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The Jeep Liberty was starting to show its soft side.

More mellow than macho.

Liberty was aimed at men who liked climbing rocks or fording streams — in a Jeep, of course. Leave the cute and cuddly on-roading — and women — to Compass. Yet about 60 percent of Liberty and Compass buyers are women.

Times are tough and regardless of sex, creed or even planet of origin, no buyer with cash in hand — or decent credit — is turned away. But the long-held belief in the auto kingdom is that women will buy a man’s vehicle, while men shy away from a women’s vehicle.

So Liberty gets a remake for 2008 to cater more to males in the hope for a 50/50 sales split. More sharply chiseled body panels like Wrangler rather than the rounded edges of Compass make it look more rugged — and more at home off-road.

Dimensions also changed — a 2-inch longer wheelbase and 2.5-inch boost in overall length, plus almost an inch added width.

Jeep says the extra inches provide much needed leg and knee room as well as added cargo capacity. While headroom’s ample front and rear, legroom is still at a premium whether upfront, where leg well openings are narrow, or in back, where knees tickle front seat backs.

Other changes find the rear window opens separately to let you toss a few things in back or with the liftgate for loading lots of stuff. The spare tire was moved off the liftgate and placed under the SUV — so no more battering ram when parking. Cargo space is decent, but a radio speaker and tire jack in the rear walls cost some luggage, gear or grocery room.

The 60/40 split second row seat backs fold flat at the pull of a strap to expand cargo capacity, provided you remove the headrests. They’ll catch on the front seats otherwise.

You can lower the front passenger seat back as well to handle skis or ladder. No pull-out cargo floor like on the Dodge Nitro, but there is storage under the cargo floor that’s lined to accommodate wet swimsuits, gloves or boots.

We tested the Liberty in Limited trim. It has a convenient dial in the center console to engage 4WD or 4WD low; no bulky and balky transfer case. And 4WD came into play in the recent snow. Liberty handled it without waffling. Though snow was piled bumper level front and rear and well above the rocker panels, a turn of the dial to 4WD and gentle tap of the gas pedal freed Liberty from captivity. And no slip, sliding away on snowy streets.

It also comes will Hill Start control to keep the Jeep from rolling when parked on a hill when moving foot from brake to gas, and Hill Descent Control, which works in 4WD low to keep it from heading down steep inclines too fast off-road.

Stability control is standard to prevent lateral wandering as is all-speed traction control to provide a grip when starting from the light on snow or ice or when hitting a slick patch on the road. Four-wheel anti-lock brakes and side-curtain air bags also are standard.

As an added benefit, the trailer towing package option ($495) provides sway control. The ABS and stability control go to work to bring a wiggling and dancing trailer back into line.

Thanks to suspension tweaks, Liberty has a more refined ride without unnecessary bouncing over uneven roads. Front seats are well padded and offer good thigh and back support for long-distance or off-road adventure. Rear seat backs and bottoms, however, are thin and too firm, making a long ride a pain. Even getting back there is a challenge as the rear doors don’t open very wide.

All seats are covered in the new YES Essentials fabric that resists stains and odors, ideal for off-roading or raising kids that tend to stain or stink.

Liberty sits high for the needed clearance to get up and down hills and over branches and logs. Score one for a better view down road but back off the gas pedal in sharp turns and corners to minimize body lean.

The 3.7-liter, 210-horsepower V-6 is a little slow getting up to cruising speed but has no trouble passing once it’s there. At 15 m.p.g. city/21 m.p.g. highway, fuel economy is modest for a small SUV. Blame it on the fact that Liberty tips the scales at more than 4,200 pounds, bulk that needs lots of fuel to move.

Sadly, the test vehicle didn’t come with the Sky Slider roof ($1,200), a sheet of canvas over front and back seats for open-air motoring — over front or rear seats or both — at the push of a button. A regular glass sunroof runs $895.

Noteworthy features include cell phone/iPod holders in the center console, coin holder and storage bin in the center armrest deep enough for a purse — obviously for the projected 50 percent female buyers — and vanity mirrors in the sun visors. For the projected 50 percent male drivers to fix their hair after off-roading?

The Liberty Limited 4×4 starts at $26,125 with power driver’s seat/mirrors/windows/locks, air conditioning, AM/FM stereo with CD/MP3 players, 17-inch all-season tires, rear window washer/wiper/defroster, tire-pressure monitor, floor mats and Sirius satellite radio.

Only option added was green metallic paint ($150), perhaps the color of choice for the Army but not necessarily for civilians.

2008 Jeep Liberty Limited 4×4

Wheelbase: 106.1 inches

Length: 176.9 inches

Engine: 3.7-liter, 210-h.p. V-6

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Mileage: 15 m.p.g. city / 21 m.p.g. highway.

Price as tested: $26,275

THE STICKER

$26,125 Base

Add $660 for freight.

$150 Jeep Green metallic paint

PLUSES

Larger dimensions for more cabin room and better road manners.

Redesign adds a more take-me-off-road look.

Pleasant ride.

Good cargo room. Stability and traction control and side-curtain air bags standard.

MINUSES

Limited leg room upfront.

Ditto for knee room in back.

Low mileage rating.

Read Jim Mateja Sunday in Transportation. Contact him attransportation@tribune.com.