RE: Thinking about a new TV

[mikewilley]

 
We need to buy a new car and I am thinking about a Jeep Liberty.  Has 5K towing capacity.  Has anyone towed a PU with the Liberty?  I sure like the short wheel base (should make backing easier).  We will still have the Grand Caravan for when we need to take bulky cargo along with the trailer.
 
 Any feedback would be great.

[vjm1639]

 mikewilley
Don t know " how"  it towed...but coincidently, the people across from us on our last trip were towing a Sante Fe with a Liberty!  :>
 

[birol]

 vjm1639

 

ORIGINAL:  vjm1639
 
 Don t know " how"  it towed...but coincidently, the people across from us on our last trip were towing a Sante Fe with a Liberty!  :>
 
 

I also saw Liberty s towing 12  PU s. I said, no way I would do this ! They look so puny in front of a 12  PU. I wonder how it handles/drives ......

[LoadedCamera]

 mikewilley
Just remember that just because it says it can tow 5k, if your load is bigger than your TV, that makes for a bad day towing..
 
 The Liberty is a nice looking vehicle, but its such a short wheelbase, you may want to consider something a bit longer.
 
 I have a Dodge Dakota Quad Cab and it is very comfortable for the family and tows my 3000lb (when fully loaded) camper thru the Mountains of North Carolina with ease!  It s also a very good around town vehicle.
 
 Something in that area or style may serve you better without having to cause you to clench if ever climbing a highway up a mountain!  
 
 Just my .02 worth!

[labontefan]

 mikewilley
I had a 99 Jeep Cherokee when I bought my Coleman Utah. Although the Liberty replaced the Cherokee, it s smaller. I was not comfortable towing the Utah with the Jeep. It towed it, but it had to work at it. What really bothered me was that it had to work to stop it! [] The Utah has electric brakes, but the Jeep s brakes tended to chatter when I braked under load...such as going downhill.
 
 I loved my Jeep, but decided it just couldn t handle the Utah. I now have a 2003 Durango with full towing package and I love it! It pulls the Utah without breaking a sweat...and stops the Utah without ME breaking a sweat![]
 
 I checked Dodge s towing guide for the Durango. With a 3.55 axle ratio, the Durango can tow 4400 lbs. With a 3.92 axle ratio, it can tow 5700 lbs. Considering the Durango has a V8 and is quite a bit bigger than the Liberty, it makes the 5K towing capacity you mentioned sound a little optimistic. Where did that number come from?
 
 You can click on the Towing Guide link on this page to find the info I mentioned above:
 
 http://www.dodge.com/durango/index.html?context=homepage&type=top
 
 I m with LoadedCamera--go with something bigger than the Liberty.
 
 JMHO, of course!

[Poconohound]

 mikewilley
Hey Mike;
  We towed a 10  Palomino Pinto to Asheville NC w/ a Liberty approx. 3 wks ago. We had no problem whatsoever w/4 adults, 1 11yo, and 1 70 pd bassett in the back. Only time it struggled was going up one steep mt. on I40 that I would venture to say anybody w/anything in tow would struggle up. Previous t/v was a Jeep Cherokee 6 w/man. trans. In comparison the Liberty 3.7 (auto.) tows like a dream! The additional hgt. made it easier to see (over & around) and the auto. trans. is a thousand x s easier for backing. Only drawback is gas mileage isn t great; but that s true w.o. towing (wish they d given it a slightly larger gas tank). Obviously, would highly reccommend a sway bar; but overall was thrilled with it as a tow vehicle. At approx. 7 mos. already has 36 k. miles on it; only problems when a crankshaft sensor module went; oddly enuff friend s Mercedes SUV (3-4x s the price) was just replaced; so...I have no problem recommending the Lib; we re very happy w/it.
 
   best of luck in the hunt!
                 hound

[brainpause]

 mikewilley
Although the short wheel base might make for easier towing, the shorter wheel base vehicles increase the propensity for sway during highway speeds. You will travel hundreds of miles, compared to inches and feet while backing. Might wanna consider a little longer wheel base.
 
 Larry

[jawilson]

 mikewilley
I sure like the short wheel base (should make backing easier).
 ... as well as towing a lot harder. Short wheelbase vehicles are not ideal for larger PU s. I don t know how big the Santa Fe is but if it s a 12 foot box I think you might regret it. Now, if you re talking an 8 foot box then that s a different story.

[Catonsville Camper]

 mikewilley
I love my new Liberty!  We just got back from a 400 mile trip from Baltimore to upstate New York without any problems.  It accellerated just fine going up I81 through Pennsylvania.  I have a sway bar and I ran with the overdrive off.  Got about 16 mpg.  And I tested the set up without the sway bar and I don t recommend it.  The GTW of the Mesa is 3,450 lbs.
 
 One draw back is the Liberty has very little strorage space, but for us its just me, my DW and two dogs.

[popupcop]

 mikewilley
We recently sold our Ford Explorer in favor of a Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT.  The TB EXT is on a short wheelbase but full size truck chassis.  It has an inline six cylinder with higher torque than a small Ford V8.  We love the way it handles our 12 foot box Coleman.  I was never comfortable towing the PU with the Explorer and the Liberty is even smaller.  You can do it but you might not be as happy as you would be with a slightly larger TV...

[springer02]

 mikewilley
I m a little late chiming in, but the Liberty is a little deceptive in its design. If memory serves, it s only four or five inches shorter in wheelbase than the Grand Cherokee.
 
 Jeep does a better job that most other makers in taking wheelbase into account when setting tow capacities. Afterall, with the Wrangler, they re experts on short wheelbase. A Wrangler with essentially the same engine as a Grand Cherokee is rated for only 1,000 pounds, even though the Grand Cherokee with the engine gets a 5,000 lb rating. And rightly so.
 
 If they say 5,000 pounds for the Liberty, its a fair bet it can handle it.