2010 Jeep Liberty

• Overall
• Prices
• Performance
• Exterior
• Interior
• Safety
• Reliability

Interior - What the Auto Press Says

The Jeep Liberty's five-seat interior is spacious enough, but largely disappoints reviewers in quality and available features. However, this is on par with other trail-rated vehicles, which often use materials that less refined, but easy to clean. For a more high-quality interior, consider the Suzuki Grand Vitara. It costs even less than the Liberty and boasts better fuel economy, although it's not as capable in off-road situations.

• "Liberty shares its basic design with the Dodge Nitro, and some cabin materials are a notch upscale of that SUV. Most of the interior, though, is shrouded in hard plastic with no soft-touch surfaces. It's appropriate for a ‘Trail-Rated' Jeep but trails most rivals for overall ambiance." -- Consumer Guide
• "A new two-tone instrument panel is supposed to engender a feeling of space; the four-gauge dial cluster features white graphics on a black background with orange pointers." -- New Car Test Drive
• "The Liberty is comfortable to sit in, albeit a little too rough and tumble for my taste once we started moving. I enjoyed the heated leather seats as well as the funky-looking carrying case for the owner's manual. It could easily double as a casual clutch (the purse, not the pedal!)." --Mother Proof

Seating

Reviewers find the Liberty's five-passenger cabin comfortable, though the rear seats are a bit cramped. Stain Repel, a stain-, odor- and static-resistant fabric, is standard on all trims. The Limited model gets standard heated front seats.

• "The interior has been completely redesigned, starting with the seats, which by appearance have more prominent bolstering than before." -- New Car Test Drive
• "In the backseat, there's another inch and a half of legroom thanks to the wheelbase stretch." -- Edmunds
• "Headroom and foot space [in the rear] are good, but legroom and knee clearance are tight. The door openings are very narrow at the bottom, making entry and exit a real chore." -- Consumer Guide

Interior Features

The Liberty has never been too generous with interior features, but it's improved over the years. Standard on the base model is air conditioning, an auxiliary audio input jack, remote keyless entry, a tilt steering column, power heated exterior mirrors, power windows and door locks, and Sirius satellite radio. The Limited model adds high-tech features including Chrysler's uConnect multimedia suite -- which features a 30-gigabyte hard drive for storing digital media and a navigation system with real-time traffic updates.

• "The gauges are large and easy to read. Most controls are clearly marked and logically placed. Note that there are buttons to govern the Uconnect wireless cell-phone link even if the vehicle is not equipped with that feature." -- Consumer Guide
• "On the more subtle side, this is the first Liberty to offer several handy features, including remote starting, rain-sensing wipers, memory seats and mirrors, and express up/down windows." -- New Car Test Drive

Cargo

The Liberty's cargo area, which is both reversible and waterproof, is on the small side for the class. The Liberty provides 31.5 cubic feet of space with all seats in place and 64.2 cubic feet with the second row folded down. By contrast, the Nissan Xterra provides more space (36.3 cubic feet) with all seats in use. The Honda CR-V provides considerably more space (72.9 cubic feet) with the second row folded down.

• "I appreciated how easy it is to fold down the rear seatbacks for additional cargo room. I did it with just one hand." -- MSN
• "A large hatch opening and cubic shape make the most of the available cargo space. Liberty shares the Nitro's available flat-folding front passenger seat, which is a boon to stowing longer items, but the Jeep does not offer Nitro's Load 'n Go roll-out cargo floor. " -- Consumer Guide
• "The Liberty's interior features a large floor console with cupholders, armrest and a storage area with a removable top tray." -- Cars.com