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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  Love This Vehicle - 1999 Jeep Cherokee
  By JeepBeep - November 9 - 10:00 am

  Nobody told me driving could be this much fun!

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  Transmission problems - 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Connie j - November 9 - 10:00 am

  I did love my Jeep until I had transmission problems at 62000 miles. Brought it for repair and they put in a new software but 3 weeks later while on a road trip the tranny went out. It is at a dealership 9 hrs away now getting a new transmission at 65000 miles, luckily I have an extended warranty but this does not cover my expenses of getting the car back and renting a car to get home. Also the seat heaters went out 2 times once under warranty which I fixed and then out of warranty which I chose not to fix for $500. Will never own a Jeep again.

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  Ideal Island Car - 2010 Jeep Wrangler
  By Clyde Kawauchi - November 8 - 12:16 pm

  My ride home from the dealership, 100 miles was effortless. The ride home was enjoyable, and cant wait to hit those favorite spots. I cant believe that this is a off road vehicle. No regrets in buying it. Glad I live in Hawaii.

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  Best vehicle i ever drove - 2008 Jeep Commander
  By citygal - November 7 - 7:50 am

  I enjoy this vehicle more than i can say;I miss not driving it, I can not wait until lunchtime at work to get in it. I have owned it for three weeks now. I had a Toyota 4 runner before that did not get good gas mileage. It is flexifuel so i can put ethanol (e85) gas in it; that was a bonus for me along with everything else it had to offer. I truly enjoy the my gig system with navigation. I get about 15 mpg in city, and about 19-21 on hwy.

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  Great SUV - 2008 Jeep Commander
  By aangelovic - November 6 - 8:00 pm

  I have the 2008 Rocky Mountain package. It has the 3.7 V6, its a little underpowered, but its not too bad on mpg. On the highway it gets about 20 mpg and in the city 15. The one thing that I dont like about it is if it rained and there is still some water on the roof and you open the windows the water pours into the truck. Its even worse when you hit the brakes it just pours all over the inside. Thats the only thing I can say is an issue. Everything else is great, rides like a caddy, and is really roomy.

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  Family 4x4! - 2006 Jeep Commander
  By JD - November 6 - 11:00 am

  This vehicle is awesome. The perfect vehicle for my young family to explore the outdoors. Very comfortable and competent.

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  1995 YJ Wrangler - 1995 Jeep Wrangler
  By yjnightrider95 - November 5 - 5:44 pm

  Very Reliable. Bought it with 105k miles 6 months ago. Now has 120,000 miles and the only replacements Ive made is the radiator, motor mounts, and drive shaft yolk. I drive this vehicle hard. Only typical problem I have that any older vehicle has is that in extreme hot weather idling and geared down it tends to run a little hot. the longest Ive drove it straight is 5 hours on 1 tank of gas.

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  Great SUV - 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By SVG - November 5 - 7:16 am

  Everything is great on this SUV. It rides very smoothly and I have never had any mechanical problems with it. Gas isnt bad for an SUV. The options are a very big plus for this SUV.

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  I Didnt Like It at All - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Cad-Lad - November 5 - 12:58 am

  To the point, the car is a jeep. It does everything and anything you could possibly need. Need to get somewhere? Check. Need to go through bad weather? Check. Need to get groceries? Check. Need to tow something heavy? Check. Wanna attract the ladies? Check. --- Now the downsides: You dont get to do the above that often. I dont know if its just having the 2005 model, but frankly the car wasnt that good. Useful and practical, very; enjoyable not at all. It has a million little issues reliability wise, but with adequate maintenance, youll never be stranded. Not to mention parts are cheap and very easy to find, but that in mind seeing warning lights and hearing beeps every 10 minutes into a ride gets annoying FAST. --- It has a horrible interior. Im not nit-picky, but good lord, I have never seen an uglier interior. The colors for the dash can normally be ignored if nothing else, on most cars, but youre constantly reminded of it in this jeep. It may seem tolerable at first, but believe me, its one of the worst interiors ever created. No where you can touch that wont feel scratchy, rough, or just simply displeasant. --- Onto the absolute worst parts: the seats. Some people like them. I didnt, you have to be fat to sit in them. Or have weird posture. The seats DO NOT hold you in place, unless you are almost fat albert levels of obese. This car has wide side bolsers, and way too much lumbar support. If youre young and charming, like myself, a wily fellow to whom extreme back support is unnecessary, youll get sore and tired fast. Older folks or folks with weaker backs should be fine, because even the lowest settings for lumbar proved too much to me (the lowest lumbar setting was still excessive and exacerbated by how hard the seat are), and I found the seats to push against the top of my back too (the bulging part where they plant the jeep logo). Compared to the previous generation, these seats feel like lead and iron in terms of hardness and were my personal enemy for the 6months that I was stuck with the thing. As for seating room, Id rather you think of it as a coupe. The back seats are somehow worse than tbe front seats lacking in depth or space at all for your legs. --- Onto performance, it was actually Not awful. It wasnt very good though; it had body lean in a straight line and I wasnt personally a fan of the way the transmission shifted and felt (1st second and third were rev happy, 4th wouldn5 budge and no matter how hard you pressed on the pedal youd have to wait a while for it to downshift), thats all my opinion of course, the first few cars I ever worked on were fords and chevies and even ford didnt have such a garbage transmission engine pairing. Chances are youd like the jeep if youre used to driving diesel trucks. It has good power delivery Ill admit, and the gearing is pretty good up until it hits 4th gear (and more horribly 5th). It can stay in low gears pretty well when you ask it to I guess. It does have manual shift (poorly executed since you cant lock fifth gear) -and the 290-305 ft-lbs of torque let you accelerate without revving when you ARE stuck in high gear. The engine is good without a doubt, even if it has a horrible transmission pair. As I stated, this car has too much body lean for aggressive driving. You might not mind, you wouldnt expect an suv of its weight to handle at all; it has some low speed maneuverability which at times can be surprising. The suspension isnt as bouncy as the previous generation, and seating position is much lower and less tank like. If you want a jeep that still feels like you can go to war in it, look for the previous body style. --- As per the technology, its without a doubt simple and efficient, I have nothing bad to say. --- Off-roading? Hahahahahahahaha! Thats so 1963. But I guess it probably does it well, if you do an enormous amount of off roading, buy a wrangler instead. The grand cherokee is more for people who want to camp occasionally on a trail, but also have handy car around for when the time arrives. I sold my jeep to someone who wanted a replacement after he drowned his TJ in a mudpit at some mountain, his was a newer TJ and he was surprised at the tech that came with the Jeep especially its GPS console. --- Bottom line: if all you want is a nice commuter car, skip it. This jeep is for people who have other things to do, mountains to climb, and snowy parking lots to be alone with their girlfriend in.

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  Disappointed Jeep Owner - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Randy - November 3 - 10:10 pm

  This is my third Jeep Grand Cherokee. I am having substantial problems with the transmission. The Jeep shudders when taking the smallest hill, though I have the 5.7 L engine. Jeep cannot fix the problem, and told the dealer to tell me the shudder is normal. I have been a loyal Jeep owner for 15 years but am now in a Lemon Law proceeding. Other problems include being on my third factory installed CD player, though I use the player less than once a week. Too bad Jeep wont stand behind the product, and in fact has been nasty to work with. I would like to keep driving Jeeps but cannot recommend due to their lack of standing behind the product.