The Liberty compact SUV has already been given a softer, more car-like ride, and apparently the bigger Grand Cherokee will go the same way fairly soon.
According to Walt McCall of DaimlerChrysler Canada, ''In the year it's been on the market, Liberty customers have told us they're looking for even more on-road handling and fun-to-drive characteristics for everyday use.''
As a result, McCall explains, the Liberty has been lowered 22 mm in the front and 19 mm in the back. Changes were also made to the response rate of the shock absorbers, making them softer for highway driving.
McCall says this new suspension set-up ''gives Liberty owners an even smoother ride -- which is important to first-time SUV owners.''
This is not a recall, McCall points out, but a ''continuous improvement change'' the company made in early April. So if you bought a Liberty before then, you won't be able to go back to the dealer for the newer ride setup.
Bringing the bottom of Liberty closer to the ground also means that its ability to go off-roading are lessened, since clearance is one of the critical contributors to being able to do that.