Overview & Reviews

If you're thinking about purchasing a vehicle rugged enough to finesse rocky trails, chances are, one make comes to mind: Jeep. This specialty automotive manufacturer has a long history of producing trucks and SUVs capable of off-highway adventures — so much so that the term jeep is used by many to refer to all SUVs, whether the vehicle in question is a true Jeep or not.

Jeep took root in WWII as the name of the now-iconic four-wheel-drive military vehicle produced by Willys-Overland and Ford for the U.S. Army. The name's origin is somewhat of a mystery; popular belief is that it morphed from "GP," or "general purpose," though others have suggested that it was a nickname derived from a character featured in the Popeye comic strip of the time.

The mid-1940s saw the introduction of the first civilian Jeep, the CJ-2A. It offered many features not available on military versions, such as a tailgate, an external fuel cap and a side-mounted spare tire, and was targeted mainly toward farmers and construction workers.

Civilian Jeeps caught on with the public, and by the 1950s, new models such as the CJ-3B and the CJ-5 had been introduced. The CJ-5 had the longest production run of any Jeep vehicle, continuing for 30 years after its introduction in the early '50s. The company changed owners during this decade as Willys-Overland was sold to Kaiser in 1953.

Jeep broke new ground in the 1960s with the debut of its Wagoneer. Geared toward active families, this early SUV was the first four-wheel-drive vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission. A new "Dauntless" V6 became available as an option on the CJ-5 and CJ-6 in 1965. This was the first time that a Jeep CJ could be equipped with a V6. Packing 155 horses, the engine's horsepower almost doubled that offered by the standard four-cylinder.

By the 1970s, Jeep had changed ownership yet again, with the purchase of Kaiser-Jeep by American Motors Corporation. New models like the CJ-7 and the Scrambler were rolled out. Additionally, the company unveiled some new technology with the introduction of the world's first automatic full-time four-wheel-drive system. Dubbed Quadra-Trac, it was available in the CJ-7 as well as in full-size Jeep trucks and wagons. During this decade, Jeep's fortunes soared as four-wheel-drive vehicles became increasingly popular with large sections of American buyers.

The 1980s saw the introduction of the Cherokee and Wrangler. The Cherokee was one of the first of the new breed of SUVs — high-riding midsize wagons that skyrocketed in popularity as the decade progressed. The Wrangler replaced the CJ series in 1987 and offered the raw functionality of the CJ along with more comfort features. That year also saw the purchase of American Motors by Chrysler, with the Jeep brand becoming part of Chrysler's Jeep/Eagle division. One of Jeep's most popular models, the Grand Cherokee, debuted for 1993. This handsome, midsize SUV offered considerably more comfort and luxury than the smaller Cherokee while still providing stout off-road capability.

Jeep fell under the umbrella of DaimlerChrysler after Chrysler and Daimler-Benz merged in 1998. This partnership resulted in a few new models, such as the Liberty and Compass, though none were able to attain great sales success. In 2007, Daimler sold the Chrysler Group to a private equity firm. It is now under control of Fiat.

More recently, the company has added a couple of enticing models to its lineup (including a four-door version of the Wrangler and the pavement-scorching Grand Cherokee SRT8) and made substantial performance and quality improvements under the hoods and within the cabins. As such, we expect Jeep will not only maintain a loyal group of customers but will also bring new fans into the fold.

User Reviews:

• 2021 Jeep Gladiator Caught On Fire at 7777 km Aug 23 2021 - 2021 Jeep Gladiator
  By Mike Duffy - August 23 - 8:03 pm

  BUYER BEWARE. I purchased this Brand new in May 2021 from Renfrew Chrysler in Calgary, Alberta. I drove it for 2-3 weeks before returning it to the Dealership on June 17, 2021 with a check engine light. Chrysler/Jeep took 7 weeks to return it to me (Melted wiring harness). Received it back on August 6, 2021, and it Caught on Fire and Burned to the Ground while i was driving it on August 23, 2021. DO NOT BUY

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  junk - 2001 Jeep Cherokee
  By Jason - December 14 - 6:36 pm

  I just got this jeep and let me tell you it stinks! No power no good off road capabilities. Worst of all no room. I have a family of 4 and none of us are liking it. Im going back to my chevy Avalanch more room, power and better fuel milage.

