2004 Jeep Liberty Review

All 2004 Jeep Libertys now feature a passenger-side grab handle and a power accessory delay feature, while Renegade models get additional rock rail protection and black accent body side moldings. New options include UConnect, Chrysler's hands-free in-vehicle communication system, a tire-pressure monitoring system and a cargo organizer. Safety is enhanced thanks to a system that unlocks doors, illuminates interior courtesy lights and shuts off the fuel pump after airbag deployment. A new trim -- the Jeep Liberty Columbia Edition -- has been introduced, offering 16-inch graphite-painted aluminum wheels; graphite-painted fascias and body moldings; body-colored fender flares; a sun roof; fog lamps; and Columbia badging.

A thoroughly capable and comfortable compact SUV if you like to bash boulders, but if you're like most people and spend 99 percent of your time on the pavement, the 2004 Jeep Liberty lags behind its more carlike competitors.