Jeep Liberty (KK) Details, Photos and Videos

The Jeep Liberty (KK), or Jeep Cherokee (KK) outside North America, is a compact SUV that was produced by Jeep. Introduced for the 2008 model year as a successor for the first generation Liberty. The Liberty featured unibody-construction. It was assembled at the Toledo North Assembly Plant in the United States, as well as in other countries including Egypt and Venezuela. In 2010 estimates by Jeep were that 70% of Liberty buyers were new to the marque. The second generation Liberty ceased production on August 16, 2012. For its followup, the name of Liberty was retired; the next generation restored the name of "Cherokee". The model remains on sale in Venezuela as of early 2016 having yet to be replaced by FCA Venezuela with the KL model Cherokee.

The Jeep Liberty received a complete redesign for the 2008 model year with a more boxy and utilitarian look, like that of the 2007 Dodge Nitro, the latter of which lasted until its final production in December 2011. The 2008 Liberty debuted at the 2007 New York International Auto Show.

With the smaller Patriot and Compass crossover SUVs now available to cater to MPG-conscious buyers, the four-cylinder engine was dropped from the Liberty's offerings. The iron-block, aluminum-head V6 was the only engine available for 2008. Towing capacity was 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg). Jeep discontinued the Liberty CRD for the American market because it couldn't meet tougher 2007 emissions standards for diesel engines. Transmission choices were both carry-overs: a six-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. Standard equipment included electronic stability control with roll mitigation, traction control, and anti-lock brakes with brake assist. New Features included standard side airbags. Optional features are rain-sensing wipers, Sirius Satellite Radio, Bluetooth, a navigation system, and the MyGig entertainment system, complete with a 30GB hard drive.

Two models were offered at rollout: Sport and Limited. Wheel choices were 16-, 17- and 18-inch (460 mm). Among the more distinctive features was the Sky Slider, a power roof made from “reinforced acrylic cloth” that opens over the front and rear seats. The Sky Slider opens up to 60 inches (1,500 mm) by 30 inches (760 mm), which was the largest opening in its class. Jeep claimed that the idea behind the Sky Slider was to give consumers the open-air feeling from previous Jeep models while maintaining the rigidity and safety of a sturdy frame.

The 2009 Liberty was relatively unchanged from the 2008 models with the exception of stiffer rear axle shafts and retuned springs, shocks, anti-roll bars, steering gear valve, low rollback brake calipers and a revised brake pedal ratio. The six-speed manual transmission was dropped, and the four-speed automatic was now standard.

Throughout its five-year production run, the Liberty KK was available in two basic trim levels:

The Sport served as the base model. It was well-equipped, and included the following standard features: a 3.7L Powertech V6 engine producing 210 horsepower, a six-speed manual transmission (later, an automatic transmission became standard equipment), air conditioning, an AM/FM stereo with a single-disc CD/MP3 player and 3.5-millimeter auxiliary audio input jack, a four-speaker sound system (later, a six-speaker sound system became standard equipment), sixteen-inch tires and alloy wheels, power windows and door locks, keyless entry, cloth seating surfaces, a split-folding rear seat, among other standard equipment. Options such as the Sky-Slider fabric sunroof, UConnect hands-free Bluetooth phone with A2DP wireless stereo audio streaming capabilities, remote audio system controls mounted on the steering wheel, an automatic transmission (this later became standard equipment), darkened sixteen-inch alloy wheels, a full-sized spare tire and wheel, and other options were all available options on this trim level.

The Limited served as the "up-level" trim level. It added the following features to the base Sport trim level: an automatic transmission, UConnect hands-free Bluetooth phone and A2DP wireless stereo audio streaming capabilities, voice command for phone, satellite radio, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with remote audio system controls, a six-speaker sound system, a power front driver's seat, a security system, seventeen-inch tires and alloy wheels, a full-sized spare tire and wheel, dual-zone climate controls, and a vinyl rear cargo shade, among other standard equipment. Options such as leather-trimmed seating surfaces, heated power dual front bucket seats, an eight-speaker premium sound system with subwoofer from Infinity, a touch-screen sound system, the Sky-Slider fabric sunroof, eighteen-inch chrome-clad alloy wheels mounted on all-season tires, and other options were all available options on this trim level.

The Liberty KK was also offered in several different Special Edition models:

The Renegade, offered from 2009 to 2011, added standard four-wheel-drive, the Selec-Trac II full-time four-wheel-drive transfer case, darkened sixteen-inch alloy wheels with all-terrain tires, U Connect hands-free Bluetooth phone and A2DP wireless stereo audio streaming capabilities, voice command for phone, satellite radio, remote audio system controls on the steering wheel, unique seat fabrics, a full-sized spare tire and wheel, and a black hood decal to the base Sport trim level.

The Arctic Edition, offered only for 2012, added unique cloth seating surfaces, a full-sized spare tire and wheel, darkened sixteen-inch alloy wheels, UConnect hands-free Bluetooth phone with A2DP wireless stereo audio streaming capabilities, voice command for phone, satellite radio, remote steering wheel-mounted audio system controls, and unique embroidery on both front seatbacks, to the base Sport trim level.

The Latitude, offered from 2010 to 2012, added eighteen-inch chrome-clad alloy wheels mounted on all-season tires, cloth seating surfaces with vinyl accents, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with remote audio system controls, U Connect hands-free Bluetooth phone and A2DP wireless stereo audio streaming capabilities, voice command for phone, satellite radio, and a chrome front grille to the base Sport trim level.

The 70th Anniversary Edition, offered only for 2011, added unique alloy wheels, unique 70th Anniversary Edition emblems on both front doors, unique leather-trimmed seating surfaces available in two unique color schemes, a touch-screen sound system, a premium eight-speaker sound system with subwoofer from Infinity, heated front bucket seats, and dual power front bucket seats to the "up-level" Limited trim level.

The Jet Edition was a trim package offered on both the base Sport and the "up-level" Limited trim levels (the Sport Jet Edition was discontinued after 2011), and was available in 2011 and 2012. It added unique chrome-clad alloy wheels, power front bucket seats, unique seat trim, and special Jet emblems to the base trim levels they were based on. The Limited Jet Edition added dual heated front bucket seats, leather-trimmed seating surfaces with Axis perforated suede microfiber inserts, a touch-screen sound system, a premium eight-speaker sound system with subwoofer from Infinity, the Sky-Slider fabric sunroof, among other options to the "up-level" Limited trim level.

Chrysler Group LLC announced in June, 2012 that the Toledo North Assembly Plant in Toledo, Ohio, where the Liberty is manufactured, will shut down on August 21, 2012 temporarily in order to prepare for the launch of the new compact CUV Jeep vehicle, the Jeep Cherokee. Production will start in late spring 2013, following the introduction of the new Cherokee at the 2013 New York Auto Show in April 2013. The final 2012 Liberties were produced on August 16, 2012 as 2012 models in the U.S. and as 2013 models in Mexico. The new Jeep Cherokee is based on the platform of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and the Dodge Dart, both of which were introduced in recent years.

347,000 vehicles are recalled for the rear control arms rusting and breaking: possibly causing crashes and possible deaths, according to the NHTSA

Since it was redesigned in 2002[disputed – discuss] to the time it was discontinued and replaced by the Cherokee KL in 2012, the Liberty KK found its way into rental car fleets, most vehicles being base-model Sport models in 2WD or 4WD.

Many government and police fleets also used the Liberty KK. The models were base-model Sport models with 4WD.

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