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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  Dont Waste Your Time and Money - 2016 Jeep Patriot
  By astra_ferris@hotmail.com - March 16 - 11:41 am

  Was so excited to finally get my first Jeep and go play. Unfortunately this car has been nothing but trouble. Transmission started overheating at 20,000 miles, electric system goes in and out, sometimes my windshield wipers work, sometimes they dont. I have been locked both in and out of my car with the door locks not working. Have been stranded on the side of the road for half hour increments where my car will not work. And this is after it drops from 60-75 miles to hour to 40 miles per hour without warning. I have had my brakes not work when I have used them, almost causing accidents both times. Take it to the dealer to get fixed you say! I have multiple times now, and end up leaving with nothing fixed and them telling me there is nothing wrong with it. Look online though and you can see multiple reviews of people having the same issues. These are the problems I have had so far, then this morning my TMPS started beeping at me and wont go off. However, none of my tires are low or flat. They werent when it started going off. To top it all of, my seat belt does not consistently lock. it pops out at random, leaving me unprotected in my death trap that was disguised as a new car.

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  Beware of Transfer Case Problems and Elecronics - 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Mr. PM - February 28 - 10:09 am

  I bought my GC Laredo 4.7L used. I had the service 4wd message in the dashboard and took it to the Jeep dealer. The GC had some weird noise in the transfer case area. It cost me $100.00 for a diagnostic to tell me that the transfer case was bad. An a quote of S3,500 for a remanufactured Chrysler NV245 transfer case because Chrysler does not make those junk transfer cases anymore. I went to a transmission shop and they installed a used one from the junk yard and couple weeks after the electric motor of the transfer case went bad. I complained to Chrysler about the transfer case and their response was that after 100,000 I am expected to replace the transfer case. I had 1997 Honda CRV with 297,000 plus miles without transfer case issues.

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  Disheartened - 2007 Jeep Compass
  By Paula - February 25 - 8:16 pm

  I bought our compass 8/30/06. On day 33 my car broke down in the middle of the street. I was able to start it again and brought it to the dealer. Phantom issue I guess because it happens weekly. I get maybe 15 mpg city. I only drive it to work because Im afraid if we vacation itll break down again. This past weekend my husband finally experienced the break down. We tried to jump start it ourselves, the tow co too. Nothing. We tried to go for the "Lemon" law in the first 33 days and then in the first 23 months and were told that there were no service records and we had the burden of proof. its disheartening.The dealers suggests we buy a Preowned and certified from them. No trust!

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  Please stay away from this vehicle - 2006 Jeep Liberty
  By Andrew - December 13 - 4:13 pm

  I felt obligated to write a review when I saw the average rating for this vehicle was 8.2. At best this is a below average vehicle. At worst this ranks as one of the worst vehicles of all time. I feel I can provide an honest assessment since this is a company car and I am not tied to it financially. This was obviously an ill conceived car. I am 5’11”. On long trips my right leg cramps because the transmission housing protrudes too far laterally into the foot space. I get 20 mpg, which is bad for a small slow vehicle. The seats stain with water, seriously. There have been several recalls. Also, an odd "clicking" noise emanates from the from airbag area (dealer says this is normal).

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  Its a Lemon... - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By clwoolst - November 11 - 2:56 am

  Purchased 2005 Jeep Liberty Sport 4x4 on 6/30/05 with 14 miles on it. Has been in the shop with a known transmission defect (but apparently undisclosed by manufacturer) for over a month. The release date for the repair has come and gone, but it is now on back order. Chrysler/Jeep will not stand behind product. Told me to sue them under lemon law. Think twice before you buy! At the very least verify that the vehicle you purchase was manufactured after April 2005.

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  I wouldnt wish a jeep on my worst enemy - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By ptero2003 - November 9 - 2:00 am

  v8 quad drive, every option. Purdy to some, BUT.... Terrible car. "wallows" down the highway like a fat pig. quad drive groans when wheels turned hard, fan roars when cold, front rotors warp at 11k miles, heated seats broke twice. Jeep sales are a trestimny only to good advertising spin. Jeep is living in the past.

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  jeep G. cherokee - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By ed - October 16 - 10:00 am

  had to replace rotors 3x dealer didnt want to pay any as I was at 12,500 mi. first time and said only covered up to 12K. Spent about 1300$ of my own money to fix brakes and only last about 3 months then need to recut and replace pads or rotors.

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  Car is a Death Trap - 2004 Jeep Liberty
  By LibertyDeathTrap - August 30 - 2:00 am

  This car was the worse purchase ever. 3 months after driving it, the Steering gave out and it flipped me into a ditch. Dont buy unless you wanna risk death, and the fuel economy will put a hurting on your wallet.

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  Lemon - 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Brian C. - August 29 - 6:41 pm

  The vehicle basically started falling apart at 4,000 miles; multiple trips to the service department at the dealership, out of the last 6 months it has spent 38 days (and counting) in the service department. There is something wrong in the electronics/software with these vehicles. Jeep & Chrysler offer no help - in their own words "we cannot do anything".

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  Dont buy a Diesel - 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Jodi - August 3 - 7:48 pm

  We own at 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Diesel. I love the car it drives great when it drives. Thats the key point here. Its been serviced 14 times yes 14 and today as I write this its in again and now for 2 weeks the list is growing and now they found metal in the oil pan. We dont know what we can do. We bought it in MO and now live in CO. I truly love the car and the way it drives and the Diesel has been great on gas mileage we own a Dodge 2500 Diesel. But I cant handle all the endless trips to the dealership. It has stranded me 2x and almost caused a serious accident when the engine stopped going at 60mph. We filled a lemon claim but all we got was a letter back saying thank you for submitting. I sure hope no one else has to go through this nightmare.