2005 Jeep Liberty

Turbo CRD Other

2.8L 4 Cylinder Diesel Fuel

Automatic

1J4GL585X5W700738

Clear

Four Wheel Drive

Diesel

Power Windows

Reason for selling: Need the money, downgradingSold: As IsProblems: Transmission leak (~$1k to fix), small oil leak, small ding in windshield, small unnoticeable burn hole on driver floor between seat and doorTitle: Clean, in handPayment: Cash/certified checkFeatures: 4" lift, modified front fenders to accommodate oversized BigFoot A/T Tires (plus spare)Buyer is responsible for shipping or pickup of vehiclePayment in full due within 7 business days of end of auctionDescriptions below are for general information about this model of Jeep and are not specific to the vehicle being auctionedVehicle will be fully detailed upon completion of sale The Jeep diesel officially is called the Liberty CRD (not an acronym for "crud" as diesel-haters might suppose, rather a reference to "common-rail diesel," an oft-used modern designation designed to avoid the word "diesel" and the mainly false smelly, sooty connotations it carries among some potential buyers). It has been on sale since January, and to hear Jeep tell it, buyers are clamoring.Diesels, Liberty included, have a funky charm. They clatter and rattle on a cold start, then smooth and quiet as they warm. Torque is their bragging point; low-speed power for towing, hauling and, in a small and relatively light vehicle such as the Jeep, scooting through traffic. A diesel typically has a lot more torque but less horsepower than a roughly similar gas engine.The Liberty CRD is rated 160 horsepower and 295 pounds-feet of torque. The 3.7-liter gasoline V-6 in most Liberty models is rated 210 hp, 235 lbs.-ft.On the highway, where horsepower usually is more important than torque, the diesel is only adequate at merging and other high-speed chores. But from standstill to, say, 30 mph, the Liberty diesel pulls like a small locomotive. At idle, the Jeep diesel clatters somewhat louder than the gentrified diesels in passenger cars, but underway, the engine quiets and is no worse than a grumbly gas engine — certainly no worse than the coarse 3.7-liter gas V-6.Liberty CRD's extra torque can't be fully used. The vehicle is limited to the same towing and hauling maximums as the gas model: 5,000 pounds and 1,150 pounds.Jeep's worried that elevating the towing maximum would encourage people to hitch up long, heavy trailers and the tail would wag the dog going down the road.So what's the point? Entice those who, no matter what you tell them, get fixated on that 26 mpg on the window sticker and fantasize about tiny fuel bills these days of high fuel prices. Ain't gonna happen. At midweek, diesel averaged $2.304 a gallon, or 7% more than regular's $2.153. That eats into the 20% to 30% better fuel economy of a diesel.And diesels, unlike high-efficiency gas-electric hybrid vehicles, don't qualify for an income tax deduction. Buy 'em because you love 'em, or leave 'em alone.Those whose diesel experience is somewhat dated will delight to find there's not a long wait on a cold start for the glow plugs to warm the cylinders enough that the engine will start. Never takes more than two seconds.Liberty CRD gives Jeep parent DaimlerChrysler more experience selling diesels to mainstream buyers. The automaker already sells a Mercedes-Benz E320 diesel.Diesels, contrary to their image, don't pollute much, and in about two years, new regulations on diesel fuel and diesel engines will reduce their emissions even more.Meantime, Jeep notes that every Liberty diesel is fueled at the factory with biodiesel, a mix of 95% regular diesel fuel and a 5% diesel-like additive made from Ohio soybeans, in a nod to Jeep's home in Toledo, Ohio.Though a socially appealing move, biodiesel is a less-powerful fuel than straight diesel.Pure biomass fuel — a full-strength concoction known as B100 — contains 117,000 to 126,000 Btu per gallon. Btu stands for British thermal unit, a measure of energy content. Straight diesel has about 139,000 Btu per gallon.B5 has so little biomass in the mix that the watering-down effect is minuscule, fuel experts says. Higher concentrations, though, would weaken the fuel enough