A compact Cherokee replacement with a diesel, a three-row SUV its own chief executive disowned, and a small Polish-built crossover that won European Car of the Year.
The Jeep Liberty was a compact SUV sold in two generations from 2002 to 2012, the Commander a three-row mid-size SUV built from 2005 to 2010, and the Avenger a small crossover launched in 2023 for Europe. Each sat apart from the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee in size or role.
Shortly after Jeep Commander production ended in 2010, Chrysler's chief executive Sergio Marchionne said the vehicle was "unfit for human consumption". Thirteen years later a Jeep won European Car of the Year for the first time in the brand's history. It was not a Wrangler, a Grand Cherokee or a Commander. It was the Avenger, a small crossover designed in Italy and built in Poland, and the smallest vehicle Jeep sells.
Between those two moments sits a long run of Jeeps that were not the usual Jeeps. The Liberty gave the brand a compact SUV with a diesel. The Commander gave it a seven-seater. The Avenger gave it a city-sized electric car. All three sit apart from the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee in size or purpose.
Jeep Liberty vs Cherokee: the KJ generation
The Jeep Liberty (KJ), sold as the Jeep Cherokee (KJ) outside North America, was a compact SUV that Jeep built from 2002 to 2007. Jeep unveiled it in May 2001 to take over from the old Cherokee (XJ), and it was a unibody vehicle priced between the Wrangler and the Grand Cherokee. Until the car-based Compass and Patriot appeared for 2007, it was the smallest four-door Jeep SUV.
Bob Boniface designed it in 1998, with styling drawn from the Dakar and Jeepster concepts. It was the first Jeep with rack-and-pinion steering and the first with the two new PowerTech engines: a 2.4-litre four-cylinder with 150 hp (110 kW), dropped in 2006, and a 3.7-litre V6 with 210 hp (160 kW). It was not Jeep's first independent front suspension, since the Wagoneer used one in 1963, although that system came only on four-wheel-drive models and did not last. The Liberty also made the shortlist for 2002 North American Truck of the Year.
Jeep offered three trims at the start: the top Limited, a rugged-looking Renegade from midyear 2002 and the base Sport, each with two-wheel or four-wheel drive. The Sport had the 2.4 and a five-speed manual, with the V6, a diesel and automatics as options. The Renegade added the V6, ABS and fog lamps, and the Limited added an overhead vehicle information display and a power driver's seat. A facelift in July 2004 for the 2005 model year gave the Renegade and Rocky Mountain Edition a flat hood and a taller grille. In 2007 the Renegade became the Latitude, with a more urban look, and lost the special hood and grille.
Command-Trac and Selec-Trac four-wheel drive
The Liberty came with one of two four-wheel-drive transfer cases. Command-Trac is part-time: you leave it in two-wheel drive on the road and shift into 4-HI on slippery surfaces, which locks front and rear drive shafts together. Selec-Trac adds a full-time 4-HI setting with an open centre differential, which lets the axles turn at different speeds, a bit like a runner on the outside of a bend covering more ground than one on the inside. In equal grip it sends 52% of power to the rear and 48% to the front.
The 4-LO setting is often misunderstood. It does not add grip. It changes the gear ratio, multiplying torque by 2.72 times at the cost of a speed limit around 25 mph. Using either 4-HI or 4-LO on dry pavement strains the driveline and can cause wheel-hop.
Liberty CRD: the diesel experiment
In 2005 DaimlerChrysler began offering a diesel in North America to test the market, the first in a Jeep there since the 1987 Cherokee and Comanche. The 2.8-litre VM Motori common-rail turbodiesel, or CRD, reached buyers in 2005 and 2006 models only, in Sport and Limited form with an automatic gearbox. It sold 10,000 in its first calendar year, beating expectations. It made 160 hp (120 kW) and 295 lb ft (400 N.m), 60 lb ft more than the V6, with better fuel economy, but it added nearly 200 lb (91 kg), cost more and had less peak power. Five states with tougher emissions rules banned it: Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York and California. It ended after 2006 under stricter federal standards.
Abroad, early diesel Cherokees used a 2.5-litre VM Motori with 105 kW (143 PS; 141 hp) and 343 N.m, available only with a manual gearbox. A commercial Cherokee had a flat cargo floor and fixed body-coloured panels instead of rear glass, which let VAT-registered European buyers reclaim the tax. Egypt and Venezuela assembled the car as well as Toledo North.
