Howdy - thanks for this - working through it today to put an Alpine carplay head unit and amp into a 2004 Liberty GT. This is part of a three part project - first upgrade head unit and amp, then front and rear door speakers, then put a decent enclosed sub an the boot along with a \revering camera.
As you note, things are a bit different on the preface lift model:
1. The silvery trim items do not just unclip - there is a screw at the end of each one (under the ash tray / gear lever surround) which need to be undone, otherwise you can completely knacker the trim items (
)
2. To remove the console box, there are two nuts at the bottom of the console box, and no externally accessible screws.
I would also suggest not leaving an auto in park - I did and was unable to move the gear level with the power disconnected - in park, the gear lever interferes with removing the ash tray and the stereo.
Your suggested location for putting the cable through the firewall is very helpful - a little nick and I was able to push through the amplifier cable, taped to a straightened coat hanger, without too much difficulty - gives a very tight fit.
The only thing that completely defeated me was the locking clip under the passenger seat. Your advice showed my how it was meant to work, but maybe as an old fart my hands are just not strong enough - I was unable to get the connection to unlock and therefore unable to remove the seat. I have been able to work around this so far but it would be much nicer to have it out of the road. Any further tips or suggestions (short of cutting the connections out) would be appreciated.