5th Oct 2004, 13:03

Also getting horrible gas mileage on my 2004 Jeep Liberty. About 12.5/17 tops on highway. What can be done when you depend on the manufacturer to make an accurate representation and they don't? Very unpleased!

-mhammond@standard.com.

19th Oct 2004, 11:15

I purchased my Jeep Liberty Sport in February 2004. So far I am pleased with the handling of the vehicle; however, I am very unpleased with the gas mileage I am receiving. I travel 5 miles each way to work and average 16 miles per gallon. I do agree that once the engine gets broken in it does seem to get better, but compared to other SUVs the miles per gallon still seems low. At how many miles do they consider the engine broken in? Hopefully I will be reaching that peak, as gas prices just continue to rise.

1st Nov 2004, 22:08

With regards to your comments on breaking in the engine to get better gas mileage, I purchased a 1999 wrangler with 40,000 kms, (~ 25,000 miles) and am quite shocked that I am using 25.63 litres per 100 kms. this is more than double the estimate by the manufacturer. my garage claimed that it is impossible, they checked it and is surprised, I am now looking into the entire engine. I have a 6 cyl. 4 litre engine. automatic.

2nd Nov 2004, 09:09

My Jeep Liberty was purchased in Aug. 2004. I am very disapointed with the few miles I get to a tank full of gas. I have only driven my Jeep short distances; a 5 min drive to the kids school, a 10 min drive to work. All short jaunts around town and it's going through gas so quickly.

The brakes squeal when I stop slowly like at the end of my driveway before proceeding onto the highway I live off of.

There are a few other quirks I am slowly getting used to that I find so different from my 'dear old toyota4runner' that I had to part with after 10 yrs. But my main complaint is the gas consumption of this vehicle. It's very disappointing for a new vehicle to be such a gas guzzler when prices are through the roof anywhere you go these days.

17th Nov 2004, 08:07

I have to say I am very surprised! Yes, I know I live in Central Africa, where one doesn't know from one minute to the next whether there's going to be fuel available, so we in these conditions tend to be very aware of fuel issues (cost is the lesser problem, just worry about availability) but seriously, you can't expect a vehicle that's shaped like a brick and has a 3.7l petrol engine, especially with an auto gearbox (along with all the slipping that occurs) to be an economical runner.

Now... I am trying to obtain a new 2005 2.8 CRD at the moment (in Africa it's still called the Cherokee). The modern CRD engine is likely to produce a better performance and will definitely exhibit much better economy than the petrol, but it's still a 2.8 l engine, so whilst I'm expecting reasonable consumption, it's not a Mini-Moke. By the way I have test driven the vehicle (manual and auto) and I have to report that it really is a strong performer (engine and 4x4 ability) both off-road and acceleration on road (haven't done a run in it, so can't comment on overall speed - only a 4x4 trial).

If I do manage to get one, and I decide to run it at speeds of over 120 km/h, I really don't expect the brick-like shape to give me any spectacular fuel consumption, but it will still be better than the old petrol!

18th Nov 2004, 19:16

The Jeep Liberty is a nearly 4,000lb. vehicle, is equipped with 4WD, the 3.7 liter engine puts out 210 hp.

You can't expect economy car mpg especially in stop and go driving.

Drive with a light foot, avoid fast starts, wait for the vehicle to break-in and your mileage should improve.

Also switch to a synthetic oil for an extra 1 or 2 mpg.

My Liberty gets 16-17 mpg in combined driving, and well over 20 mpg highway. This is all you can expect in a vehicle of this type.

It is much better than my last Wrangler which got around 13-14 combined and maybe 16 (if I was lucky) on the highway.

26th Nov 2004, 11:39

My sister-in-law was telling me her 2004 Jeep was only getting about 12-13 mph and wanted to have me take a look at it since it should be getting a lot more. One of the first things I noticed was even after giving the Jeep time to warm up to operating temperature, the idle speed was around 750-850 RPM. This seemed odd to me since a V6 should be around 600-700. Even at 60-65 mph, it seemed high as well. I opened the hood and one of the first things I thought of to check was the intake air temp sensor, located on the air tube just above the intake. I unplugged this and the jeep idled down to 600 like expected. This does cause the check engine light to come on, but can be reset by auto-zone. I replaced the sensor for about $35, and reset the Check Engine light. She is now getting what the manufacture advertised. It's a very simple fix that many dealers even tend to over look. They told her that it's a jeep; it should idle this way - my response - no way.

26th Dec 2004, 10:58

I have a 2004 jeep liberty limited it has the 3.7 engine and automatic transmission. I checked its gearing it has a 3.73 ratio this is great for towing and power, but it only delivers only 11.5-12.0 miles per gallon my jeep has been back 7 times for computer problems and seats. my leather seats are cracking and deforming at 6600 miles I can't wait to get rid of this thing asap!!!

8th Mar 2005, 16:29

You all need to take in consideration weight and engine. my renegade weighs 5600lbs. it's a tank so the engine works harder. putting a V8 in there will definately get you better mpg cuz it won't have to work as hard. Same is true with the Grand Cherokee with the V8 getting better mpg.

I broke in my Jeep's engine properly and the seals are set. I get low 20's and the engine still has less than 2,000 mpg on it. If the engine isn't properly broken in during the first 20 miles, the entire span of the engine will produce less mpg and less hp as well.