The Avenger is the smallest Jeep, and the first to win European Car of the Year.
Jeep Liberty (KK): the boxy second generation
The Liberty (KK) arrived for 2008 after a debut at the 2007 New York Auto Show. It was more boxy and utilitarian than before, similar in look to the 2007 Dodge Nitro. By 2010 Jeep estimated that 70% of Liberty buyers were new to the brand. With the Compass and Patriot now serving fuel-conscious buyers, the four-cylinder diesel was dropped, and the iron-block 3.7-litre V6 with 210 hp became the only engine, with a 5,000 lb (2,268 kg) tow rating. Jeep discontinued the Liberty diesel for the American market, though a 175 hp 2.8-litre VM Motori diesel was sold in Europe from 2008 to 2010.
Every Liberty had stability control, roll mitigation, traction control and ABS as standard, and side airbags were new. The most distinctive option was the Sky Slider, a power roof of reinforced acrylic cloth that retracted to an opening 60 inches by 30 inches, the largest in its class. Jeep said it wanted to give buyers the open-air feel of earlier Jeeps with the rigidity of a sturdy frame. The 2009 car had stiffer rear axle shafts, retuned springs and dampers and a revised brake pedal ratio, and it dropped the six-speed manual. The 2011 model brought an interior like the new Grand Cherokee's and an optional rear camera.
Special editions piled up: the Renegade with Selec-Trac II from 2009 to 2011, the Latitude from 2010 to 2012, a 70th Anniversary Edition for 2011 with SINCE 1941 embossed inside, the Jet Edition in 2011 and 2012 and an Arctic Edition for 2012. In June 2012 Chrysler said Toledo North would shut on 21 August 2012 to prepare for the new Cherokee, and the last Liberty, a 2012 model, left the line on 16 August. The Cherokee arrived at the 2013 New York Auto Show. The Liberty was also caught in recalls: a steering column rivet in 2011, door lock noise in December 2011, active head restraints in 2013 and the Takata airbag campaign.
Jeep Commander: a third row on the Grand Cherokee
Jeep showed a concept called the Commander on the 1999 show circuit. It had a methanol fuel cell charging a battery pack, a motor on each axle and a suspension that rose 4 inches, and its styling influenced the third-generation Grand Cherokee. It was 8 inches wider than a Grand Cherokee, with three bucket seats in the second row. It had no relation to the production SUV.
The production Commander, the XK and its XH diesel export twin, made its debut at New York in 2005, seating five or seven. It was aimed at buyers who wanted a third row, and it was only two inches longer than a two-row Grand Cherokee, so it could be built on the same line. It shared the Grand Cherokee's unibody, independent front suspension and five-link live rear axle. It had an upright windshield and squared-off sides, and a stepped roof disguised by the roof rack, which let the rear rows sit higher than the front. Car and Driver picked the 2006 Commander over the 2006 Ford Explorer in a comparison in November 2005, and early reviews were good.
Standard equipment included stability control, traction control, roll mitigation, rear sensors, side curtain airbags and a full-size spare. Options ran from a 276-watt Boston Acoustics sound system and remote start to a Command View sunroof with two extra panels over the second row and a DVD system with a 9 in (229 mm) screen. Europe, Chile, South Africa and South Korea could buy a V6 diesel. Buyers chose among three four-wheel-drive systems. Quadra-Trac I was full-time on 3.7-litre cars, Quadra-Trac II added low range and a neutral for towing on V8s, and Quadra-Drive II added electronic limited-slip differentials and skid plates.
Commander trims and why it ended
The Commander came as Base or Sport (2006 to 2010) with a 3.7-litre V6 or 4.7-litre V8, then Limited (2006 to 2010) with a 4.7-litre or 5.7-litre Hemi V8 and leather. The Overland (2007 to 2009) added the 5.7 Hemi, navigation and leather-and-suede seats, while special editions included the 65th Anniversary (2006 only) and the Rocky Mountain (2007 to 2009).
