Jeep Liberty CRD off to strong start

Early sales figures are in for the new Jeep Liberty CRD, a.k.a. Common Rail Diesel, and they're looking good. At the end of May 6,000 units had been shipped and half of those have been sold. The Liberty CRD is spending an average of 23 days on the lot, which is about a third of the typical time for a Jeep product. The 2.8L four-cylinder turbo diesel goes a long way to dispel the common misconception that today's diesels are smelly, loud and weak performers. Jeep's powerplant delivers best in class torque with 295 lb-ft, best in class towing capacity at 5,000 lbs, and best in class range at about 500 highway miles. Plus, diesel engines are famous for being as durable and dependable as mules. Thankfully they don't smell like them anymore.