that you have to burn more to go the same distance, eroding the fuel-economy gains of the diesel.Diesel or otherwise, the latest Liberty is significantly improved over the original, 2002 model.Suspension modifications have made it better at steering straight, and they minimize the constant jiggle that marks the smooth-road ride of the earlier Liberty.The Liberty's power-window switches now are on the center console near the gear shift, where you can see and reach them easily, instead of on the vertical face of the storage cubby farther back on the console. But either place is wrong. You never do get used to reaching for the center instead of for the door when you want to lower the windows, so it's an incremental improvement instead of the big change it should have been.Standard on the diesel are Jeep's Selec-Trac 4x4 system. It's a dandy. You can leave it in two-wheel drive. You can put it into full-time four-wheel drive — set and forget, and have 4x4 traction instantly when you need it. You can put it into part-time 4x4, which locks up the system so that it sends power to both ends, regardless. That's for really tough going. And it has a low-range setting for deep mud, sand and slow going over scary obstacles. Take that, you weenie, car-based, crossover-SUV wannabes.Seats are comfy. Gauges are big and easy to read. Controls are mainly sensible, though the radio push buttons still require two moves, instead of one, to set. But in return you can store two stations on each button.If there is anything significantly disappointing about the Liberty CRD it's that the fuel economy, while improved, isn't stunning.Otherwise, the Liberty CRD is one to love.2005 Liberty CRD•What is it? Diesel-power version of the popular compact SUV.•When? On sale since January.•How much? Sport diesel starts at $25,290, including $660 destination charge, or $3,740 more than similar gas model, according to Jeep's math. Limited is $27,520, or $1,635 more than gas model.•How many? Jeep won't specify but has hinted 5,000 a year and says it has sold about 1,000 so far.•What's the drivetrain? 2.8-liter, four-cylinder, turbocharged diesel rated 160 horsepower at 3,800 rpm, 295 pounds-feet of torque at 1,800 rpm; five-speed automatic transmission; Selec-Trac full-time four-wheel drive with low-range gears.•How big? Similar to Ford Escape; same as gas Liberty: 174.4 inches long, 71.6 inches wide, 71.1 inches tall, on a 104.3-inch wheelbase. Cargo space listed at 29 cubic feet behind rear seat, 69 cubic feet when rear seat's folded. Weight is 4,306 pounds. Rated to carry 1,150 pounds, tow 5,000 pounds.•How thirsty? Rated 21 mpg in town, 26 on the highway. Test vehicle got 23.2 highway mpg.For comparison, the 3.7-liter gasoline V-6 Liberty with 4x4 and automatic transmition has an EPA fuel economy rating of 17 mpg city, 22 mpg highway. The thriftiest gas Liberty — 4-cylinder, manual transmition, 2-wheel drive — has a rating of 20 city, 24 highway.•Overall: Oddball diesel charm won't sway opponents but should delight fans and fence-sitters. America’s best selling mid-size SUV gets a modern common rail diesel option for 2005, which corrects the 3.7L gasoline Jeep Liberty’s most glaring shortcoming–its appalling fuel economy. With the diesel, the Liberty’s overall performance–acceleration, mid-range flexibility, hill climbing–has been significantly improved. Quiet, smooth, clean and efficient, the Liberty CRD could be the environmentalist’s SUV. Price is a bit off-putting though. MSRP: est. $30,000; Warranty: 3/36,000.First GlanceGood looking as it is, you won’t confuse the Liberty with one of your cute 'utes. While its exterior dimensions would seem to put it in the same weight category as, say, the Ford Escape or Honda CR-V, at almost 4300 lbs the Liberty CRD is a good 800lbs heavier than either. And that extra weight is all muscle. The Liberty has a stocky, broad-shouldered, go-anywhere, do-anything air about it that makes its rivals look like citified girlie-trucks. But then, Jeeps have always had a reputation of being more than just boulevard cruisers. An optional off-road package includes enormous Wrangler SR-A tires (P235/70R16), fuel tank and transfer case skid plates