Make Your Jeep Liberty More Fun by Hackin’ That Roof Right Off
Odds are, you’ve never really noticed a Jeep Liberty. A hodgepodge of parts-bin leftovers, Jeep designed it to sell well and promote the brand. Frankly, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the Liberty, but one man decided he wanted something different out of the SUV. In doing so, Reddit user u/Total_Offroad_Steve turned what is otherwise just another Jeep on the road into something way more insane, and way more special.
The Jeep Liberty is just… a car
The original Jeep Liberty was introduced in 2002. It was a compact SUV commissioned in the era when Daimler reigned over Chrysler, and by extension, Jeep. The model ran up until 2012. However, the one we’ll be discussing here is the so-called “KJ” first-generation model. Initially, the Jeep Cherokee was discontinued, and the Jeep Liberty was set to replace it. Frankly, the model looked like it was going to be a success. However, it wasn’t and went relatively unnoticed.
It capitalized on the small SUV formula many Americans were becoming fond of at the time. Take the now-popular Toyota RAV4. One look at the Liberty and you can tell it’s designed to compete with the RAV. However, the model was somewhat of a departure from the norm. The norm here being the Wrangler. Notably, the Jeep Liberty didn’t have the classic removable doors or standalone windscreen of Jeep’s past. That is until u/Total_Offroad_Steve got a hold of one.
One man decided to change that
Misfortune struck u/Total_Offroad_Steve when a tree fell on the roof of his Jeep Liberty. u/Total_Offroad_Steve he wouldn’t be letting the insurance company have their way with this one, no sir. Instead, he got to work and pulled out the Sawzall. The end result was the magnificent convertible Jeep Liberty you see above. Initially, another Reddit user spotted the roofless compact SUV in the wild over on the r/Shitty_Car_Mods subreddit.
The subreddit is exactly what it sounds like. Users often post modifications to cars that are… less than lovable. However, that’s not the case with this Jeep Liberty. You can hear u/Total_Offroad_Steve’s explanation here. Apparently, he plans to add some of the lost structural rigidity back into the Jeep Liberty in the form of a roll bar and other reinforcements. Honestly, that’s not a terrible idea given the model’s unibody structure.
Convertible SUVs are no new thing
While u/Total_Offroad_Steve’s creation is certainly unique, a convertible SUV is no new concept. Nissan did it with the Murano, and Range Rover did it with the Evoque. That said, u/Total_Offroad_Steve clearly has his work “cut” out for him. It’s hard to say if the Redditor’s “Jeepster” (as he calls it) will be able to be used on-road again, but it’s certainly the best interaction of the Jeep Liberty full stop.