DCX dumps diesel Liberty for '07

AP article discusses how Daimler-Chrysler will not be offering the turbodiesel Liberty after 2006. They claim that, despite sales which were stronger than expected, the turbodiesel Liberty was a niche product. According to Chrysler spokeswoman Dianna Gutierrez, "We couldn't make a credible business case for such an investment, especially for a limited production number of vehicles." DCX says they still plan to introduce a diesel-engined Grand Cherokee.

If the diesel powered Jeep Cherokee only gets 23mpg highway as previously reported then I will bet they will be dumping that one as well. A nearly 7000 lb V8 300HP/520TQ 4 wheel drive diesel pickup can get over 20mpg. Why can't DCX design an efficient diesel powered Jeep?

I just purchased a 2005 Liberty CRD pkg C 4x4 yesterday after hearing that they were going to discontinue it (and knowing that the Touareg is out of my price range).

It is a great vehicle, and it does get better mileage than the EPA estimates. On my drive from Wharton, TX to Woodlands, TX I got an average 31 MPG. I hope to have this Jeep for a very long time.

Sadly, I will be selling my Jetta TDI. I cannot justify having three vehicles and work on a new house. I needed something to tow with, and the Liberty CRD fits the bill.

Hopefully someday I will be able to get another TDI.

Hopefully they will still be available in Canada. There is no reason Canada should suffer the loss of a diesel vehicle just because of the US emission standards.

Not surprising at all.

There is not enough profit margin to make a CRD Liberty, if DCX fitted it with urea injection plus particulate filters plus whatever else to make it work. A Grand Cherokee has more room to play with, plus typically has more affluent buyers for the high level trims.

It is their obsession with the typical "Diesel must equal lots of torque" mentality of many of their customers. The engine they put in the Liberty was just too much for the vehicle at 2.8 Liters.

A smaller 4 cylinder diesel should have been used in order to get higher MPG and save on costs.

The choice of using the Liberty was just all wrong. The vehicle is just a cheap tin can (sorry to the person who just bought one). After having TDI's I could not settle for the Liberty and its less than impressive interior and lack of quality.

Liberty CRD production ended last month and the Grand Cherokee CRD is set to be introduced in the 1st quarter of 2007. The Liberty CRD sold approximately 11,000 units. This info is from our internal newsletter dated June 2 (I work for DCX in some capacity).

The 2007 model year Liberty and Dodge Nitro will have the diesel exported to Canada and Europe.

TDIdragon said:

I just purchased a 2005 Liberty CRD pkg C 4x4 yesterday after hearing that they were going to discontinue it (and knowing that the Touareg is out of my price range).

It is a great vehicle, and it does get better mileage than the EPA estimates. On my drive from Wharton, TX to Woodlands, TX I got an average 31 MPG. I hope to have this Jeep for a very long time.

Sadly, I will be selling my Jetta TDI. I cannot justify having three vehicles and work on a new house. I needed something to tow with, and the Liberty CRD fits the bill.

Hopefully someday I will be able to get another TDI.

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well now is a good time to sell, you should get decent money for it. i have 182k on mine and it runs great!!! i would say keep it and just have liability insurance but like i said, you should get good $$$$$ 4 it

I guess this means the experiment is over. The fact is that the liberty is a lower end model and as another poster stated they should have offered a smaller displacement diesel with greater fuel economy. A larger Diesel in the GC may work, but I doubt people are going to bite if it only gets 20 mpg or so. The only things it is good for at that point is pulling. For many people the SUV is the new minivan or family truxter if you will. With those types of customers in mind, they should be looking toward better fuel economy while still allowing for a decent towing capacity.

Some part of me wonders why auto mfg's just don't "get it". The combination of performance and economy is the diesel's strongest weapon in its arsenal. To produce a mediocre mileage diesel just doesn't make it. The Motorweek running road test only rated the Liberty in the 20's (freeway mileage). Reliabilty was good but it's just not enough. Our TDI's deliver phenonmenal mileage while maintaining acceptable (and better) performance. In today's inflated fuel cost environment, mileage is the new secret diesel weapon. Any auto mfg. that wants to capitalize on it might, must might, be able to convert a significant amount of people to the dark side. There are plenty of other obstacles so extreme mileage is not an option but an absolute necessity for any measure of success. Timing couldn't be better. As usual, JMHO...

