In front of me was a writer who’d done a few years of the Camel Trophy, which is known as the Olympics of 4x4. Behind, a Wrangler Unlimited filled with experienced Jeep employees and coolers full of water and Gatorade.

And me, someone who thinks a locker is for storing textbooks, piloting the all-new-for-2008 Jeep Liberty.

Mick quickly began telling us stories of the Poison Spider Mesa Trail’s origin over the walkie-talkie. Back when the West was still wild, a seven-year-old girl was left in the area by her family due to incredible circumstances, was bit by a spider and died. Since they buried people where they died, her grave is along the trail and covered with plush animals, coins and trinkets.

“Just like the trail itself, one drop’ll kill ya,” Mick said.

Not a place to take lightly, then. Which is odd, because I always thought the Liberty was designed exclusively for shopping-mall parking lots. The old model has grey bumpers perfect for wayward shopping carts, unfortunately a feature the ‘08 version ditches.

Jeep says less than 20 per cent of Liberty owners go off-road. A minute number of those will do a difficult trail in Moab. Customers supposedly appreciate the underlying capability of the SUV; I think they’ve got no clue just how capable it is.

Based on the same chassis that underpins the Dodge Nitro SUV, the Liberty comes with a choice of two off-road systems: Command-Trac part-time all-wheel-drive and Selec-Trac II full-time four-wheel-drive. Our vehicles were equipped with the Selec-Trac II. Replacing a center differential is an electronically controlled lockable clutch pack that simulates a diff.

The trick, as I found out, was to send a constant throttle into the four-speed automatic transmission... and the Liberty could conceivably drive over, around or through just about anything. The surface was predominatly petrified sand dunes, which could be mistaken for eroded rock. How petrified? There were preserved dinosaur footprints at the start of the trail.

Mick told me the surface traction is good even in the wet, but the real challenge during the drive was when the slopes turned steep and where the shell was crumbling in places.

To help with steep descents, the Liberty has Hill Descent Control built in. Basically, point the nose where you want to go, take your foot off the brake and the system automagically applies and reduces brake power as-needed. Way cool, but way scary the first time it engages.

The mechanics of the whole vehicle were bulletproof nonetheless. Suspension travel, ground clearance and maneuverability were all impressive for its class. But on steep slopes and large objects, we treated the underbody armour like a shield from Ben Hur.

Bang!

“What was that? Everything alright?” I’d ask.

“No worries. We actually integrated the trailer hitch into the underbody armour system,” said an engineer.

That scenario played out along the trail to the point where some obsacles were only traversable with the Liberty’s belly dragging across the rock. Truthfully, the hardcore scraping was a strangely satisfying, albiet sadistic sound. No harm, no foul — if you unbolted the skid plates you’d be hard-pressed to tell it had been off-road at all.

The SUV’s engine, a 3.7-litre SOHC V6 developed specifically for Jeeps and Dodge trucks, makes 210 horsepower and 235 lb.-ft of torque. It’s quiet on-road and pretty capable off the beaten path. It’s typical Jeep: keep it simple. Comparing power outputs among its competitors, the Liberty lags as far as output is concerned, but in reality the only differences are felt with a heavy right foot.

Inside, a frankly bitchin’ option is the Sky Slider roof. It’s a full-length canvas top that can slide fully-rearward or fully-forward and anywhere in between. The panel is lined, and doesn’t add much road or wind noise to the cabin. Ticking the Sky Slider roof option box is a no-brainer. Let’s hope Jeep offers the system on other models soon.

The two-tone interior is all-new; a mix of hard and durable plastics with silver accents. A quick scratch test with my nails confirmed that durability won out over suppleness. It’s all standard, functional Jeep fare: four-spoked tilt steering wheel, optionally leather-wrapped with vehicle information and audio controls. The center stack has storage on-top, followed by the audio controls with climate control switches at the bottom.

To the right of the driver is the selectable 4WD switch, with an electronic lockout to prevent the system switching differential modes while not in neutral. Beside is the gear selector.

Overall, it’s short on surprises, save for the canvas roof, and I suspect that’s how Jeep buyers like it. Despite the new flagship Selec-Trac II four-wheel-drive system, the Liberty is unlikely to tempt hardcore off-roaders out of their modified Wranglers, H3s, X-Terras and FJs. Conversely, it’s unlikely to make die-hard RAV4 or CR-V owners switch to a Jeep.

The Liberty is for people who want the Jeep image and off-road capability without sacrificing on-road performance. It’s a refreshing contender in the SUV market not because of gadgets or tire-shredding performance, but because it straddles the thin line between road and off-road perfectly.