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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  A car you have to own... for two years - 2008 Jeep Wrangler
  By CEOofTNFYA - September 29 - 2:13 pm

  This iconic vehicle is the most fun you can have driving under 20mph. The design will never get old and the amount of bad weather confidence you gain by getting behind the wheel of this beast is unmatched. The deeper the snow the more I wanted to go out. I think it drives better in the deep stuff than on a clear road. That is also the problem. It is incredibly loud at highway speed, the hood will lift up and slam down in the wind, and it needs constant input to keep in a straight line. This is the least practical vehicle on the road but one you simply have to own at some point in your life. Left me stranded at 2500 miles due to faulty fuel gauge, took 11 days to fix. No confidence in brand

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  almost but not quite - 2008 Jeep Patriot
  By cephas73 - September 15 - 7:20 am

  Smooth ride, good styling, plenty of room. Poor fit and finish. Sensor that controlled brakes broke and caused brakes to fail when applying them when going over any type of bump. Water leaks into vehicle from the rear brake light. Turn signal does not turn off after turning. It is too bad that these things have happened because the vehicle is a great idea it just was poorly built. It has 7000 miles.

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  Our Cherokee - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Greg Van Lieu - September 2 - 10:00 am

  Very poor reliability. It is a shame because the interior is very nice.

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  Careful buying a Jeep they need to Fix! - 2003 Jeep Wrangler
  By John - August 28 - 5:06 pm

  I have wanted a Jeep Wrangler for a long time. Finally bought a used 2003 and after driving for approximately 20,000 miles I am now experiencing the "Death Wobble" If you havent had this happen with your Jeep you will!!! No real cure from what I am reading. Have to say I would not recommend buying a Jeep to anyone. Trying to fix the” Death Wobble” in my Jeep so I can sale the rig.

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  My jeep - 2007 Jeep Liberty
  By angela - August 26 - 3:43 am

  I couldnt wait to get my jeep liberty. This is my 4th jeep and will be my last. Its been a great car except for the window regulators. The first one went out while traveling on vacation. The dealer I visited was awesome but the part was under warranty. The 2nd window just went out and I am very unhappy with the cost of the manufacture defect. If this is the expense I will have to incur I am looking to get rid of this jeep now. I refuse to own another one now.

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  Typical Domestic - 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By thebobbiejeep - August 26 - 2:00 am

  We bought our Jeep w/88,000 miles on it. After owning several foreign 4x4s I was astonished at how well it was holding up and it has been a great vehicle till it hit that 130,000 mile mark and, just like all domestic vehicles it began to literally fall apart. $$$$$$! So much for comparing it to my toyotas that went nearly 300,000 miles w/no problems.

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  Transmission and Electronics Issues - 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By 1grandcherokee - August 19 - 10:45 am

  Overall I like this Jeep so far. I drive 1000 miles for work per week. I track my milage at fuelly.com . I dont get the 24 as promised with 8 spd transmission… I get a solid 21 in my last 17 fill ups. I got into a bit of a traffic snag where I had to slam on the breaks etc, it handled far better than I expected it would. Two bad faults, my dashboard keeps going out, dealer doesnt know of a fix, and my transmission lags, sometimes stays in higher gears when breaking, and occasionally clunks Those concerns aside its been 8200 miles and I just hope the dash fails so it can be fixed in warranty.. that seems expensive. My NAV sometimes freezes and I have to shut/restart the car to fix.

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  Looks good, but... - 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By mikewestmd - August 17 - 12:03 am

  I, like many others, have had constant issues with the Navigation system and slow hesitation when the transmission shifts gears. I have had this vehicle for 2 months, and it is now in the shop for the 3rd time related to the same issues. Navigation reboots itself or screen goes to static. My radio, both FM and Sirius, have more static than I have ever had with any other vehicle. The outside temp shows the wrong temp, yesterday it showed -40. My MIL light came on again yesterday as well. Each time I take it to the shop, they say that there is a software update to fix the issue, but I am starting to doubt they actually know what the issue is. WAIT for Jeep to fix this before you purchase it!

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  Some things you love like to bite you - 1995 Jeep Cherokee
  By Braz - August 8 - 9:10 pm

  I had this vehicle for a little more than 4 years. I loved to drive it, although gas was a bit less back then. I had to break down and trade because, first the door nearly fell off, I had 2 oil leaks that were fairly costly ($500 total) the hatch leaked so badly that it would pour the rain inside. I would probably get an average of 19-21 +- mpg. I would have liked a heads up before I bought it.

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  4x4 jeep - 1996 Jeep Cherokee
  By abster - August 7 - 1:30 pm

  I bought this 96 Cherokee back in 2006 with 70k. I have replaced a couple of sensors-1 was causing the car to die intermittently. It took about 4 different trips to the mechanic before they figured out what was wrong. They thought it was the o2 sensor but it wasnt. It was the-hmmm...cant remember sorry. I have also replaced the water pump, radiator, starter, brakes and had a couple of flushes. It has been running great since. Great 4WD & good pickup. Bad gas mileage- about 14 mpg. Took it up to 100mph+ & got some intense shake. The doors and locks could have been designed better. Had problems w/the a/c-vents stopped blowing due to a broken lever inside. Very bumpy ride.