Rick Reuter, chief engineer for the Jeep Liberty, is on the line and he's a little surprised to hear me tell him the Liberty diesel I've just tested was a bit smellier and a bit noisier than I expected.

"We did a lot to get rid of 99 per cent of the smell in the vehicle," he says from Detroit, adding that extra sound insulation was stuffed in to muzzle most of the noise issues, too.

"Noise [in all diesels] is a byproduct of the combustion process," he says.

"We have a new electronic fuel-management system to control the rate of combustion and minimize noise."

Pop the Liberty's hood and you'll also see a very serious-looking engine cover, and as Reuter points out, if you root around enough you'll find a wad of padding between the dashboard and the engine.

I am quick to say driving around in the Liberty diesel is nothing at all like cruising city streets in an 18-wheeler, but it is different in that diesel engines clatter rather than hum like the best gas engines. I noticed it during my week of living with the vehicle. And diesel fuel has a different, more pungent odour than gas, so it was noticeable, also. Again, not horrible, just different.

I can't see him over the telephone line, but I get the impression Reuter is shrugging in an "okay, so what?" kind of way. Over all, he says he is pretty happy with what can only be called an experiment at Chrysler and its Jeep division. An important one, however.

Chrysler chief executive officer Dieter Zetsche is a big fan of diesels and is hoping to get North American buyers to act more European in their diesel buying habits. Zetsche, of course, knows and loves diesels, and he's worked with them extensively during career stops at Mercedes-Benz and DaimlerChrysler's truck division, Freightliner.

Then there are his European sensibilities. More than half of all passenger vehicles sold in Europe are diesel and, in some countries, diesels account for 90 per cent of all sales. There are reasons for this.

First, gasoline in Europe is even more pricey than in Canada. Diesels are, say Jeep officials, 25- to 30-per-cent more fuel efficient, which means the Liberty diesel has a 640-kilometre range for a single tank of fuel.

"Buyers [in Europe] who have used diesels are predisposed to diesels," Reuter says.

Not surprisingly, the 2.8-litre, four-cylinder turbo diesel in the Liberty is mostly the same one sold in Europe, where it is built by VM Motori. Reuter says the changes his engineers made to the European Liberty were designed to favour acceleration and fuel economy.

"What we've said is we want V-8 torque, six-cylinder performance and four-cylinder fuel economy," he says.

I think they succeeded. The Liberty compact sport-utility vehicle (SUV) has plenty of snap, thanks to a four-cylinder turbo diesel making 160 horsepower and a whopping 295 pounds-feet of torque. A Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 4.7-litre V-8 makes the same amount of torque. The turbo-diesel's muscle gives it a maximum tow rating of 2,272 kilograms.

Reuter's group also installed a new catalytic converter to handle emissions stemming from the absolutely filthy diesel fuel sold in North America. Europeans already get the much cleaner, low-sulphur fuel we are supposed to get by law in the 2006-07 time frame. He also says the Liberty Diesel has 60-per-cent less carbon dioxide emissions than diesels of 20 years ago.

I noted something else on cold mornings: so-called ceramic "smart" plugs allow for immediate start-ups. You don't need to suffer those 10-second warm-ups needed on old diesels.

Ah, old diesels. Reuter knows all about them. Decades ago the industry tried selling diesels in the wake of the 1970s oil crisis. Those oil burners quickly developed a justifiably bad rap for noise, smoky tailpipes, miserable cold starts and messy fill-ups limited to hard-to-find truck stops.

Diesel fuel isn't hard to find now; many regular gas stations have diesel pumps, too. The fuel is a tad messier to deal with, but where I went they offered full service and the jockey simply wore gloves when handling the diesel spigot.

Even at that, though, California, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine won't allow the Liberty Diesel and all others like it to be sold. Regulators say even modern diesels emit smog-producing, potentially carcinogenic pollutants. Jeep officials counter that diesel engines reduce CO{-2} emissions by an average of 20 per cent.

For me, well I could see using the Liberty Diesel to tow our ski boat up to the lake each summer. There is certainly enough power coming from the four-cylinder common-rail diesel made in Italy. And a diesel engine seems a good fit for a rugged-looking SUV like the Liberty.

In fact, aside from its engine, this Liberty is just like any other Sport 4x4 model. The base price for my test truck was $27,460, but a load of options boosted the sticker to a healthy $37,380. In particular, the optional diesel engine cost an extra $3,195 and a very nice five-speed automatic transmission added $1,395.

A six-disc compact disc stereo, fog lamps, a trailer tow package, cruise control, a power sunroof and a bunch of other things goosed the price another $4,000 or so, and the $1,050 destination charge accounted for the rest of my sticker shock. One thing I particularly object to is an extra charge for lighted vanity mirrors on a $27,000 vehicle. Seems a bit much.

And this Liberty, like all of them, has a few other odd quirks. The power window controls are on the centre console, not the doors, which seems odd but makes sense once you understand both left- and right-hand drive versions are sold globally. And there are no vents or map pockets for the back seat.

Mechanically, though, the Liberty Diesel performs well enough for a tall SUV weighing 1,834 kilograms. The ride comfort is good for this class, and steering and braking are responsive enough, too. The cabin is comfortable for two adults up front, while in the back, a tall seating position makes up for a general lack of knee and hip room.

On the safety side of things, while side airbags on the Sport are a $450 option, the Liberty has earned good government crash test scores: five stars/four stars for driver/passenger in frontal accidents and five stars/five stars for front and rear side impacts. The best score possible is five stars. A three-star rollover rating points to the vehicle's tall stance.

Jeep has earned well-deserved props for offering the Liberty Diesel at this time of rising pump prices. For a lot of buyers, this kind of truck makes sense.

jcato@globeandmail.ca

Specifications

2005 Jeep Liberty Diesel Sport

Price: $32,050

Engine: 2.8-litre I-4 (DOHC), three electric motors

Output: 280 hp, 260 lb-ft of torque

Transmission: Five-speed auto

Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 10.5 city, 8 hwy (est.)

Alternatives: Chevrolet Blazer, Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Mazda Tribute and many more

Likes: Great fuel economy and loads of engine power for towing; easy and pleasant enough to drive; 640-km range for a tank of fuel; rugged styling

Dislikes: Extra charges for things such as lighted vanity mirrors and side-impact airbags; odd placement of window switches; part-time, four-wheel drive operated by lever not a switch