The seats in the Sport model feel firm in the middle, but the side bolsters are too mushy to provide as much side support as we'd like. I found the Sport seats uncomfortable. The cloth upholstery has a hard finish that feels like it'll hold up well. The Renegade front seats are tailored with flat woven cloth center panels and leather bolsters. The front seats in the Limited are comfortable, chair-like, softer and more contoured than the seats in the Ford Escape.

The Liberty's rear seats are comfortable, capable of holding three people. Two adults should be happy here. There is lots of rear headroom, and lots of space to slide your feet under the front seats, but knee room is limited. Getting out of the back seat requires a bit of a stretch down and your legs drag across the fender, so be sure to clean it before putting well-dressed guests back there.

The Liberty doesn't offer quite as much cargo space behind the rear seats as the Ford Escape does (29 cubic feet for the Liberty vs. 33.3 cubic feet for the Escape). However, it's quite adequate. Our 155-pound puppy was happy to ride behind the rear seats. Two big garbage cans fit side-by-side back there that had to go front-to-rear in a tall and boxy old Isuzu Trooper. Grocery-bag hooks and cargo tie-downs are provided in back.

Fold the rear seats down and the Liberty offers more cargo room than the Escape (69 cubic feet of space for the Liberty vs. 64.8 cubic feet for the Escape). Dropping the split rear seat is a one-hand operation in the Liberty; the rear seat bottom stays in place. The cargo floor isn't perfectly flat when the rear seats are folded down, however, and that's my biggest gripe with this vehicle. Nor are the rear seats readily removable as they are in the RAV4. Also, the rear headrests are hard to remove and install with two buttons needed to release them.

Overall, the interior presents a round motif that looks contemporary with round door handles, round instruments, round air inlets, a round horn pad. Textures and finishes are nicely done. Big gauges use black-on-beige graphics. The Renegade gets brushed aluminum (real aluminum) highlights on the instrument panel that give it a machined look consistent with the exterior theme. The Limited adds attractive satin chrome highlights to the instrument panel and doors. The shifter is on the tall side, but works well. The available leather-wrapped steering wheel is comfortable and features well-designed cruise controls.

The controls work well and intuitively. The power window switches are located on the center console, however, less convenient than on the door. The manually operated HVAC works well, though the mode selector demands attention. The radio works well, but uses a separate and poorly located button to preset stations, which seems an unnecessary distraction when driving.

The Liberty is loaded with safety features: Multi-stage front airbags deploy with less force during low speed collisions, or if the occupant is unbuckled, to reduce the risk of airbag-related injuries. The Liberty is the first Jeep to offer optional side curtains to protect outboard occupants from head injury in side impacts. A three-point belt for the center rear seat is standard, a safety feature that's missing from many SUVs. Jacking equipment is stored under the rear seat and can be quickly grabbed as a unit.