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Last Updated on April 2, 2024 by Paul Clayton
Owning a Jeep is synonymous with a fun-loving and adventurous lifestyle. The Jeep Liberty complements this outdoor enthusiasm with its compact and off-road capable design.
An adventurous lifestyle often includes hauling heavy equipment or campers across journeys. Hence, Jeep owners lay a lot of emphasis on how much weight their vehicle can tow with safety. In other words, the towing capacity of the Jeep.
Several factors determine the maximum weight your vehicle can haul. The torque of the engine, the strength of the chassis, and the wheelbase are a few main reasons that make a big difference.
The different models of the Jeep Liberty come with specific towing capacities. Here’s everything you need to know about towing with your Jeep Liberty.
Table of Contents
How Much Can a Jeep Liberty Tow?
Jeeps are pretty capable when it comes to towing. Your Jeep Liberty is capable of hauling anything between 2,000 to 5,000 pounds depending on the weight rating and transmission of a specific model.
Here are the towing capacities corresponding to the different models of Jeep Liberty.
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2000 pound capacity
If your Jeep Liberty model has a manual transmission and no towing package to accompany it, this is its maximum towing capacity.
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3500 pound capacity
Other manual models come with a towing package. They can carry up to 3,500 pounds of weight.
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5000 pound capacity
This topmost capacity is reserved for automatic models possessing the requisite towing package.
What Can You Tow?
Considering the high towing capacities, your Jeep can easily pull a travel trailer or a small boat at the back.
To give you a better idea, if you have a manual model, you can load up to three jetski boats on a compatible trailer. You can also haul a compact towable camper, such as the Do-Drop, that weighs between 500-700lbs or even something more weighty.
The automatic model can haul more weight without much trouble. If you dive deeper into travel trailers, you will find a number of them weighing below 5000lbs.
For instance, the Grey Wolf 19SM by Forest River weighs 4846 lbs (dry weight) with a spacious interior and all the necessary amenities you will need outdoors.
Different Years of Jeep Liberty Towing Capacity
Jeep launched the Jeep Liberty model in the year 2008, while the last model was made in 2012. The first generation Liberty models produced from 2002 to 2007 are known as KJ. The models from 2008 to 2012 are called KK.
The 2009 Jeep Liberty has a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 lbs for the 2WD and 4WD trim levels. The transmission for this model is manual, and it requires a towing package.
For the same year, the 2WD and 4WD with automatic transmission give you a maximum towing capacity of 5000 lbs. However, this variant also requires a towing package.
The 2010 Jeep Liberty 2WD and 4WD, both have a towing capacity of 5000lbs without a need for any extra purchase. The same is the case with the 2012 model.
For the 2011 model, a towing package is required to haul 5000lbs.
Fuel Efficiency When Towing
The earlier models of the Jeep give you around 15 miles per gallon on average. On more open roads, the mileage for the 2010 model with 4WD trim levels and six cylinders, goes up to 20 MPG.
In comparison to the Jeep Compass launched three years later, this average is pretty low. The particular model gives you about 22 miles on the closed city roads, and close to 30 miles per gallon on open roads like highways.
On the whole, both these models appear to be quite fuel-efficient. However, more recent models are not quite up to the same mark in terms of fuel-efficiency and performance.
Concerns While Towing
There are several things you should be careful about, especially when you are new to towing. The following factors can have a significant impact on your towing experience on the road.
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Equipment
Whenever you are towing anything, the right equipment is vital. You can go through the manufacturer’s manual for the vehicle to verify the towing capacity.
You should also confirm the weight distribution from the manufacturer as the Jeep Liberty has a short wheelbase.
Make sure you never cross the weight limit mentioned in the manual as any carelessness might damage your vehicle or turn out to be life-threatening. By ignoring the instructions, you can quickly destroy the tires, engine, and chassis of your Jeep.
Hitching the trailer the right way is crucial as it decreases the chances of road accidents. Ropes aren’t suitable for lengthy towing. You might use a couple for emergencies, but that is about it. Over longer, rougher distances, ropes might snap and break, causing a great deal of wreckage.
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Acceleration
Towing increases your vehicle’s momentum and inertia. In other words, the additional mass will make it harder to get your car to start or stop. It means that your Jeep Liberty will need more effort to accelerate when towing.
The drivers need to understand this before hitting the road.
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Turning
Much like acceleration, turning also becomes a whole new ballgame while towing. When you are towing, your sharp turns will need to be more careful and subtle as you are working with a shorter wheelbase. If you are not extra careful, the hitch ball might wear off due to the extra strain.
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Braking
As previously mentioned, greater mass equals higher inertia. What this means is that your Jeep Liberty will require more force to come to a stop than it usually would.
Moreover, you will need more space to allow the extended vehicle to come to a halt. Hence, you will have to make allowances for that.
Better Towing Options
The 5,000-pound maximum capacity of the Jeep Liberty might prove inadequate for a lot of activities and expeditions coming your way. You can find more options in the market with a larger towing capacity to suit your needs.
Here are a few vehicles with a higher capacity than the Jeep Liberty, that you might want to consider:
Dodge Ram 3500
RAM is an American manufacturer of commercial vehicles. The Dodge Ram 3500 Truck can tow up to 135,100 lbs when it is paired with the 6.7L Turbo Engine.
Nissan Armada
Nissan Armada, with its rigid construction and engine efficiency, tops our list with a whooping tow capacity of 8,500 lbs. The full-size SUV is built by Nissan Motor Co. Ltd, a Japanese automobile brand.
Land Rover Range Rover
The latest model of Range Rover, by the British brand Land Rover, has a towing capacity of about 7,700lbs. The luxury SUV has an impressive weight distribution with AWD capability.
Final Thoughts
All in all, the Jeep Liberty offers decent towing capacity and fuel efficiency for people who want towing as an option and not a primary feature.
The compact design of the Liberty makes driving effortless, even when you are towing something as big as a camper behind you. However, you might have to compromise on the boxy interior.
Even though there are better options out there, your choice will largely depend on your needs and budget. Jeep Liberty offers you a massive towing capacity with a compact shape, which you might not find in the latest models.