Too bad Toyota hasn't added a Camry diesel. It would have seen the light very quickly. Most people don't want too much change.

TM

FlyTDI Guy said:

Some part of me wonders why auto mfg's just don't "get it". The combination of performance and economy is the diesel's strongest weapon in its arsenal. To produce a mediocre mileage diesel just doesn't make it. The Motorweek running road test only rated the Liberty in the 20's (freeway mileage). Reliabilty was good but it's just not enough. Our TDI's deliver phenonmenal mileage while maintaining acceptable (and better) performance. In today's inflated fuel cost environment, mileage is the new secret diesel weapon. Any auto mfg. that wants to capitalize on it might, must might, be able to convert a significant amount of people to the dark side. There are plenty of other obstacles so extreme mileage is not an option but an absolute necessity for any measure of success. Timing couldn't be better. As usual, JMHO...

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Perhaps in 2008 when the EPA plans to come out with revised, more realistic, testing, things will get better for diesels.

TM

Dick_Larimore said:

The 2007 model year Liberty and Dodge Nitro will have the diesel exported to Canada and Europe.

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I highly doubt that the Liberty and Nitro diesels will be avaiable in Canada since Canada follows current US EPA emissions regulations.

I want a Diesel powered mini-van that gets 35+ hwy mpg. Would settle for a nice SUV that could get that kind of hwy fuel economy. I don't really care for DC products though. Who knows, maybe Honda will start going all-out in a couple of years and bring a Diesel minivan. They are supposed to be bringing a 4-cyl diesel in 08.

FlyTDI Guy said:

Some part of me wonders why auto mfg's just don't "get it". The combination of performance and economy is the diesel's strongest weapon in its arsenal. To produce a mediocre mileage diesel just doesn't make it. The Motorweek running road test only rated the Liberty in the 20's (freeway mileage). Reliabilty was good but it's just not enough. Our TDI's deliver phenonmenal mileage while maintaining acceptable (and better) performance. In today's inflated fuel cost environment, mileage is the new secret diesel weapon. Any auto mfg. that wants to capitalize on it might, must might, be able to convert a significant amount of people to the dark side. There are plenty of other obstacles so extreme mileage is not an option but an absolute necessity for any measure of success. Timing couldn't be better. As usual, JMHO...

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As a previous A4 jetta tdi owner and and before that a 96 passat tdi owner I now own a 06 liberty CRD. I can tell you the build is every bit as good as the jetta and with just over 600 miles of all short trip city driving I've been getting over twenty MPG. The jetta was fine for just me driving lots of miles for work but my wife can't hold still and the jetta was not big enough for her. Some CRD owners have reported over 30 mps highway driving. That's close to some jetta automatic TDI's as I recall. I have always gotten more then the EPA rating on diesels and always less then the EPA rating for gassers.
DC expected to sell 5000 of the liberty experminent and only sold 11,000! At maybe 6000 miles per year mine should last me a long time.

Joe Romas said:

As a previous A4 jetta tdi owner and and before that a 96 passat tdi owner I now own a 06 liberty CRD. I can tell you the build is every bit as good as the jetta and with just over 600 miles of all short trip city driving I've been getting over twenty MPG. The jetta was fine for just me driving lots of miles for work but my wife can't hold still and the jetta was not big enough for her. Some CRD owners have reported over 30 mps highway driving. That's close to some jetta automatic TDI's as I recall. I have always gotten more then the EPA rating on diesels and always less then the EPA rating for gassers.
DC expected to sell 5000 of the liberty experminent and only sold 11,000! At maybe 6000 miles per year mine should last me a long time.

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Agreed. Our 05 has had ZERO problems. Its another adventure dealer-service wise, but its a great block even though 2.8 liters is a little much for 4 cylinders. With the way i drive, i usually get 42-45 mpg, even highway. I reliably get 27-28 in the CRD. Keep it to 65-70 and that jumps to over 30. 30mpg in that Jeep, which is a) really heavy and b) a total brick wall of aerodynamics is fantastic. Extraordinarily quiet on the highway as well! The 26mpg/highway rating on the liberty just isn't correct.

