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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  Better Than Most - 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Maxine - January 14 - 10:00 am

  Mine had the 5.2 V-8 which is very nice with double platinum spark plus,Copper/Brass Cap/Rotor.I was getting 23mpg.

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  Jeep Liberty Limited - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By Cat6208 - January 11 - 4:40 pm

  I did a lot of research to find what automobile would suit my needs, and I was very excited when I bought my Liberty. Ten months later I cant wait to trade it in. I only get 16.5 mpg and I am cautious about putting my foot in it. There is a mysterious rattle in the back that drives me nuts, I put the radio up loud so I cant hear it. I also hate the way the transmission shifts ... very jerky. I also dont like that it reminds you that you need service every time you turn on your car (while having to wait for my oil change appointment). I also have put in a 3rd windshield because the smallest rock cracks the windshield. I had a Toyota before and never had a problem ... Im definitely going back.

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  big regret - 2007 Jeep Liberty
  By rmbrake - January 9 - 2:03 pm

  Seats stain if rain falls on it. Front window broke and on the way to fix it the back broke. Air only works half the time. Dealership replace compressor and still only works half the time. Small glove box poor gas mileage

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  Cute car, However, MPG IS RIDICULOUS!! - 2007 Jeep Commander
  By Rae - January 7 - 8:50 am

  Exterior & Interior looks is nice :0) Seats are comfortable! TOO MUCH TIME AT THE GAS PUMP!! The second & third row seats are a little too high!! Passenger seat sits too low.

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  Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4X4 Diesel (ADV TECH) - 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By jeepgcfan - January 6 - 10:21 am

  This is an update to a couple of reviews I have made on this car. As much as it pains me to say, please avoid the 2014 JGC Diesel and probably Jeeps altogether. My car has currently around 9K miles and has been in the shop 5-6 times. The last few times have been related to the diesel engine (catalytic converter was changed, engine light turned on a few times, and now a pipe in the diesel engine cracked. This resulted in exhaust fumes going everywhere. It is a true shame as this has been a car I had been waiting to buy for years. Chrysler really needs to improve its build quality and reliability as well as provide options for folks with lemons. I guess I am going the lemon law route. AVOID IT

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  Horrible Experience - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By joshandjenn916 - December 28 - 7:36 pm

  Was great til 3 yrs later, even though we keep up on all maintenance on it. It started as problems with the engine light on, then started running hard and blowing blue smoke out the exhaust. The smog place gave us a report back with over 10 codes that was causing it to fail! We brought it to several mechanics and all agreed the engine was bad. Luckily I got in inheritance and we were able to pay 8,000 to put a rebuilt engine and some other minor parts in otherwise wed have had to let it sit while we paid it off then junked it, and now the oil light still comes one even thought its not loosing oil pressure. Turns out its an electrical problem. My opinion, dont get a liberty. MPG also stinks.

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  Expected better - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By KGB-Kenny - December 21 - 5:00 pm

  Im seeing a lot of things on these reviews that Ive experienced myself. Bought new in 2002 and have had problems with rotors/brakes too. Also the dual zone climate control door went bad (expensive to fix). Also hood struts went bad as well as the gas cap (youll know when your engine light comes on)...Ive seen these 2 problems a lot on reviews. Not sure the seat leather is actually leather - after a few years it gets a bit plastic-y. Also needs more leg room for the driver (Im 62"). Overall its not bad, but considering it sold for about $38k new I expected much better for my money.

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  Its not hard to say goodbye - 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By jlanding - December 13 - 10:00 am

  Had this Jeep since I was 16 years old. Sold it a few weeks ago with 157,000 miles. This is a love/hate relationship. I loved the interior, exterior, and handling of this vehicle. I had just about everything except steering wheel replaced on this car. Brakes were constantly an issue. Transmission went out at 100,000. Belt tensioner, thermostat, sway bar, alternator, vacuum tubing, oil pressure gague, hood shocks, hubs, driver and passenger side windows all went out and had to have it all replaced. The center console malfunctioned several times and thankfully was all covered under warranty. It took 4 trips to the dealer to get this fixed. I wished it was reliable. Never again!

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  Junk Jeep - 2008 Jeep Patriot
  By Chris - December 12 - 11:40 pm

  This Jeep is alright at best it drives well enough however they leak very badly and this is a common problem if you go on any forum. Jeep doesnt seem to know how to solve the problem. Having said this it does drive well and has decent power, the interior is comfortable but the dash is very cheap looking plastic which jeep is changing in 2009. The console also heats up quite a lot where the heat adjustment knobs are. This has potential to be a very good vehicle however Jeep has to look at it and fix the design flaws first.

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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.