"Outatime" wrote
*snip* I think Kate would agree that while the Liberty is a capable off-road machine, there are other 4X4's that are more suitable, while other cute-utes should never leave pavement. Mechanically, the Liberty falls somewhere in the middle, in my opinion.
*Yep, I agree completely.
To get up the occasional steep, unpaved rough mountain road, mud-bogging or snow-runs, the Liberty is well-suited. If you're looking for the ultimate rock-crawler that's able to take nearly any kind of brutal punishment that Nature can possibly dish up, choose something else. I drive an '05 TJL, and while I consider it bulletproof and very capable offroad, I would never venture into serious rock-crawling Rubicon territory destined only for seasoned professionals and heavy-duty machines designed specifically for that task.
*Again, you've said it all in my book. Much more eloquently than I could. Which is why I only kept my Libby for 6 months, and after modding it as far as I could go without ripping it apart, I traded it in on a Wrangler Rubicon... that I have modded as well.
Will your Liberty break if you make that mountain road run every day? I seriously doubt it. I haven't yet seen a steep, rough mountain road that any Hyundai or even an AWD Minivan couldn't tackle.
*If a cute-ute that's a good weekend plaything is what you want, you've got it. I on the other hand want to go do some playing in mine that concerned me with the Liberty.
Even with my 4" lift, my TJ rides better than the Libby did... and I can go topless anywhere I feel comfortable going. (The JEEP topless, not me!)
Kate