2005 Jeep Liberty in Voorhees, New Jersey

The Jeep Liberty offers a good balance for someone who enjoys the outdoors. Day in and day out, it takes the place of a car or wagon. The Liberty seats four comfortably and can carry up to five people and their gear. Fold the rear seats and it can move two people and some serious cargo. Turn off the pavement and it's able to negotiate most trails with confidence.

True to Jeep heritage, the Liberty offers legitimate off-road capability. In this respect, it stands apart from the herd of compact sport-utility vehicles, few of which offer true off-road capability. The Liberty gives up some refinement and road agility to do this. On the road, it does not ride or handle as well as some of the other small SUVs. But the Liberty is among the best of the small sport-utilities for drivers who need serious off-road capability on the weekend yet need practicality and affordability during the week.

For 2005, the Liberty gets a new engine and two new transmissions. With the addition of an advanced, 2.7-liter common-rail diesel engine, Jeep becomes the first midsize SUV available with a diesel engine in the U.S. The Diesel is backed by a five-speed overdrive automatic transmission. A new, six-speed manual transmission replaces the previous five-speed manual.