2008 Jeep Liberty

Groucho Marx put it best. "Ah, Liberty. There's nothing like liberty. Except maybe Colliers and The Saturday Evening Post."

That was much funnier back in the days when the audience understood that Liberty, Collier's and The Saturday Evening Post were popular glossy magazines. Here's the update: Ah, Liberty. There's nothing like Liberty, except maybe Nitro.

The small-mid-size Dodge Nitro SUV launched about a year ago on an updated Jeep Liberty platform. Jeep has been busy launching its smaller, four-cylinder-only cute utes, the Compass and Patriot. So finally, now, the stalwart Liberty gets the same updates as benefit the Nitro. And it gets a more macho-looking Jeep seven-slat grille, replacing the more rounded, friendly-looking grille that ironically has been applied to the iconic, macho Wrangler.

The history of Liberty tells one a lot about the recent history of Jeep. Just before Jeep launched it, sales of the ancient, yet beloved Cherokee spiked. The Liberty was to be called "Cherokee" (and, indeed, that's its name in Europe and the U.K.), but Chrysler had to come up with the new name because it decided to extend the life of the 18-year-old Cherokee to sell both. As anyone but DaimlerChrysler could predict, the sales spike was very temporary and so Jeep dropped the old Cherokee months after Liberty's debut. Now Jeep has a Grand Cherokee without a Cherokee, plus two small front-drive-based models that have nothing to do with what most people consider a Jeep.

Anyway, back to the '08 Liberty. An updated platform means bigger dimensions all around, culminating in 3 1/2-inches more cargo space, plus more rear seat room and more space for the driver.

Changes include "more balance between on- and off-road," by which Chrysler means a better on-road ride. I didn't get a chance to try the Liberty on Jeep's off-road course, as it would mean missing track time with another new model on the same introduction, the Dodge Caliber SRT4. But you can bet the Liberty still is as off-road capable as it ever was, which means it's more capable than all but a few SUVs on the market today. It's still available in a trail-rated model, with Command-Trac four-wheel-drive, which includes a locking diff and 4-Lo settings. The Selec-Trac II option is full-time 4WD, and rear-drive remains standard. The engine is an anemic 210-horsepower 3.7-liter V-6 coupled to a good-old four-speed automatic, unless you choose the six-speed manual. I know I would.