Oh, and its pretty darn fast.

Interior build quality isn't what VW is, but its solid overall. My only complaint is that it is small. Much larger than a Mk4 Jetta, but still cramped in the back. Not a huge deal when you only carry more than two people three times a year.

cevans

Yes - they said no Liberty CRD for 2007, but they are trading for another CRD in 2007. A Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD - http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=115598 It should go on sale in Feb 2007. Yea!

2FastDre.

no-blue-screen said:

I want a Diesel powered mini-van that gets 35+ hwy mpg. Would settle for a nice SUV that could get that kind of hwy fuel economy. I don't really care for DC products though. Who knows, maybe Honda will start going all-out in a couple of years and bring a Diesel minivan. They are supposed to be bringing a 4-cyl diesel in 08.

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Me too....the Volkswagen Caddy! Think of it as a Golf with a slightly larger rear end and a sliding side door (mini-mini-van). You can't tell me this wouldn't sell in North America! http://www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/newcaddy/

I love it.

I think a big mini-van (oxymoron?) with a smaller diesel would sell very well.

Its not the fact its a diesel, but that some people put a lot of miles on their vehicles.

Perhaps a hybrid would also be good for those that do more stop and go and city driving with their mini-vans, but most of us here would prefer the diesel's simplicity.

TM

Steve-o said:

AP article discusses how Daimler-Chrysler will not be offering the turbodiesel Liberty after 2006. They claim that, despite sales which were stronger than expected, the turbodiesel Liberty was a niche product. According to Chrysler spokeswoman Dianna Gutierrez, "We couldn't make a credible business case for such an investment, especially for a limited production number of vehicles."

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Uhhh, why did they even bother to build it in the first place?

Bad_Actor said:

Uhhh, why did they even bother to build it in the first place?

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Almost a direct quote from DCX: "Market experiment."

They wanted to test the waters for a diesel vehicle after 20 years of people spouting drivel about what a disaster the GM diesel engines were. Since they made the Liberty CRD here in the USA for export, it was an easy trick to plan a batch of 5,000 for two years of sales to test how buyers respond. They did that specifically before the emissions regulations got tighter, to see if it would be worth their time and money to R&D the necessary equipment to sell future diesel vehicles in the USA.

Put the example this way: You possibly want to market diesel vehicles in the future. A few years from this decision, new emissions regulations are going into effect that will make it much harder and more expensive to market these diesel vehicles. You don't know exactly how the public will respond to diesel vehicles, or whether they will purchase them with enthusiam at a certain price point. Two choices:
1. Test market diesel vehicles for two years when emissions regulations are easier to meet. Use the sales data from this experiment to determine if you want to spend the money and time to meet future emissions regulations.
2. Wait until after the new emissions regulations come into effect. Then don't develop the diesel engines and possibly miss out on big sales, or spend the R&D money to make the diesel engines and possibly have a huge flop on your hands because you don't know what the market will do.

Now you easily see why option 1 is better. If DCX decides their sales were good - and I think selling 11,000 when you planned for 5,000 are great sales numbers - they can have some confidence in making that R&D investment for future vehicles. This test very well might be the tipping point for a future management meetings deciding whether to sell diesels in the USA. Option 2 would leave risks that plenty of CEOs and CFOs wouldn't want to make, but now a marketing guy can do a powerpoint presentation about how well the Liberty CRD sold in their two year trial run and possibly sway some bean-counters into marketing future diesel vehicles.

I heard a high up at DCX on NPR yesterday commenting on fuel efficiency and he said that that they were moving towards hybrids & diesels. He also plugged ethanol & biodiesel as a means of reducing foreign oil dependence.

Sounds like the experiment went well and clears the way for more models.

I really feel that the "CRD Experiment" went especially well.

I have had my Jeep Liberty CRD for 4 days. I have put ~900 miles on it (1 1/2 tanks) in those 4 days. I have filled up twice, and I have gotten 31 MPG on the first tank and 28 MPG on the second (I took it "mudding").

