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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  The Most INCAPABLE Sport Utility ever - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Edgar Gonesh - February 3 - 10:00 am

  Unless you have money and time to waste I would not recommend this vehicle to anyone. Besides numerous recalls this vehicle (or at least mine)is plagued with tons of failures ranging from window mechanism failures to complete engine failures. If you are in the market for an SUV go look somewhere else.

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  My Commander is a Piece of Junk - 2006 Jeep Commander
  By IHateMyJeep - January 16 - 3:30 am

  I drove my 2006 Commander through about 12-18 inches of water, and wound up blowing my engine this past October. I had it 8 months and it had >9k miles on it. Chrysler refused to honor it as a warranty repair, they said I did not drive it as intended. (Please look up how they define "Trail Rated") What kind of trail is Jeep referring to? A bike trail? A bunny trail? What? Turns out the air intake is low on the vehicle. Just below the front bumper! The insurance company that the dealer finance department referred me to refused to pay for the repair. I had to pay over $8K for a new engine out of pocket. I got my vehicle back just before Christmas. Now the new engine is burning oil.

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  So glad I didnt buy this - 2017 Jeep Patriot
  By Gary - January 7 - 7:48 pm

  To be direct about this, I looked at the sticker price. I rented one for a week and now can honestly say, even with a low sticker price, it is very much over priced. It reminds me of the one time I drove a Yugo, which was 5 minutes I will never forget.

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  2018 jeep Compass trans issue after 150 miles - 2018 Jeep Compass
  By tomsemich - December 15 - 3:20 pm

  I would make sure you look into these transmission issues as I have heard from others the same issues.

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  jeep just empty each pocket - 2006 Jeep Wrangler
  By stoneshihtzu - November 9 - 12:25 am

  i bought my 2006 rhd wrangler 4x4, thinking it was a smart decision. thought it would be a great investment. durability & dependability. was going to be the perfect choice for a mail carrier vehicle. in 6,000 miles i have replaced ac/heater switch twice, towed once cause gear shifter cable broke. ran hot on me regularly. transmission fell out before i put 6,000 miles on it. if you purchase a jeep you better have a great warranty because believe me, you will need it. it was just out of factory warranty when i bought it at 73,000 miles and it has been one expense after another. everyone on these reviews sound like it is so great. like to hear if they still feel that way after 80,000 miles.

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  REALLY wanted to like it... but didnt - 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By John Cash - October 30 - 5:07 am

  I really wanted to like the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Having come from a similarly sized SUV that treated us well for 12 years, I really wanted to upgrade our technology and other features we didnt have. The dealer let me take the Jeep home for 24 hours to decide. Unfortunately the Jeep drives poorly -- it rolls severly in turns and is not quick or zippy like youd think given the engine. It also drives like a car much bigger than it is. It doesnt help that the steering wheel is incredibly thick. I dont know how any one would want to drive this day in and day out. Its really too bad because the Jeep does come with a TON of features and is a great value for what you get, from that aspect. And the Jeep LOOKS good. Recommendation is to really make sure youve given it a proper test drive before buying. I was *this* close to buying but decided to take the dealers offer to drive it for a day.

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  Do Not Buy This Vehicle - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By KCCraig - October 22 - 2:36 pm

  Major issues with this vehicle. Ask a sales rep about choosing between an 04 or 05 and theyll tell you the new models are unreliable. The transmission on my vehicle has been serviced by the dealership 4 times. Grinds into gear, sluggish, and does not shift often. The indicators state an issue with the 4wd is present and flashes a warning often. Several dealerships were unable to fix the problem. As well, this vehicle gets absolutely no gas mileage. Approximately 12 MPG at best. Being 62", one might assume this vehicle would be large enough; however, Jeep has decreased the amount of headroom making this SUV very uncomfortable. As well, the seats give terrible backaches.

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  Noisy and Cheaply Made - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By DevilWolf - October 11 - 2:50 am

  WE bought a Liberty after reading many rave reviews. 4 Months later, we traded it on a Grand Cherokee. The reason for the trade was the Liberty had been into the dealer repair shop 8 time for various things. The rear end suspension had to be replaced and then the controller arm, and so on and so on. It never cost us a dime, but the hassel of having to take it in was enough!! Wouldnt recommend it to my least favorite person!! Save your money.

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  BAD CAR TO BUY!!! - 1996 Jeep Cherokee
  By tn - August 2 - 10:00 am

  I HAVE HAD A 1996 JEEP CHEROKEE SPORT FOR 7 YEARS AND ITS THE LAST ONE. THIS CAR HAS A FRAME RAIL AND STEERING GEAR BOX BOLTS CRACKING RECALL PROBLEM. DONT BUY ANY REGULAR CHEROKEE. CHRYSLER WILL NOT PAY FOR MY REPAIRS AND ONLY 2500 ARE ON THE RECALL LIST, BUT MINE CAR IS NOT. THOUSANDS OR MORE ARE AFFECTED BY THIS PROBLEM AND IT CAN CAUSE A CRASH. MY FRAME RAIL CRACKED AND LOST MY STEERING THREE TIMES IN THE LAST 1.5 YEARS. THIS IS A BAD CAR!

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  DONT DO IT!! - 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By E.L. - July 9 - 9:47 am

  I was lured into buying American on this car. Seduced by the great styling, comfortable ride, and great road manners. Plus, made in the USA! What could be better? Traded my aged BMW that Id bought new ten years previously (no major issues), and entered into 3.5 years of automotive purgatory. This is the worst car Ive ever owned. Even beats out my wifes old 99 Audi A4. New engine at 9k miles, three headlights at $350 each, new entertainment system, back up camera replaced twice, $3000 wiring harness "rusted through", and on, and on. Two things convinced me to get rid of this car...driving along at 70mph on my way to work the truck just stopped running. Completely shut off. After I changed my underwear, I was able to make it to work. Second, I had to drain GALLONS of water out of my floorpans that just collected there for no apparent reason. Loved the dealer, but NEVER will buy a Jeep again. Traded it in on a Lexus. Very happy now. Be warned on this one.