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  Worst rental Ive ever had - 2017 Jeep Patriot
  By Compcond - December 7 - 11:35 pm

  I purchased a 97 Audi A4 new and owned it for 5 years so I know rental cars. I had everything from a Buick LeSabre to Geo Metros and everything in between (lots of Tauruss) and never returned a car early. My car was totaled last week (not my fault) so I needed to rent a car. I had a Camry for almost a week but it sounded like something was going to fall out of the front end so I swapped it last night for this Jeep. I went back first thing this morning and swapped that out for a Hyundai. I have never felt "not safe" driving a car until this Jeep. Forget the interior that seems more cheaply built than the aforementioned Geo Metro, the stereo that cant cost FCA more than $15 including all the speakers, or the rear mirror that you have to be a monkey to reach, but I have never driven a car with worse torque steer in my life. I drive like a little old lady and I kept finding myself heading toward a parked car every time I touched the gas. This Jeep would be an embarassment in 1980. How can a 2017 be this horrid?

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  I owned my Jeep for 1 hour - 2003 Jeep Wrangler
  By tbd2001 - October 16 - 10:00 am

  I bought a white Sport Model, with a hard top. I was in heaven as I drove it home. I parked it on the driveway and got out. I then noticed a black rubber hose hanging from the back of the car, which God knows for how long I had been dragging. As I inspected the bottom of the Wrangler I noticed a loose piece of plastic, on the back of the passengerÂ’s side back fender. This piece had flapped out because of a missing screw. In addition, what I believed to be the differential axle was completely covered in rust. I called the dealership and told them to have the car I had just traded in ready because I wanted it back. One hour later I was back in my old car.

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  Liberty!?! DONT BUY ONE - 2006 Jeep Liberty
  By dawniredskins - August 14 - 5:10 pm

  I bought my 2006 liberty sprt 4wd (3.7l 6 cyl manual) in 11/06 brand new. First visit to the shop was 01/09/07 for Windows/e-brake/pass air bag light. Since then (06/05/08) it has been to the dealership now 11 times- most of which--window problems, e- brake, etc. Also having trouble "weak clutch" or tranny. Dealer says. Only could duplicate one time, so "oh well". Never ever will I own another Jeep. Especially a liberty. And it is not comfortable. And no space up front at all. Glove box is so tiny, the owners manual and cool jacket it came with doesnt even fit! Id look elsewhere. Chrysler has 31 TSBs out on 06 liberties. That should say something!

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  Heartache with Chrysler - 2009 Jeep Compass
  By Emile Gauvin - August 6 - 12:08 am

  I had an Intrepid which required a fair amount of front end suspension parts and accepted this because of the design of the car (front-end heavy and so on) when we purchased the Compass one thing that returned was front end part issues and lots of them, started at 20,000 kilometers. Because front-end issues can cause havoc with tires and steering in general, I like to have this in top shape, but it is a never-ending issue every time it goes in for regular service. It still goes on today with the most recent lower control arms being replaced for the second time before 100,000 kilometers. At 25,000 kilometers we started having the sun roof leak into the car. Being told that the drain lines in the roof needed cleaning periodically seemed a problem because you really dont know when this can happen. You tube had ways that people gave up with Chrysler and came up with their own solution although extensive it dealt with a lot of modifications to the drain line and this meant taking parts of the interior off. Then, the front drivers side pan just in front and the back would fill with water - up to 2 inches of water, no rhyme or reason, cleaned this out several times before the dealership finally gave up on the issue of the drain lines and found a body molding without the proper seal in place. The drain lines are still an issue but instead of paying $126 to have these blown out with compressed air, I do it myself. The last thing to go wrong is the K frame when the lower control arms were being replaced. The place where I have my maintenance done on the Jeep now has a mechanic that used to work for a Chrysler dealership and alerted me to the fact that the K frame is rotting and that I seek out the dealership warranty, should there be one. Right now Im staring at $500 getting it done myself or $900 through the dealership - not even 100,000 K on the vehicle! The only good thing I have to say about the Jeep is in the snow, you cannot beat it, it is a tank with Blizzaks for tires. However, when we get a wet snow/rain and it freezes, the doors will not latch after opening, major problem since the only way to rectify this issue is to leave the vehicle heat-up, with it not locked (not good!) So, we are getting rid of the Jeep soon. All of the review of this and also the fact that there is always some sort of hassle with Chrysler has made the decision of what to purchase next, which does not include any type of Chrylser product what-so-ever!

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  Truly Disappointed. Do NOT buy a Jeep Wrangler. - 2014 Jeep Wrangler
  By Hudson Williams - July 14 - 3:46 pm