Jeep discontinued the Commander after the 2010 model year. Chrysler named the 2011 Dodge Durango as its successor, built in Detroit at Jefferson North beside the 2011 Grand Cherokee. Soon afterwards Marchionne also said he did not know why people bought them. In 2017 Jeep showed a three-row plug-in hybrid concept for China called the Yuntu, based on the Cherokee (KL), and a three-row Cherokee called the Jeep Grand Commander went on sale in China only, with four-cylinder power.
Jeep Avenger: the small one
The Jeep Avenger is a subcompact (B-segment) crossover that Jeep has built since January 2023, mainly for Europe. It rides on the Common Modular Platform that it shares closely with the second-generation Peugeot 2008, sits below the Renegade, and is the smallest vehicle Jeep offers. The name has appeared before on Chrysler products, the Dodge Avenger of 1994 to 2000 and 2008 to 2014, and the Hillman Avenger of the 1970s.
Jeep presented it on 8 September 2022 and showed it at the Paris Motor Show that October. Underneath is the STLA Small platform, evolved from PSA's CMP (eCMP for the electric car), which also underpins the Peugeot 2008, Opel Mokka and DS 3 Crossback. Ground clearance is 200 mm (7.9 in), with a 20-degree approach angle and a 32-degree departure angle, and the car has Selec-Terrain drive modes (Normal, Eco, Sport, Snow, Mud and Sand) and Hill Descent Control. It is designed in Italy and made in Poland, sold in Europe with Turkey, Morocco, Japan and South Korea planned, and not sold in the United States, Canada or China. Jeep targeted 110,000 units a year.
Avenger EV, e-Hybrid and 4xe
The battery-electric Avenger came first and is the only version in most markets. A 400 V front motor from Emotors makes 156 PS (115 kW) and 260 N.m, and a 54 kWh battery gives a WLTP range of up to 400 km, or 550 km on the urban cycle. The e-Hybrid added in 2024 pairs a 1.2-litre turbo petrol with a 48 V mild-hybrid system and a 21 kW motor in a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Fuel consumption falls by 13% on the combined cycle and 28% in town against the petrol-only car, with CO2 at 111 g/km. Electric-only running is possible for as much as 1 km, and in city traffic the car spends more than half its time in full-electric mode.
A four-wheel-drive concept, the Avenger 4xe, appeared at the 2022 Paris show with fender wideners, tow hooks, a roof loading system and a 200 mm (7.9 in) lift. The production Avenger 4xe followed in February 2024 with a 1.2-litre mild hybrid and two 21 kW (28 hp; 29 PS) electric motors on the rear axle.
Judges at the Brussels Motor Show chose the Avenger as European Car of the Year for 2023, a first for Jeep. It took overall Electric Car of the Year and Best Electric City Car at the 2023 Top Gear Electric Awards, and Best Family SUV 2023 from Women's World Car of the Year.
Jeep's smaller and seven-seat SUVs side by side
| Model | Years | Class | Powertrains | Built |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty (KJ) | 2002 to 2007 | Compact SUV | 2.4 L four, 3.7 L V6, 2.8 L CRD diesel | Toledo North, Egypt, Venezuela |
| Liberty (KK) | 2008 to 2012 | Compact SUV | 3.7 L V6 (2.8 L diesel in Europe) | Toledo North, Egypt, Venezuela |
| Commander | 2005 to 2010 | Mid-size, three-row SUV | 3.7 L V6, 4.7 L V8, 5.7 L Hemi V8, V6 diesel in some markets | On the Grand Cherokee line |
| Avenger | 2023 onward | Subcompact crossover | Electric, 1.2 L mild hybrid, 4xe | Poland |
What replaced the Liberty and the Commander
The Liberty gave way to the new Cherokee in 2013, and the Commander to the Dodge Durango. The Avenger is the only one of the three still built. It remains unavailable in the United States, Canada and China, where Jeep instead sells a three-row Cherokee-based model under the Grand Commander name.
What each Jeep offers a buyer
A used Liberty KJ buyer should know the diesel was sold in North America for only two model years, and was banned in five states. The KK Liberty brought the Sky Slider roof and a V6-only range. A Commander buyer gets Grand Cherokee underpinnings with a third row, and the Quadra-Drive II system with skid plates on the best-equipped cars. The Avenger is a European purchase: electric with up to 400 km of WLTP range, or a mild hybrid with 200 mm of ground clearance.
