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 everything but dust leaks - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Diane T - July 11 - 8:50 pm

  Love my 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Special Edition. It handles like a luxury vehicle but drives with confidence in all the various conditions we get throughout the year in the central USA.

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  Overall worth every penny - 1997 Jeep Wrangler
  By timo88 - July 10 - 7:28 pm

  Bought my 97 wrangler SE a couple weeks ago with 115k miles on it. it had a 4" lift and 33x 12.5 tires on it. over all it is a fun ride and even better when i drop the soft top. the only issue i have is a common one with jeeps. the infamous death wobble. every now and then i the jeep will go into a violent shake that is only stopped by slowing down. after plenty of research i have found that is a moderatly easy and cheap fix. about $375. kevinsoffroad has kits for this specific problem that are supposed to fix it completely. i will be installing mine tomorrow and im sure ill see an improvement. even with this problem i still can rely on it for a everyday driver.

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  Beautiful but dies for no curable reason - 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By earmbru - July 10 - 10:00 am

  I love my Jeep but it dies sporadically. The dealership thinks it is a connection problem but the $ to trace all the connections is too much because there is still no guarantee that they can find the problem. It isnt the O2 sensor - I tried that after researching the Internet. A needless $300 fix because it still dies. It happens on the freeway, back roads, side roads, no consistentcy. I wish I could get it fixed because I hate to give it up. However, last week it died 4 times on day and 3 the next. It took me 4 hours to drive 40 miles because it kept dying and wouldnt restart immediately.

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  Solid Car - 2007 Jeep Compass
  By Lance Beasman - July 9 - 8:20 pm

  Originally shopping for the Caliber, but they were in short supply .The reason was because the Compass was being built (yes, they share the same assembly plant). It is a great car for the daily commute, especially with the Sirius radio. The rear headroom is higher, albeit the rear legroom is lacking. I should have bought one with option 26E. This would have included reclining rear seats!

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  This car is SMOOTH - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By Dooie - July 9 - 10:40 am

  This car is great when it comes to climbing hills and taking bumps! It drives so smoothly! I was completely taken away when I test drove this car and I love it! The only MAJOR problem I have with it is it SUCKS GAS!!!! Thats all though, everything else is awesome!

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  The 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee - 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Mike - July 7 - 2:06 am

  This is a great vehicle. As long as you take care of the basic maintenance it will run forever. The offroad performance is also very good. Highway is comfortable. I have the I6 4.0 engine. Power sunroof and leather seats. Black inside and out. The only thing that is a knock on the vehicle is the highway. There is some hesitation when going from overdrive to one of the lower gears. That is to be expected with the I6. But overall it isnt a big deal because if you lower the throttle even more the it can really move. The gas mileage is as follows. 60-67 23-24 mpg. 67-74 21-18 mpg. City speeds it is about 15-16 mpg. Great vehicle for Michigan, not to mention it was and still is made in Detroit.

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  Boring - 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Whatever - July 6 - 10:20 am

  Mine has 120,000 miles on it so its probably time to dump it. Ive had all the problems listed by other owners, but they seem to be in line with most cars of this age. I have found my cloth seats to be very uncomfortable. The gas mileage is very weak. The radio is weak. The pitching and yawing is weak. The drive quality goes down from there if you go faster that 80 mph (which is probably a good thing -- like a speed governor). The car is boring at all times except when you stomp on the V8 at a green light.

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  What a Jeep! - 1998 Jeep Cherokee
  By mozbeach - July 5 - 9:26 pm

  Bought this Jeep, my first Cherokee, used in 2000. Traded in my 93 Wrangler for it. Thought I would hate it without the rag top, but this car is great. Carries my kids and all my toys. Runs great in all weather/conditions. I now have 170,000 miles (68,000 when bought) and am just starting to replace original equipment. Only negatives are the gas mileage and my instrument gauges periodically fail. No mechanic has been able to find the cause. Despite that I will never buy another SUV other than a Jeep.

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  Excellent Spare/Snow Vehicle - 1998 Jeep Cherokee
  By byron555 - July 5 - 2:43 pm

  After exchanging our Subaru Outback for a mini van we found our selves without 4x4 for the first time. And we proceed with the snowiest winter in recorded Wisconsin history. We bought this as a "spare" vehicle, I say spare but it is now being used more than our 07 Hyundai Entourage Limited mini van. The 4.0 with the 5 speed accelerates with force up to 65 mph. The snow capability and stability easily rivals our old Outback, and the off road ability absolutely crushes the Outback. It is also far cheaper than a used Outback. I really like Subarus and have owned 7 of them, but I like this Jeep better than the 2000 Outback we owned.

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  Bought with 60k on it - 2008 Jeep Patriot
  By aaronyrf - July 4 - 10:53 am

  Well Ive had my Riot for about a half of a year now and no problems to report. Previous owner did regular maintenance on it and Im sure that helped extend the life of the factory parts. Just did a CVT tranny fluid change as indicated by the manual. I was nervous that I would have to take it to the Jeep dealer and sell my soul to pay for the fluid but instead I just asked my neighborhood oil change center and they had all the necessary tools and fluid and it only cost me a hundred dollars. (Just out of curiosity I checked the Jeep dealer in my town and they quoted me 755 dollars!!!!!!! for the 60k servicing.) My advice is ask around. It cant hurt.