as well as a locking differential. This Jeep comes with very short overhangs so you won’t easily get hung up in ditches, and both front and rear tow hooks in case you do. The seams on the exterior panels fit tightly and are a uniform distance apart, bespeaking a quality not typically associated with American utility vehicles. The Liberty is built in Ohio in a plant dedicated exclusively to this one vehicle.In the Driver's Seat2005 Jeep Liberty CRD© Colin HefferonThe matte black, business-like dash on my upscale Limited exudes an unmistakably Teutonic air of no-nonsense functionality. To aficionados, this says Stuttgart. But the most Euro characteristic of the CRD is its common rail diesel engine, which is being offered here for the first time in an American vehicle. Every carmaker selling into the European marketplace has a common rail diesel option. In fact, so dominant have diesels become in that marketplace that, pick almost any brand and model, and you’d be more accurate calling the common rail diesel the base engine and the gasoline the optional one. The common rail uses what Robert Bosch GmbH, the leading supplier of common rail diesel components, calls a two-chamber system. The fuel is atomized in the common rail and then direct injected into the cylinder. Pressure in the "common rail," which looks like a 2-foot tube of about 1" diameter will top 2,000 BAR. The air in the cylinder head has also been put under great pressure on the intake stroke. The advanced system in the CRD uses two pilot injections prior to the main injection. This prepares the cylinders for the main injection of fuel, which helps to smooth out the main combustion and quiet the engine, especially at idle.On the RoadWith the Italian-made, 4-cylinder 2.8L turbodiesel under the hood, America’s top selling compact (or is it midsize?) SUV now becomes the most fuel-efficient. OK, the jury’s still out on that. But, it’s at least a very close second to the new Ford Escape Hybrid. The Liberty CRD has simply astonishing performance – astonishing all the more because it has only four cylinders pushing 4,300 lbs of 4WD. Like all diesels, the Liberty CRD moves out a bit slowly at first. But as soon as the revs have built up just a bit, it pulls like a draft horse up to limit. Its performance in all gears feels far superior to the 210hp, 3.7L gasoline. Not only does it feel a lot peppier, but it is definitely a lot more fun to drive than the 3.7L, which has to work hard just to keep the solidly-built Liberty moving with the traffic. With almost 300 lb-ft of torque (and 160 hp) the CRD has enough muscle to propel the Liberty around with no fuss and little apparent exertion. Although there is noticeable diesel clatter at idle, the engine is exceptionally quiet at highway speeds. Finally, the Liberty’s drivability in urban settings is greatly enhanced by the short overhangs. It feels like it turns in its own length.Journey's End2005 Jeep Liberty CRD© Colin HefferonI gave the Liberty CRD five stars, which is rare for me. I often give out 4 star ratings because, well let’s face it, there aren’t that many really lousy automobiles out there today. There are some I wouldn't for a moment consider spending my own money on, but that’s as much a reflection of my personal tastes (and fiscal capacity) as it is a statement about how well a particular truck does what it is intended to do. If its primary purpose is do a particular job and it does that well, I’ll acknowledge that with stars. Even if it’s main purpose is to make a statement about its owner’s lifestyle and successfully does so, I’ll even reward that with stars. I may not want to have said about me what owning a Navigator or Escalade EXT, for example, says. But if you yourself want your neighbors to think you’ve got more money than brains, I say you’re entitled. Anyway, the Liberty CRD is a good ‘un. You’ll be surprised and delighted at the way the little 4-banger jumps up when you push on right pedal. You’ll be especially pleased with the fuel economy. The CRD should get twice the mileage of the 3.7L gasoline. And you’ll have twice the fun per mile getting it – if, that is, you can get past the added up-front cost of the CRD.