The Liberty CRD is responsive, capable, powerful, and economical. I was considering a Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins for my needs, but it was too much truck, too much money, and not enough efficiency.

I needed something that was below $25K (used $21K), that could take me to my parents house in the Colorado Western Slope (4x4), haul anything (5000lb towing), highway capable (EPA 26 MPG), and Houston friendly (easy to manuver in tight situations). The Liberty CRD fits the bill perfectly.

I do not feel that it is an accurate reflection of the vehicle to compare it to the wonderful VW TDIs. The Jetta I own, the Jetta my bestfriend owns, and the Golf my mother owns are all in a category as far away from the Liberty CRD as a Mack and a Mercedes. They are capable in their own right. Now the Touareg and the Liberty are closer, but the Touareg is a much higher end diesel (read $35K+ sticker).

For some one begining out of college and loving economy, tourque, reliability, and capability the CRD is a great vehicle.

I hope that this experiment fruits many more diesel choices for those of us in the United States! It is time for us to catch up with the rest of the world.

[

quote=TomB]It is their obsession with the typical "Diesel must equal lots of torque" mentality of many of their customers. The engine they put in the Liberty was just too much for the vehicle at 2.8 Liters.

A smaller 4 cylinder diesel should have been used in order to get higher MPG and save on costs.

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I have to disagree. I think they did understand exactly what people wanted. What do most people say about diesels....slow, noisy, smelly. When they come out with a Liberty that is quick, quiet and more effiecient than its v6 gas counterpart people notice. I just wish they would have built that full size jeep that they toyed with that had the cummins in it. I would own one of those.

DCX will also be getting the VW diesel in the Caliber for 08. I hate to see the Liberty CRD go, as we have sold quite a few and no problems with any of them (other than the lady that was on vacation and filled up w/ gas) At least she didnt start it!!!

bradp said:

DCX will also be getting the VW diesel in the Caliber for 08. I hate to see the Liberty CRD go, as we have sold quite a few and no problems with any of them (other than the lady that was on vacation and filled up w/ gas) At least she didnt start it!!!

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While I am/was overjoyed when I first heard that Jeep was going to bring the VM CRD to the US, I was less then impressed with the result.

Hopefully the Caliber will be better. I test drove a Jeep CRD last year with the idea I would buy that same day... 'till I drove it. I just thought that for a vehicle in 2005 it was a noisy and uncomfortable vehicle. We ran the (warmed up) Jeep next to my 2003 Cummins that I drove to the dealership and could be heard over the Dodge. It was also significantly louder to my ears at highway speed as well. And seeing as the price was almost as high as I spent for my slightly used 4wd Cummins crew cab, I thought it wasn't that good a deal either.

I'm not negative on the Jeep, just disappointed that we couldn't have got a more refined version for the money. After driving/riding in several Euro diesels I guess my standards may be too high...

Hopefully the future DCX offerings will be more refined.

bradp said:

DCX will also be getting the VW diesel in the Caliber for 08.

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testy_SOB said:

While I am/was overjoyed when I first heard that Jeep was going to bring the VM CRD to the US, I was less then impressed with the result.

Hopefully the Caliber will be better.

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If the VW PD TDI engine can't pass emissions in a VW vehicle, what in the world makes you think that Dodge can some up with some quick fix? Those Caliber TDI vehicles will be for the worldwide market (read: everywhere BUT the USA), not for domestic sale. I don't even know if they will sell in Canada, given that Canada typically follows USA emissions laws.

DC needs to sell Jeep to someone who knows what a Jeep is.

The liberty might be a nice car, but it doesn't have the abilities of a true Jeep. Jeep is a small niche. It needs management that knows how to make money in a small niche, not management that wants to be number 1 in everything.

True there is more money in the latter, but it leave the niche behind, and Jeep was always the niche, so why destroy that - it isn't hard to create a new brand if you want (Saturn did. I don't recall KIA when I was a kid), so why leave a niche that your brand owns for a larger niche that anyone could get?

Sorry about the rant, but once in a while I want a real 4 wheel drive, and when I do it bothers me that nothing fits. (A diesel in a real 4 wheel drive is a perfect fit though)