared to the "more delicate" car-based SUVs

[ocnblu]

The Liberty is the coolest small SUV out there, imo, because it is authentic. I really like the interior, and that 6 speed sounds great.

I prefer the flat-top hood of the Renegade though, over the tunneled hood of the Sport. Otherwise, great choice! Best of luck with it.

[The O.C.]

The Liberty is the coolest small SUV out there, imo, because it is authentic.  I really like the interior, and that 6 speed sounds great.

I prefer the flat-top hood of the Renegade though, over the tunneled hood of the Sport.  Otherwise, great choice!  Best of luck with it.

[post="55051"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Thanks...I'm quite happy with it.....and am glad to have a little SUV with a bit of style versus the bland-mobiles out there....(Escape, CR-V, <old> RAV4.)

The Equinox (in black) looked pretty good.....but in the end, I wanted the little bit of additional ruggedness with the "traditional" 4X4 system and skidplates. PLUS, being able to order the 6-speed was an added bonus.

[BrewSwillis]

I had the pleasure of driving a Liberty Renegade for the last three days while my car was getting fixed (some jackass keyed it, and I cought him, and he paid for the repairs :lol: ). Enterprise tried to give me a Focus, and I told them that the collision shop said I would get a "good" vehicle.....so they let me have the Liberty. I was going to buy one right when they came out, but I would have had to wait like 3 months for what I wanted. Now I kind of wished that I would have gotton one! That thing was fun as hell. It helped that it snowed like 5 inches when I had it. The 3.7L was alot torqueier than I expected, and it seemed pretty fast 0-60. It did seem to waste gas pretty quickly.....but I was doing 4WD donuts, some mild offroading, and puching it quite often. The engine seemd really loud when accelerating, but I liked it. A Jeep doesn't need to be dead silent, well except for maybe a GC or Commander.

[The O.C.]

I had the pleasure of driving a Liberty Renegade for the last three days while my car was getting fixed (some jackass keyed it, and I cought him, and he paid for the repairs  :lol: ).  Enterprise tried to give me a Focus, and I told them that the collision shop said I would get a "good" vehicle.....so they let me have the Liberty.  I was going to buy one right when they came out, but I would have had to wait like 3 months for what I wanted.  Now I kind of wished that I would have gotton one!  That thing was fun as hell.  It helped that it snowed like 5 inches when I had it. 

The 3.7L was alot torqueier than I expected, and it seemed pretty fast 0-60.  It did seem to waste gas pretty quickly.....but I was doing 4WD donuts, some mild offroading, and puching it quite often.  The engine seemd really loud when accelerating, but I liked it.  A Jeep doesn't need to be dead silent, well except for maybe a GC or Commander.

[post="60110"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Yeah....I like the 3.7L......with the manual, it's even better.....more gear ratios (6 versus 4) and it pulls really well in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

Believe it or not, this one (with the manual) is quieter than my '04 (with an automatic.) I don't know why this would be the case, but for some reason when hitched to the 6-speed, the engine is more mannerly.....and REALLY quiet if you never rev it over 3,000. Even my other half noticed that it was quieter and peppier. Maybe it was something to do with not having to route power through a torque converter....who knows...

I'm averaging 17mph in this one compared to 11-13mpg with the auto. I've put three tanks in it and got 17.5, 17.1, and 17.0 driving in mixed L.A. traffic. Considering it doesn't have quite 1,000 miles on it yet, I'm hoping it will loosen up even more. Who knows, maybe a straight freeway cruise would net close to 20mpg or even a bit better when it's broken in.

I hear the next move with this engine is an increase in displacement to 4.0L. (Maybe invoking a little heritage from the 4.0L L6...?) That should net a bit more power and torque.

My only real complaint with this engine is that even though it's an OHC design, it really doesn't like to be pushed close to redline. It's not a revver...it's a torquer....almost more like a pushrod motor. Up to about 4,000rpms, it revs pretty cleanly....but it's pretty tapped out by then....

The flip side, is you can take corners at walking speed in 3rd gear and it still pulls cleanly. If I had my way, I'd trade a bit of low-end flexibility for the ability to pull a little harder up higher in the rev range....making the 6-speed even more fun.

[jeepsterkj]

Found this old thread when looking for the type of gearbox in my UK spec 2005 Jeep Cherokee (Liberty in US) Sport 2.8 CRD with six speed manual gearbox...I'm getting more than double the mpg than "The O.C"s petrol powered version...38 US mpg or 45 UK mpg! 

[Drew Dowdell]

51 minutes ago, jeepsterkj said:

Found this old thread when looking for the type of gearbox in my UK spec 2005 Jeep Cherokee (Liberty in US) Sport 2.8 CRD with six speed manual gearbox...I'm getting more than double the mpg than "The O.C"s petrol powered version...38 US mpg or 45 UK mpg! 

Welcome to C&G.   Hope you'll settle in nicely here.  We have a few US Jeep drivers and at least two who once had Liberty CRDs. 

[G. David Felt]

5 hours ago, jeepsterkj said:

Found this old thread when looking for the type of gearbox in my UK spec 2005 Jeep Cherokee (Liberty in US) Sport 2.8 CRD with six speed manual gearbox...I'm getting more than double the mpg than "The O.C"s petrol powered version...38 US mpg or 45 UK mpg! 

Welcome to C&G, look forward to interacting with you on auto's.

[ocnblu]

Hello, jeepsterkj, happy to see another Jeep, and diesel fan here.

[G. David Felt]

@jeepsterkj What are your thoughts and plans for the UK with them planning to ban Diesel auto's and phase out totally all ICE Auto sales in the future?