Mr Johnson

Another styling disaster. Chrysler is really losing it's way if they think cars like the Nassau, Imperial, Aspen and this are the way to go. I used to love their design too.

Before:


After:

GFerg

Nah, the messed up when they introduced this Liberty to replace the classic Cherokee.

Now they have a bunch of trucks that all seem to SERIOUSLY overlap one another. I have absolutely no idea what market they are targeting with the Compass, Patriot, and Liberty. They all seem the same to me.

Only Jeep that really appeals to me is the GC SRT-8. But at that point, its less of a real Jeep and more of an on road Hot Rod SUV which sorta defeats the purpose.

geko29

^^^What he said. The Cherokee was uncomfortable and noisy, but it was also damn near bulletproof, with impeccable offroad credentials. When they switched to the Liberty, they "cute"-ified their mainstream model, while simultaneously neutering it. The (current) Liberty's suspension is a joke, and had to be replaced several times on its trek up the Rubicon Trail in order for it to get the "trail rated" badge. The 3.7L V6 has less than half the usable torque as the old 4.0L I-6 and is nowhere near as solidly built.

The new one looks like a scaled-down Patriot (one of the ugliest new SUVs in recent years, IMO), and though I haven't read anything on it yet, I doubt if they've headed back towards the "Jeepness" that the old Cherokee possessed.

And don't even get me started on the Compass...a FWD Jeep? Please.

LexLaw

Who really buys these?? I mean really what is Jeep really trying to achieve?

Mr Johnson

An interesting thing that I really believe in is design that polarizes people. I think a love/hate reaction is good for pushing the design world forward. See Bangle as a perfect example. Thus the fact that many of you hated the change doesn't strike me as an issue.

LexLaw hits on an important point. Compare Jeep to Hummer. Who are they really targeting? If Jeep really wants to stay rugged then they will have many vehicles that overlap in looks and function. They say they want to offer both (to not tick off the old guard?) but their design offers no differentiation. They are not really in-your-face but simply bland.

At least the patriot and former liberty attempted to appeal to a different market and had design to do that while admittedly not appealing to the traditional Jeep customer. IMO This swing in design will simply not appeal or cause a love/hate in *either* customer base.

-J-P-L-

Yeah, I was dissappointed too. They took the worst part of the Commander, the headlights, and slapped similar ones on the Liberty.

The Liberty has enjoyed the best sales in it's class but this will end it real quick.

krazykanuk

A couple girls in my high school had Libertys, but I doubt that's their target demographic.

Their model onslaught is confusing to me because they have the dumb little Dodge Caliber too, so they're just giving their other companies more competition.

I still like the Grand Cherokee though (the only one I like).

Lexmex

I guess it's hip to be square...

EXE.UCF10

iTrader: (3)

Looks like they're copying the Dodge Nitro, but with squared fenders.

kit cat

iTrader: (6)

bring back the Cherokee!!

LexLaw

Yeah I feel you on that. I still have a lot of love and respect for the Grand Cherokee and thats where it ends. The rest is garbage.

-J-P-L-

Interestingly enough, the new liberty is more of a natural evolution to the Cherokee than the outgoing Liberty is. Look at both body styles and you can see a lot of similar ques between the new Liberty and the old Cherokee.

mmarshall

Of course they are copying the Nitro. Dodge and Jeep share several different platforms, not just this one. The Compass/Caliber/Patriot is another good example.

Yes. On request, I reviewed this POS last year. Not only does it share its brother Dodge Caliber's p*ss-poor fit and finish, cheap materials, and lousy build quality, but it is not a real Jeep to start with...it is, as pointed out above, a FWD unibody compact car for grocery-shopping.

However, that, along with the Non-Trail Rated Patriot (a Trail-Rated Patriot is also available) is the direction that Jeep seems to be going...more and more away from its Rubicon-Trail roots and more towards Crossover vehicles, which, of course, reflects the SUV market as a whole.

And another unanswered question......why the square headlights on the new Liberty? That is also anathema to Jeep enthusiasts. A Jeep is not a Jeep without round headlights and the traditional seven-slotted grille.