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Jeep has an alternative to having to stop once a week for gas.

The solution is to stop once a week for diesel fuel in your compact Liberty sport-utility that, until the 2005 model year, ran on gasoline only.

We tested the 2006 Liberty Limited in diesel version.

A diesel vehicle, whether truck, SUV or sedan, is an acquired taste. It has a few quirks that the traditional gas powered vehicle doesn’t.

There’s nothing more satisfying than taking off for a long trip in a diesel because the mileage is superior to gasoline.

The gas version compact Liberty was hardly a fuel-economy champ to begin with. Its base 2.4-liter, 150-horsepower 4-cylinder obtained 20 m.p.g. city and 24 m.p.g. highway, and its 3.7-liter, 210-h.p. V-6 got 17/21.

The 2.8-liter, turbodiesel 4 is rated at 22 m.p.g. city and 26 m.p.g. highway, which, for a compact anything, is nothing very special.

And there is nothing more troubling than having driven a long distance in a diesel vehicle and noticing the fuel is running low.

If you’ve never experienced a diesel, there are a few sacrifices you have to make. One is finding fuel when not traveling the interstate dotted with truck stops that carry it. Traveling in town means having to search a little and not let the tank get down to one-quarter or less.

We had to stop at a couple stations off the beaten path before finding a diesel pump. Unfortunately, the pump dispensed gas and diesel from the same side and a full-size pickup was filling with gas as we waited.

Another problem is that diesel fuel doesn’t smell like cologne. You learn that it stinks when you grab the fuel pump handle typically saturated with it and start to fill the tank. And you remember it stinks when you carry the smell on your hands until you find the nearest bar of soap. On the positive side, unless you fail to wash it off your hands, the smell doesn’t permeate the cabin while motoring.

Unlike gas, diesel also tends to foam when filling, which means it can take a little longer to fuel up because the filler nozzle reads the “foam” as a full tank and stops.

Finally, we paid 20 cents a gallon more for diesel than gasoline. Sometimes diesel costs less, sometimes it costs more, and sometimes the spread is more than 20 cents.

Those who buy a diesel simply to save on the weekly fuel budget need to rethink their game plan.

If you are checking into diesels, better you think of its two other advantages –more mileage than gasoline and more torque for better power to tow the boat without gasping for breath.

As for the test, diesel engines used to make so much racket they’d wake the neighborhood. The commotion is far less now than it was a decade ago. But if you are driving a gas/electric that starts in whisper-quiet battery mode, you may run for cover the first time you turn over a diesel engine thinking the vehicle is about to explode.

Diesels take some getting used to. The diesel engine is heavier than its gas counterpart, and you feel it in the wheel. The vehicle always feels a little nose heavy. And you have to keep that in mind when directing the front end in and out of the corner or turn because the extra pounds mean it is slower to respond to steering-wheel input.

And, because of the added weight, you have to learn to apply the brakes a bit sooner to stop even with the sign rather than a little ahead of it. Mastery is a quick study, though.

No gripes with the suspension, which kept the Liberty diesel from feeling as if piloting a pickup.

Seats are well cushioned and supportive, and controls are within easy reach and use. The cabin is a tad snug, common for a compact SUV. Those designated to ride in the second row have ample head room, but tight knee room and a much too narrow door opening for entry or exit.

One concern with diesels is federal emissions standards for 2007 that strictly limit oxides of nitrogen emissions and will be tough for diesels to manage.That, and needing fuel with lower sulfur content. Once the petroleum companies stop counting their profits from $3 a gallon gas, they’ll have time to focus on the same lower sulfur diesel for the U.S. that’s now offered in Europe, don’t you think?

John Plecha, director of marketing and product planning for Jeep, said the diesel Liberty can be sold in 45 states, based on even stricter emissions regulations in the others.

So you can visit New York, California, Maine, Massachusetts or Vermont in your diesel Liberty, you just can’t buy diesel fuel when it’s time to go home.

“We have no plans to drop the Liberty diesel,” Plecha said. “We will market it this model year and evaluate our options after that, but I can’t share its future with you.

“Our diesel team is looking at future [emission] requirements. We are committed to meeting 2007 [emission] requirements and are looking at what it will take to do that,” he said.

Plecha said Liberty diesel buyers are predominantly males (75 percent) looking for greater driving range and towing capability. And they are older, averaging 51, while the average age of the gas Liberty buyer is 47.

And nearly all have owned a diesel in the past and aren’t deterred by the price of fuel.

“For a while late last year, diesel was running $1 a gallon more than gas in some places and we still had good sales months,” Plecha said. And, “we haven’t had any complaints about diesel smell, either.”

Jeep sold 8,580 diesel Libertys in 2005, about 2,000 more than it had planned. Plecha won’t reveal the goals for 2006. Many automakers have gotten gun shy about estimating sales because if they fall short by even one vehicle they get hammered by the media, analysts and Wall Street.

Base price of the Liberty Limited is $25,920. The turbodiesel and 5-speed automatic add $985.

Standard equipment includes electronic stability control, part-time four-wheel-drive with a transfer case, all-speed traction control, rear-window wiper/washer/defroster, air conditioning, power windows, power locks and mirrors and a couple power outlets. The vehicle tested was loaded with options and one of the most appreciated was the cheapest, the rear cargo organizer for $175. It’s a thick sheet of plastic that lifts and converts into a tabletop when you slip it into the holders in back.

You then can carry suitcases under it and lift the plastic dividers along the top of the table to store more items in the compartments they create above.

Another neat feature is the series of plastic grocery bag holders built into the second row seat backs, an amenity that’s standard.

As for gripes, some may be upset over the two-step process to load cargo. The tailgate swings out rather than lifting, but the window first has to be raised out of the way.

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2006 Jeep Liberty Limited 4×4

Price as tested: $30,960

Wheelbase: 104.3 inches

Length: 174.4 inches

Engine: 2.8-liter, 160-h.p., turbocharged 4-cylinder

Transmission: 5-speed automatic

CITY: 22 m.p.g.

HWY: 26 m.p.g.

THE STICKER

Base: $25,920

$1,570 Preferred equipment package with leather seats, power front seats, AM/FM radio with six-disc player and six speakers, power heated foldaway mirrors, steering-wheel mounted audio controls, self-dimming mirror and universal garage door opener

$150 Off-road skid plate package with skid plates for transmission, suspension, fuel tank and transfer case

$985 Turbodiesel with 5-speed automatic

$490 Side air bags

$760 Power sunroof

$365 Trailer towing group

$275 U-Connect hands free phone

$195 Sirius satellite radio

$175 Rear cargo organizer

$75 Tire-pressure monitoring system

* Add $660 for freight.

PLUSES

– Turbodiesel improves mileage versus gas engine model.

– Diesel extends driving range over gas version model.

– Neat cargo organizer that converts to a table.

MINUSES

– Diesel clatter.

– Diesel fuel smell on your hands.

– Mileage still not great for a compact SUV.

– Diesel running more per gallon than gas.

– Lots of options to boost the price.

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Read Jim Mateja Sunday in Transportation and Wednesday and Friday in Business. Hear him on WBBM Newsradio 780 at 6:22 p.m. Wednesdays and 11:22 a.m. Sundays.

jmateja@tribune.com