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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  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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  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.

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  Brakes....Brakes....Brakes - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By kesh - December 7 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car when it was redesigned. I should have known not to buy a chrysler product. Repair costs have totaled over $3,000 in less then 2.5 years. The rotor and brake pads have been replaced and resurface a total of 6 times and the Front and Rear Ball bearings replaced recently for a loud whining sound. Sick of taking it. Worst Quality. No Customer service.

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  The Gas Sucker - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By avg1512 - December 3 - 2:00 am

  The Jeep Overland is a beautiful vehicle. However, the motor runs very rough, and the EPA mileage rating and reality are nowhere near each other. I just think the engine in this vehicle is still in the stone age.

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  Thems The Brakes.... - 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Sevilleized - December 1 - 10:00 am

  This is my fifth Jeep product and the only one I have been less than pleased with. Today I had my brake rotors resurfaced for the second time (22k miles) which were shaking the vehicle when I braked. Transmission whines at highway speeds and drivers window clicks going up. Air conditioning is just ok, nothing like the old Grand Wagoneers and the wheels wont stay clean more than a day. I have tried to love this vehicle but can only manage to just like it ok. Have friends with similar Grand Cherokees and similar problems. My wifes 2001 Cherokee Limited is vastly superior in quality if not ride and comfort.

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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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  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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  Ho-hum... probably my last Jeep. - 1999 Jeep Cherokee
  By mono - November 3 - 10:00 am

  I bought my Cherokee with 37k miles on it and it now has about 52k miles. Since purchasing it, Ive had to replace: cracked exhaust manifold, rear hatch, exhaust hanger, window controls on the passenger side, serpentine belt, the fuel filler, the transfer case, and the injectors were overly covered in carbon (so said the dealer). I also have a vibration in the front end between 65-75 MPH that two different Jeep dealers have not been able to figure out. Other than the consistant problems and low low low gas mileage, I dig my Jeep. I wouldnt suggest a Cherokee to anyone, but I wouldnt turn you away from one either. Buyer beware I guess.

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  Never Again!!! - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By tries - November 3 - 10:00 am

  I bought my 99 Jeep used a couple years ago and I doubt Ill ever buy another. If it wasnt for the extended warranty Id be in the poor house. The a/c went out three times and the heat twice. The entire rear-end has been replaced twice. Im finding it almost impossible to sell or trade.