'08 Liberty

[RickM]

I've been looking at the new 08 Liberty or the KK.

After seeing one, I'm seriously considering trading in my 04 Liberty Sport.

There are several things that I like better about the 08.

1. It has a LOT more room in the rear cargo area, or at least it appears that way.

2. I am 6'2" tall, and when I drive my current 04 Liberty, I drive it with the seat all the way back. In that position, I cannot comfortably get it, or sit behind the drivers seat. In the 08, I can comfortably drive it without having the seat all the way back, and when the drivers seat is in that position, I can comfortably get in, and sit behind the drivers seat. Without seeing specs, I believe there is a LOT more rear seat room.

3. The front passenger seat will fold down flat, and has a tray on the back of it. As a broadcast engineer, I can think of a lot of reasons to use that.. i.e. sitting a laptop computer there while taking signal strength readings etc.

4. The rear seats will fold down flat, without taking the head rests off. My 04 won't do that, and I don't think they fold completely flat anyway.

5. I like the rear lift-gate rather than the door swinging across. It just seems like it would be easier to load items in and out of the cargo area. Also, the rear glass will lift open, without lifting the rear lift-gate.

6. I really like the looks of the 08. Without looking at specs, it looks to be a lot wider and longer than my 04.

Things I don't necessarily like about the 08:

1. I really don't like the color keyed fender flares and bumpers. I liked the gray color and finish on my 04 much better, they just seem to look more rugged to me.. I don't know how to explain it, I just don't like the painted flares and bumpers on the 08.

2. The interior looks really cheap. I've looked at several other new cars, especially Chrysler products, and they all look that way. I like the finish on the dash on my 04 better. It just looks more rugged.

I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this or not but.... the 08 Liberty has a lifetime warranty on the engine, transmission, and drivetrain. The only drawback to that is that you have to have a free inspection done each 5 years at a Jeep dealer to keep the warranty valid. That doesn't sound too unreasonable to me, it's free.

That may be one reason for the little tube sticking up that I saw under the hood of the 08. It had a little cap on it that said "For Dealer Use Only". It appeared to be where the dipstick for the transmission is normally located. I asked the sales guy where to check transmission fluid, and he said he believed it was a sealed transmission.

I used the "Get a quote from the dealer" button on Jeeps website. Within 3 minutes the dealer was calling me on the phone. He's offering about $1,500 off, but I'm tellin him that I want 0 down, and 0% interest. We'll see what he comes up with.

 

[RickM]

One other item that I liked about the 08 that I forgot to mention.

There is a little hidden compartment below the cargo area in the back. I can think of a lot of things to put in that, tow strap, cargo strap, flashlight, blanket, etc. etc.

 

[_UnLiMiTeD_]

the 08 has some improvements but i dont like the looks, looks to fancy to go off roading in from the outside. And i still think that front end is going to have some scraping issues when offroading.

The most annoying one for me is the hood not using gas shocks to hold it up and went back to that stupid hood prop

 

[desertkj]

If you get it, I believe you will be the first KK on the site.

 

[hyde]

There isn't much of a difference in the cargo area, that's why you have more space on rear passenger area (leg room).
Otherwise, I did a test drive on a KK and it drives very nice, feels much like higher end luxury SUV. I haven't felt the ruggedness, because of softer suspension and steering.

 

[RickM]

I also noticed that the hood did not have the gas struts to keep it open. I thought that was sort of dumb not to put them on. Do you think the hood is too heavy for the struts? It appears to be quite a bit larger than my KJ.

I think there's quite a bit more room in the cargo area. I had the rear gate of mine opened beside the 08 and there appears to be quite a bit more cargo area.

 

[hyde]

No struts? That's really stupid!

 

[Marlon_JB2]

No struts? That's really stupid!

Cost cutting. There is no other reason. Those struts are more costly than a rod.

 

[hyde]

So you gotta stick one of them thin metals to keep it up?

 

[desertkj]

I would actually prefer the metal stick over the pneumatic struts. I just had to replace those and it wasn't exactly cheap.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

Metal stick gets in the way. Thanks for reminding me of another reason to stay away from the KK. I kinda need it, lol.

 

[_UnLiMiTeD_]

trust me, those hoods on that KK are not light at all. I was shocked when i was going to lift the hood and couldnt beleive it was so heavy! Definately a dumb decision to take away those hood struts, i can tell you my gf wouldnt be able to lift up that hood. Being short and small built with no help getting the hood to open would be a big challenge for her.

 

[RickM]

If you get it, I believe you will be the first KK on the site.

I guess I'm a first, traded in my 04 KJ for an 08 KK today. So far I like it really well.

