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Saturday, April 27, 2013

2013 Jeep Liberty

I recently rented a 2013 Jeep Liberty for a business trip and while I rent a lot of different vehicles, this one stood out, for all the wrong reasons.


Where do I begin?  Well first let me say that I have nothing against Jeeps in general.  In fact, one of the best vehicles I've ever rented was a Jeep Compass.  I've also driven Patriots, Commanders and Cherokees before, more or less without complaints.  A Jeep hater I am not.

Anyway, my biggest complaint about the Liberty?  It simply didn't feel very stable.  Driving in the competitive world of I80, there were more than a few occasions when I felt as if I was going to lose control of the vehicle.  Again, I drive dozens of different vehicles every year, and this is the first time I've ever felt unsafe while driving.  Maybe this thing handles better in bad weather, but on drive pavement going about 75 mph it seemed like a deathtrap waiting to happen.  Oddly enough I've rented the Jeep Liberty in the past but it never felt this way; maybe something changed with the vehicle's last re-design.

My second biggest gripe?  The drivers seat was extremely uncomfortable.  It was oddly narrow and for some reason I found my neck getting sore as I drove it.

On the plus side the controls were easy to use and it had a ton of room.  That was about it though.  I'll also note that I find the most recent re-design of the Liberty makes it an unattractive vehicle in my eyes.  In fact, I think the older version, with the round headlights, was far better looking.

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