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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  Absolutely the worst vehicle ever! - 2008 Jeep Commander
  By Atlanta Guy - July 13 - 3:30 am

  Purchased my Limited 4x4 w/HEMI in 2/08. Just turned 3,900 miles (>6 months later). Remember that, as its a clue. Since purchase my brakes have gone out (entirely, while driving) and they replaced the Master Cylinder. The vehicle has totally died (engine and electrical) on numerous occasions (It is in the shop now getting its 3rd ignition system replacement). Beyond that, there have been numerous other electrical problems with the MyGig system and Navigation. To date the car has been at the dealer for 37 days (and counting) since I picked it up brand new a little over 6 months ago. Currently my attorney has written a demand letter to Chrysler for repurchase. Its a piece of junk!

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  Terrible with a dash of confusion - 2008 Jeep Patriot
  By buckleyjohn - July 8 - 1:03 pm

  First off, I have to agree with everyone here that this is a terrible Jeep. Now, I bought my 2008 Patriot 4x4 Sport with the automatic CVT and 2.4L in New Mexico used in 2010 with about 40k on it. Two days after I bought it, the transmission overheated. They tried to blame it on the fact that the tires didnt match. The front and rear were different profile sized. So, I called them retarded and made them service the transmission by changing the fluid and filter and give me a set of new tires. About 3 months went by. Same thing transmission overheated at 70mph on the highway in the middle of no where. Had to sit in the hot sun for about 3 hours for it to cool down.

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  Safety Issues - 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By stan90 - July 7 - 1:52 pm

  I leased a 2014 Grand Cherokee Limited in November, 2013. It has a variety of problems some of which are serious safety issues that both the dealer and Chrysler choose to ignore. The transmission lags and lurches and makes periodic clanking noises. Worse than that, mine has twice run up engine rpms while I was breaking to stop - a serious safety issue. The electronic shifter offers no advantages. but rather is distracting (requiring a look down to verify what gear you are in). During an emergency situation I needed to stop and quickly shift into reverse to avoid a collision. Using this shifter created a delay that almost killed me. Several other problems none of which are fixed.

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  2003 Jeep or Heap? - 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By GRUNE - June 29 - 12:56 am

  When I first bought the Jeep I loved it. Fun to drive, looks great. Now it has become a hazard and fear to drive. It loves to just quit for no reason. I could be on the highway going 60 MPH and it just quits! Then trying to steer off the hwy with no power steering is always fun. It also likes to buck, or just shut off when slowing down for traffic lights or turns. I now hate driving it. I have taken it to several mechanics and they use the computer to read the codes and all it tells them is "Vapor Locks" None of them can fix it. They all tell me to get rid of it. I cant because I still owe to much. So I will drive it til the wheels fall off or it kills me.

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  lemon - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By george welch - June 10 - 3:56 am

  LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH TWO DIFFERENT JEEPS. TOOK FIRST JEEP BACK 13 TIMES ON THE TRANSMISSON STARTED TO LEAK AT 23000 MILES. WAS TALKED INTO A TRADE HOPING THAT THE FIRST ONE WAS A LEMON,IT WAS WORSE THAN THE FIRST ONE THEY REPLACED THE BRAKES AND ROTOR AT 5000 MILES AND HAD THE SAME CLUNKING FROM THE TRANSMISSION AS WITH THE FIRST I HAD IT AT THE DEALER THE FIRST WEEK WITH FUEL PUMP PROBLEM AND THE RADIO ALSO WOULD NOT GET FM. I TOOK IT BACK A TOTAL OF 12 TIME IN LESS THAN 7 MONTHS. .

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  Never again - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By jules24 - June 5 - 9:56 am

  My Liberty is a very handsome vehicle, but they can be handsome all day long and it wont help you much if they are in the shop with something wrong, like tail lights that fill up with water, differential seal leaks, ball joint problems, A/C problems, windows that fail to go up and down all at the tender age of 4. And gas mileage that really stinks. Come on Jeep, you can do better than this.

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  No More Jeeps for me - 2006 Jeep Commander
  By miss - June 3 - 2:43 am

  I have an 06 Jeep Commander. What a headache. I take it into Victorville Motors all the time. They are horrible. I have brought my vehicle in for brake problems since the beginning. Every time they tell me "can not duplicate". I brought the vehicle in for the same problem they recalled for. I had to pay to have them inspect and they told me my breaks were fine. Now the rotors are bad. I only have 29,000 miles on the Jeep. They want to charge me $400.00 to fix it. I will never buy from Victorville motors, ca ever again or buy a Jeep for that matter. I have owned almost every car made, this is by far the worst!

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  decent - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Tyre - May 29 - 8:36 pm

  I have an 04 Jeep standard 6 cyl. When I first got the car I was siked! But for some reason Ive noticed that the breaks squeal, and when you turn or go over a bump, it almost everytime feels like youll do a rollover going around a bin at 40 mph, which isnt good. :(

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  Continued Problems Time after time - 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Brian - May 28 - 6:24 pm

  After discussion with many jeep drivers, I was excited to get into one. I bought the 2016 Grand Cherokee Limited Edition 75th Anniversary Edition. After three times into the dealership for the same issue, we finally settled on it being a lemon. Heres the problem. The CAM sensor doesnt work and at the ignition start sets off your engine light and other issues. There werent parts to fix it and had to wait. Finally was able to get into a 2017-same edition thinking it was just this one. After only owning for one week, back in the shop with the exact same issue. They fixed it by putting in new diffusers. I have been back on the road for less than two weeks, same issue has come up again. Two brand new jeeps and the same issue. They say there arent issues with this edition but seriously, two in less than a year with the exact same issue. I have been patient and trying to work with the dealership on this. I have lost all confidence in the jeep brand. Great to hear that so many individuals out there are having a great experience with the brand. It just must not be for me. Watch out for the 75th edition release.

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  FYI all 2007 jeep owners... - 2007 Jeep Liberty
  By fafe013 - May 26 - 10:14 am

  We all know the problems with the windows are terrible. Luckily I recently received a letter in the mail saying the windows will be warrantied for 7 years from the break date! YAY, I got all my money back from the 7 times my 07 jeep liberty has broken. I hate this car so much. It is a nightmare. Water stains the seats, they hold absolutely no value what so ever. NEVER BUY A JEEP! The gas will also break your wallet, I am lucky if I get 5 miles to the gallon. No joke, I work 7 miles from my house and it costs me 10$ a day there and back! AHHH