FAQs
The Jeep Liberty CRD makes great sense for someone who needs to tow as much as 5,000 pounds or who needs to travel difficult terrain. Most consumers, however, would be better off in something else.
How badly does the Jeep Liberty CRD pollute that it can’t be sold in California?
According to the EPA, the Jeep Liberty CRD rates 1 on a scale from 1 to 10 for smog-forming pollutants, with 10 being cleanest. This is because the U.S. and the petroleum industry have been dragging their collective feet on mandating cleaner-burning, low-sulfur diesel fuel, like that used in Europe. In its defense, Jeep rolls the Liberty CRD out of the Toledo, Ohio, factory with five-percent bio-diesel fuel sloshing around in the tank, made from locally-grown soybeans. This is known as B5 fuel, which is not widely available outside of major soybean-production locations – like the flat farmland of Ohio. However, in 2006, Minnesota requires B2 – two-percent biodiesel – to be used in all diesel fuel pumps statewide. Yah sure, dey’ve got ya covered. Is the Liberty CRD’s increased fuel economy worth the environmental trade-off, and how does it compare to a hybrid SUV using conventional gasoline?
Since the Jeep Liberty CRD undercuts a Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD by about four grand, you might be inclined to get one and enjoy the benefits of a true 4WD system. However, the spread between the two in terms of real-world fuel economy is 6.5 mpg in favor of the Ford, and the Escape Hybrid gets a big, fat, yellow smiley face from the EPA with air pollution scores between 7 and 9 (depending on region). The Escape can travel 133 more miles on the Liberty’s 20.5-gallon tank of fuel – more if you operate mainly on the batteries in heavy traffic – and with diesel hovering around three bucks a gallon, that adds up to an extra $21.61 every week with the Jeep, or just more than $1,100 a year. After four years, the Escape Hybrid becomes the better value, and it’s barely adding to that brown muck hanging over your suburb. So if the 2005 Jeep Liberty CRD is dirtier and less fuel-efficient, who would buy it?
The Jeep Liberty CRD makes great sense for someone who needs to tow as much as 5,000 pounds or who needs to travel difficult terrain. Most consumers, however, would be better off in something else.
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