Jeep Liberty vs Jeep Wrangler

The Jeep Liberty is an off-road-ready compact SUV with the heart and soul of the brand’s much heartier vehicles. It’s able to climb, crawl, and wade through much stiffer terrain than its tiny size would suggest, and makes use of four-wheel drive and a solid rear axle to get through the tough stuff.

The Liberty is targeted at new-car buyers that want a rugged and capable SUV to take where more pedestrian vehicles just can’t go. It competes with the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Subaru Forester. Jeep offers the Liberty in just two trim levels: Jeep Liberty Sport and Jeep Liberty Limited. Though it slots below models like the Grand Cherokee, the Liberty carries much of the same styling and off-roading attitude as those pricier models.

A single engine is available for the 2007 model year: A 3.7-liter V6 that produces 210 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque. Power hits the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission by default, but four-wheel drive and a four-speed automatic gearbox are available.

Verdict: The Jeep Wrangler is still one of the best off-roading vehicles available, and the 4xe's plug-in hybrid powertrain offers fuel-saving capability, along with plenty of low-end, all-electric torque. While still a bit of a bear to drive on paved roads, few vehicles offer the sort of style and rugged performance that a Wrangler 4xe does.

The Jeep Wrangler has been the star of the off-roading show for decades, only recently facing real competition in the form of the Ford Bronco. Now five years into its fourth generation, the venerable Wrangler gets a mid-cycle refresh that focuses on technology, safety, and refinement—with just a splash of upgraded capability thrown in for good measure.