  Before anyone reads this I want to let everyone know that I am a true Jeep lover. Anyone that knows me would swear to that fact. I had wanted a Jeep since I was nine years old. My next door neighbor had a 1943 fully restored WWII Willys. Absolutely beautiful vehicle and amazing what it could do. I bought my first Jeep in 2012 when I turned 40 as I was not getting any younger. It was my first new car as I had always owned used vehicles prior to this. I was super excited and immediately fell in love with it. The doors could come off, the top could be pulled back, the four-wheeling it could handle! Truly the coolest vehicle on the road. Seriously, what other vehicle can do all that? Sadly the honeymoon did not last long. It began with the leaks around the doors. Twelve times in the shop and they never fixed the problems. They even tried resetting the doors with no luck. Nothing worked. Wet carpet in a humid climate is not ideal at all. Thats not even the worst of it. Mixed in with leaking doors, the mechanical issues soon began. Some may not believe me but I have the records to prove it. The throttle body went bad three times. The fuel injection system went bad twice. I had a cracked air intake manifold twice. A bad oil cooling system. You name, it went wrong. Too many electrical problems to even mention. The running joke in my neighborhood was that it in the shop more than it was on the road or that it had been built on the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday. Yes, it was a lemon & luckily they took it back before my lease was up but I was still out what I had paid in the year-in-a-half that I leased it. (Thats why I have the records.) Here is where it gets even worse. I figured that since I had a lemon my first time out, there was no way I could get another bad one. I mistakenly bought a 2014 and tricked it out. Another bad move on my part. I had the lift package put on it, rock rails, a wench, KC lights, bush-whacker fenders flairs, 35-inch tires with nice rims, a Gobi Rack, a snorkel package, you name it. Again, this Jeep was going to be perfect! A four-wheeling machine!!!! It was for a short while and then like the first one, the mechanical problems began and have not stopped. I didnt need to worry about the rain leaks that were happening as I had moved to Denver. Too dry to worry about that here as it would dry out in hours. What I did need to worry about however was that in a month and a half, it broke down on me five times. Two times where it needed towing as it shut down completely and I was stuck in the middle of the road! First I was told it was the oil-exchange system. Is there such a thing? Then it was a bent wire that shorted out. Then the oil started leaking like mad. I took it in three times to get that to stop. It is still leaking oil now. I went to two different dealerships to see if one was better than the other. Answer to that question - NOPE!!!! Now I have a loud chirping/squeaking noise underneath the vehicle that gets louder and louder with ever bump in the road. It is incredibly annoying. I have been told by the dealership that it is the lift package. It isnt. I have had three separate specialty shops look at it (one that specializes in lift packages on Jeeps) and none of them think that it is the lift package making the noise. They have nothing to gain by telling me this either as they will make no money off of me when they tell me this. The dealership tells me it is the lift package as that is not covered under the warranty and they dont have to pay for that repair. Speaking of warranty. What happens to my repair costs when that runs out? No thanks Chrysler!!!! The point with all this is - DONT buy a Jeep folks. I want to save you the hassle and frustrations that I have put up with now for nearly 4.5 years! Jeeps are incredible high on the "cool factor" scale. The way they look, what you can do with them, etc. When it comes to reliability however, this is a completely different story. In my near 24 years of driving, the two Jeeps I have owned are easily the two least reliable vehicles I have ever owned. Remember, I only had used vehicle prior to this and one of those vehicles was a 1971 VW Super Beetle!!! I want to love my Jeep but I need it to run. I need it to be reliable. I am truly disappointed by this and really wish it was not this way. I am disappointed that Chrysler has done little to nothing to help. I am done with Jeep until they get their product straight. I know I am not the only one that has had these issues either. The more people I talk to, the more I find have the same frustrations as me. For those of you who have reliable Jeeps, let me say that I am really jealous! I am also happy for you and I really hope that lasts. You are lucky. I am finding however that the lucky Jeep owners with few repairs and frustrations are becoming more and more rare. I hope Chrysler fixes things soon.

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  Cheap jeep - 2016 Jeep Patriot
  By Dan - July 8 - 6:07 pm

  Rented this tin box. Been in it 10 minutes and cant wait to get out of it! Very cramped, loud, rough and no arm room. ONE usb port!!!! So no charging phone and using gps! Also all the windows are fogged up, cant see out of them. Defrost is on high and in the rear. Very dangerous. I would walk before I would buy this piece of crap! Does not compare to my 2005 Ford Freestyle!!!!

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  windows? what windows? - 2007 Jeep Liberty
  By Ghost73 - June 3 - 11:40 am

  Bought the thing in August of 07. Windows have fallen down in the door 16 times! Yes 16 times! The dealership always fixed them for free. Then they claimed they have a new improved part. Windows kept falling. The last time it happened I got charged for it. I was told Chrysler had changed their policy. Hmm so I get penalized for their poor product. Sounds fair. I dont even roll the windows down. Yet they fall any way.

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  If I only had it to do over - 2006 Jeep Commander
  By CMEGOBY - May 29 - 1:53 am

  Unfortunately all I can say is this is the worst vehicle I have ever owned and I am currently at 25 and counting. This thing has far less room than I anticipated and is very uncomfortable on long trips. To top things off it has been at the dealer getting things fixed more than it has been in my driveway. If your looking for a fun, reliable, and comfortable SUV then I recommend looking elsewhere.