The one I got is Red Rock Pearl Coat. I think that's what they call the color.

Looks similar to this:

You must be registered for see images

 

[Dave]

I guess I'm a first, traded in my 04 KJ for an 08 KK today. So far I like it really well.

The one I got is Red Rock Pearl Coat. I think that's what they call the color.

Looks similar to this:

You must be registered for see images

Rick...congrats. I think you are the first on the board with a KK. I like that red color. I looked at one the other day and on the sticker they showed an additional charge - $295 I think it was for it.

Anyway, you'll have to start a post on how you like it and how it compares to the KJ you had.

Dave

 

[RickM]

Thank you Dave. I will try to post some comparisons as I drive it more.

You are correct, the paint is called Red Rock Crystal Pearl Coat and is a $225 option on the invoice.

The KK that I bought is a Sport and other than the paint listed above, it has

Customer Preferred Package 28B (whatever that is)

Trailer Tow Class III Group
Trailer Sway Control (whatever that is)
Heavy Duty Engine Cooling
Full Size Spare Tire
Matching Spare Wheel (the rim on the spare is an alloy rim, the same as the others)
Class III Receiver Hitch
7 Pin Wiring Harness
7 - to - 4 Pin Wiring Adapter ( and adapter plug)

Skid Plate Group
Tow Hooks
Transmission Skid Plate
Fuel Tank Skid Plate Shield
Front Suspension Skid Plate

Popular Equipment Group
Fold Passenger-Side Fold-Flat Seat ( I really love this feature)
Luxury Front and Rear Floor Mats
Cargo Compartment Cover
Temperature and Compass Guage
Auxillary 115-Volt Power Outlet (this is cool for laptops, and games)
Fog Lamps (these things are kick-ass, I used them tonight)
Side Roof Rails
Speed Control
6 Speakers (the sound is a drastic improvement over my KJ)
Deep Tint Sunscreen Glass

4 Speed Automatic Transmission
Hill Descent Control (whatever that is)
3.73 Axle Ratio

The sticker price was $25,643. We got it for $23,700. Not sure if that's good or bad, but it wasn't a lot more than I paid for my KJ, when I figure I paid almost $22,000 for it, then had the dealer add factory skid plates and trailer hitch.

I have only driven it home, to town and back, then to the gym and back tonight, so I haven't put a lot of miles on it yet or spent a lot of time in it.

Things I really like so far:

1. The radio and 6 speaker sound is a huge improvement over my KJ. I like the radio controls a lot better also. With my KJ, I was tring to rest my hand on the dash while pushing buttons on the radio, and was always accidently turning on the 4-way flashers. That's not gonna happen with the KK. Radio Controls are much better, and the flasher button is moved to the bottom of the dash.

2. There is an Auxilliary input to plug in your IPod or MPeg player.

3. The center console is wide enough for two people to rest their arm on it. I was always fighting with my passenger for elbow space on the KJ. There is also a removable tray in the console that seems like a nice feature, especially if you take your car to a car wash. You can remove the valuables by lifting out the tray and taking it with you. The tray has a coin holder in it.

4. There are lots of lights on the interior. If you recall, there isn't a lot of lighting in the KJ, that's changed now. Besides the normal two lights in the front, there are individual lights for both sides in the rear seat, and also a cargo area light.

5. Power window controls are now back on the doors where they belong. This will be much better for rear seat passengers.

6. The dash has a tray in it, so that you can set things in the tray. The bottom of the tray is a rubber material to keep things from sliding around. That's one thing that always annoyed me on the KJ, I could never set anything on the dash.

7. There is a storage area to the lower left of the steering wheel. Sort of neat for putting things into while you're driving.

8. The rear cargo area appears to be larger. It sits up a LOT higher, that's for sure. There is a lift up storage area beneath the cargo area, sort of like having a trunk, but not that big.

9. The 115 volt power outlet is a nice feature. There is also a switch on the dash to turn it on/off.

10. There is a LOT less wind and road noise, I was impressed. My KJ had a lot of road and wind noise that the KK doesn't have. It's much quieter. Also, the KJ seemed to have tire or transmission whine at highway speeds that the KK doesn't have.

11. The KK rides a lot smoother, but is still stiff enough to let you know it's a Jeep. Don't know how to explain that, but it's a nice ride on the highway. The dealer we purchased it as was about 45 miles away. Driving it home was enjoyable. It didn't take a lot of getting used to, the ride was nice. It seems like you are sitting up a lot higher in the KK vs the KJ.

12. There seems to be more rear leg room. That's nice, but my daughter pointed out to me that there is a bit less foot room in the rear.

13. The fog lights are really nice and bright. I ran them tonight with low beams and the lights were very bright, especially up close to the front of the vehicle.

