2006 Jeep Liberty CRD Road Test

I don't know how many times I've seen that bumper sticker or windshield banner which reads "It's a Jeep Thing, You Wouldn't Understand." on the back of a muddy old TJ. I don't own a Jeep, it's been a while since I've ever driven one, and no, you bunch of mud slinging maniacs, I don't understand. That being said, I spent some time trying to figure it out, meaning among other things, getting really dirty. Here's my story.

(Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com)

It was one of those warm, bright spring afternoons that was so beautiful you kind of had to spend it outside washing your car for the first time in months.

But Jeep owners everywhere were on a different mission: collecting dirty, crusty mud all over their rides. I decided to join them, and try to discover what makes Jeep owners such a unique bunch, by driving the new Liberty CRD the way a Jeep owner would drive it. That meant spending Sunday afternoon getting my paint as plastered with muck as possible, going places that vehicles aren't supposed to go, then showing off my soiled mess to the other Jeep guys and girls at the end of the day, where else, but in a Tim Horton's parking lot.

Jeep fans from a different cloth than other kinds of enthusiasts. To a hardcore Jeep devotee, dirty is clean. I was only given nods of approval from other Jeep owners when my Liberty looked like a giant kid had finger-painted the whole thing with filth. After I washed it, one even said to me at a stoplight "Nice machine, how come it's so clean?" with a suspicious tone in his voice.

(Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com)

Rivals include the Escape, X-trail, Rav4, CRV and Tucson to name a few. Serving its customers the Jeep way means the Liberty is fitted a locking center differential, giving drivers the ability to escape from snow banks and mud ruts with ease. Try such antics in a machine with mere All Wheel Drive, and you'll be calling your favorite tow-truck driver in a hurry.

The Liberty has three selectable four-by-four modes ranging from part time to a full low range. Select Trac, it's called. Operated by a floor mounted lever, when engaging your chosen four by four mode you can feel your choice being called up through the handle- not some wimpy blinking light. Very manly indeed. Unlike "soft roaders" with All Wheel Drive, you can reach down and engage 4-LO, then go climb your favorite ravine wall or dirt pile, while towing your boat and four other passengers. Pull the lever into "Four Part Time" and you've got an all purpose 4x4 mode for tearing through terrain all day long. It's even got a full time 4x4 mode which works as an all wheel drive system.

(Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com)

The Liberty CRD annihilated the trails I bring SUV testers to. It proved, without any doubt, that if you want to tackle challenging terrain, all wheel drive probably isn't going to cut it. The last AWD I tried back on these trails (I wont tell you what it was) proved to be a nice warm place to wait for assistance to show up and push, because I simply could not Escape without having the control of a locking center differential. Another important bit of off-road hardware is the tires. The Wranglers fitted from the factory are a good balance between the road and the dirt. With stiff sidewalls offering little flex, steering feel is accurate, while the aggressive tread pattern deals nicely with the slop, minus the helicopter sound effects on bare pavement.