Off-roaders know the first exhibit they will head to when the curtain opens on Pittsburgh's auto show: the Jeep stand.

Jeep, still the country's only full-service domestic off-road products company, has enthusiasts covered from top to bottom. There's the Jeep Compass, a compact little car that can be ordered with all-wheel drive; the Patriot, a rugged compact SUV priced from $15,475 to $21,745 with a 172-horsepower, 2.4-liter four (21/24); the Wrangler, a traditional Jeep model dating to World War II, priced from $18,660 to $29,535, powered by a 3.8-liter, 202-horsepower V-6 (15/19); and the Jeep Grand Cherokee, $28,520 to $43,440 with a choice of four engines that provide mileage ranging between 13/18 and 15/20, a luxurious mi-size SUV that can be had with just about any combination of equipment.

There's also the full-size, three rowed Jeep Commander, a square-shouldered SUV that has unusual maneuverability despite its size. Base prices range between $27,415 and $43,850. Three engines are available: a 210-horsepower, 3.7-liter V-6 getting 13/18 miles per gallon; a 4.7-liter, 305-horsepower V-8 that gets 14/19 miles per gallon; and a 330 horsepower, 5.7-liter V-8 getting 13/17 miles per gallon.

But the big news this year belongs to the Jeep Liberty, which has been changed from top to bottom.

When the Liberty was first introduced, it was cute, kind of trendy looking -- and had mediocre-at-best handling. It felt tippy on the road, and its truck heritage showed clearly.

But the newest version changes all of that.

The Liberty, which shares its body with the Dodge Neon, has much better handling and stability than the old model, and it also happens to feel better on the road than the Dodge Neon. I suspect that different suspension settings and equipment variances account for that.

Inside, the interior of the Liberty has been dramatically improved. The materials are much better, there are attractive chrome bezels around the gauges and elsewhere, and brushed aluminum accents class up Liberty's act quite a bit.

The Liberty comes in Sport and Limited versions, both powered by a 210-horsepower 3.7-liter V-6 that provides reasonably brisk acceleration for the car. Expect 16/22 miles per gallon with the six-speed manual, and 15/21 with the four-speed automatic.

One of the cooler new features is Sky Slider, a retractable canvas roof that extends the length of the car. Opened up, it makes for fun driving under the stars, or just simply opening up things for a lot of sunshine while en route.

Base prices for the Liberty range from $20,330 to $26,125.