14. I like the rear lift gate with the flip-up glass. It seems a lot easier to use than the swing out gate on the KJ.

15. I think I like the spare under the vehicle and out of the way. I had a problem getting my trailer on and off of the trailer hitch on my KJ, when I bought new tires that were one size larger.

Things I don't like or will take some getting used to:

1. The seats sit higher or something, and I have to bend my head over to get into the KK. I'm sure it's just a matter of getting used to it, but I didn't have that problem on the KJ.

2. Not sure about the lights yet. On low beam with the fog lights, they are really nice and bright. Without the fog lights or on high beam... well, I don't know how to explain it. They are certainly different than the KJ. They are bright, but don't seem to have a lot of light up close to the front of the vehicle on either low or high beam. Can't explain it, but it's different, that's for sure.

I'll post more later as I get time.

Rick M

Guess I need a new Tag Line saying '08 KK Sport Rock Red Crystal............ LOL

 

[RickM]

Another nice thing I discovered about the radio. It does RDS, or Radio Data System. That means if the radio station you are listening to is transmitting RDS, you can get the station Callsign, Slogan, Song title and artist, etc. This was not on my KJ Sport, but I did see it on a KJ Limited with premium sound. The stock radio in this KK Sport is very nice.

 

[Corwyyn]

In answer to a couple of your comments:
(this is from a Jeep Commander website)
Trailer Sway Control is another new feature that will be offered on vehicles equipped with trailer tow packages. Trailer Sway Control reduces trailer sway (an alternating yaw of the vehicle) and improves handling in adverse towing conditions caused by crosswinds and traffic, provides trailer stability and increases towing safety. The system monitors the vehicle’s movement relative to the driver’s intended path, and the vehicle yaw sensor recognizes sway. Trailer Sway Control applies brake pressure on one front wheel to counteract the yaw induced by the trailer and applies brake pressure to all four wheels to slow the vehicle. As the trailer sways to the other side of the vehicle, Trailer Sway Control will increase pressure to the opposite side of the vehicle. The system will continue to apply alternating brake pressure and reduce engine torque until the trailer is under control.

Hill Descent control allows a smooth and controlled hill descent on rough or slippery terrain without the driver needing to touch the brake pedal. This system applies the brakes to each wheel individually when needed to reduce forward motion while negotiating down steep grades.

I hear the hill descent is really cool, but I prefer to have my foot on the brake and do my own control, thank you very much As for the trailer sway control, the first time that kicked in I'd be all 'WTF!?!?! Is my Jeep possessed?'

 

[RickM]

Thanks for the info on Trailer Sway Control. I have not read that in the owners manual yet.

By the way, the owners manual is 492 pages long, and comes in a neat little canvas case that is colored olive drab, and has a leather Jeep logo sewn on it.

I guess the Trailer Sway Control is similar to the Electronic Stability Program. I think it applies the brakes to bring the vehicle under control. However, there is a button on the bottom of the dash to turn off the Electronic Stability Program.

The book says that Trailer Sway Control is turned off when you turn off the Electronic Stability Program.

I notice the KK comes standard with 4 wheel anti-lock brakes. That was an option on the KJ, I believe.

I found the Hill Descent in the owners manual. I can't wait to try this out. It says it will maintain 1 MPH in 1st gear, 3 MPH in 2nd gear, 7.5 MPH in Drive, 3 MPH in Neutral and 1 MPH in reverse. This is just way too cool. You never have to apply the brakes yourself.

The KK also has Hill Ascent Control. You can take your foot off the brake when on an incline of 7% or more and it will maintin the brake for you until you begin accelerating. There is a way to turn it off also, but it looks pretty complicated..

 

[RickM]

One thing that I noticed that I do not like at all...

the door seal plates are made of a very light gray color. Just getting in and out of the vehicle a couple of times, and I already see black scuff marks on the plastic. Whoever came up with that color for the door scuff plates is crazy.

Howver, didn't they sell some optional brushed aluminum plates for the KJ? Maybe they will offer some for the KK also.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

One thing that I noticed that I do not like at all...

the door seal plates are made of a very light gray color. Just getting in and out of the vehicle a couple of times, and I already see black scuff marks on the plastic. Whoever came up with that color for the door scuff plates is crazy.

Howver, didn't they sell some optional brushed aluminum plates for the KJ? Maybe they will offer some for the KK also.

Blame Daimler.

Glad you are enjoying your Jeep. The lighting improvements actually started with the KJ. The ESP OFF button doesn't actually turn the ESP off, it just turns it down a bit. If you want to completely disable it, pull the ABS fuse.

Now how about some real pics? lol3.gif