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:

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  1 year with jeep - 2004 Jeep Liberty
  By GES - December 12 - 4:30 am

  Put a lot of miles on Liberty and has been very reliable. Transmission, however, is awful. Never seems to know what gear it is in and performance is sluggish. Worst problem, however, is the poor handling on wet roads. I have changed tires but it has not helped. I have owned a lot of SUVs but have never had a problem like this. Anyone have any suggestions?

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  Second Jeep Liberty - 2009 Jeep Liberty
  By firehawkmph - December 11 - 5:46 pm

  After having one of the first Jeep Libertys when they came out in 01, we decided to trade it in on a new 09 Liberty. My wife racked up just shy of 100k trouble-free miles on the first one. After considering other vehicles like the Honda CRV and Subaru Forester, I liked the Liberty the best. The new one has quite a few refinements and improvements over the old one. The vehicle has more interior room, rides better, and is quieter also. Still has the rugged 4WD drive that Jeep is noted for. It may not get the gas mileage of the CRV or Subaru, or doesnt quite have the car-like ride, but I didnt buy it to be a car. Its a REAL 4WD, not a cutesy wanna be. It will go through about anything.

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  Parting is sweet sorrow - 1999 Jeep Cherokee
  By snookums - December 9 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Cherokee brand new back in 99 and have had very few problems with it. The few times Ive actually taken it off-road it has been a beast. Its never broken down or given me any real problems. It does have a tendency to spin the tires on wet pavement, though. Generally, it just does that when turning from a stop. The paint has held up pretty well. I dont have the painted fenders and the plastic has faded badly. The interior has held up well. Sadly, I will be trading the old girl in for something newer. I need something I can make frequent long trips in and the Jeep is getting to the mileage range where something will be going wrong on it.

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  Worst of the Jeeps - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By chelo - December 9 - 2:00 am

  After having 3 cherokee vehicles this is by far the worst. The power windows failed 3 times, there is a sensor for the transfer case that has failed several times giving you a hard shift change at about 20 miles(and I mean hard!!!). The cd changer skips on most of the disks at between tracks 6 and 8 and the driver rear mirror fails to remember its position frequently thus having to readjust almost daily. This would not be so bad if the dealer had taken care of reparing it but they did not time after time just gave excuses that the vehicle did not failed during their tests.

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  my jeep feelings - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By dave hartung - December 9 - 2:00 am

  what can I say, I love my Jeep

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  Liberty is Awesome!! - 2004 Jeep Liberty
  By Smack7t - December 9 - 2:00 am

  The jeep had the best feel to it by far. It drives like a Jeep yet has a refined element to it. The size is perfect, not to big, not to small like the Rav4. Everything about the interior is absolutely AWESOME!!! And the styling is the best of the small SUVs by far. Its easily the funnest SUV to drive. Drive one and youll see what I mean. I purchased the G-package and my total cost for the package was around $2700 and then it had a $1600 manufactures rebate. Not to mention the $1500 rebate on all Libertys. If youre in the market for a small SUV but dont want an SUV that is too small, buy this one! I cant say enough good things about it!

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  Jeep Liberty - 2004 Jeep Liberty
  By She - December 9 - 2:00 am

  Battery died before 1 year of ownership. Tends to pull to the right. Gas mileage is terrible I have to reach back to for window controls, due to being extremely short. Would rather have controls on dash or doors. I do like how it sits high, I can see out easily.

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  2004 Jeep Overland - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Beauwon - December 9 - 2:00 am

  Solid frame, excellent power, good handling for a SUV. Jeep has been doing it for so long, it only gets better. Very reliable vehicle.

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  Hold On Tight - 2008 Jeep Wrangler
  By Megan - December 8 - 1:10 pm

  I have wanted a 4-door Wrangler since they first came out. What was I thinking? The first 9 months were awesome, fun to drive, no issues. Ever heard of "death wobble". I suggest you look it up before purchasing any Chrysler product especially the Wrangler. There is a reason it is called death wobble. One reason is it scares you to death. The other is that it could cause you to have a fatal accident. It is a violent shaking of the front end of the Jeep that you cannot control. I found out, unfortunately too late, that this has been an issue with Jeeps for several years. And people wonder why we dont buy American.

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  Going down hill fast - 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By icefan1 - December 8 - 10:00 am

  I bought this bad boy used in late 1995 with 38k on it. While it has never left me stranded or failed to start, it ha been a money pit for the last few years with $1500-2000 per year going towards major repairs. I just found out today it needs new brakes (again) and about $800 in engine work. I told the shop to do the brakes and forget the rest. I plan on just keeping the oil changed and some new plugs until the thing wants to run no longer, which may be soon. While it has been a fun car, I would not buy another one due to the poor build quality and repair expense. I would not recommend a used one as a purchase unless you posses mechanical abilities and can do major repairs on your own.