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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  Sluggish and Jerky - 2004 Jeep Liberty
  By jjbigs - February 26 - 6:06 pm

  I love the look but hate the performance. At slow speeds it lurches when you step on the gas. Climbing and hill in goes to a higher gear instead of downshifting. At all other times, it is fun to drive and very comfortable. Looks good on the road. Even with the sound upgrade, the stereo is poor.

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  Style and grunt - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By grand cherokee - February 26 - 7:26 am

  MY JGC Limited is almost a year old and only has 2000 miles on it. I hope the gas mileage improves as engine breaks in. Very nice SUV, almost too nice to consider taking off road. Very pleased with this, my second Jeep vehicle. I had a 2004 Jeep Liberty Renegade lost in a collision.

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  Worth all that money? - 2006 Jeep Commander
  By Becky - February 25 - 10:13 pm

  I fell in love with the model on the showroom floor. Refused to pay $820 for the chrome wheels; didnt need the hemi engine; didnt want the back seat entertainment system. LOVE the heated leather front seats. Lots of extras Im still learning to use, but they are worth the cost. The car runs so quiet I have to listen to be sure it cranked. Cruises powerfully at 80 with great road handling in the curves. Only bad thing is it needs a bigger gas tank. I want to go about 350 miles between fill ups. Gets around 17 on the interstate, better if I go slower. Highly recommend this model. Plus I feel important driving this impressive SUV.

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  My Big Investment - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By bubbles - February 24 - 10:00 am

  I live on a mountain top and the road is almost "off road." Ive had Subarus, but wanted something different. Fell in love with the Liberty - Ltd edition. Asked perfect strangers. I knew the gas mileage was poor, but didnt know how poor. I drive 200 miles a day, so it mounts up. The interior is wearing quite well, dash is conveniently laid out. I have the moon roof and enjoy that.

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  Not bad for the money - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By jcrs - February 24 - 10:00 am

  Second jeep I buy. I live in Colorado so I do go off road often (driving in a graded dirt road is not going off road so I really mean it). Last March we got a big winter storm that put 4 feet of snow (yes like in 48 inches) in my driveway and I was able to drive out the next day. The guy with the F350 superduty got stuck, the Explorers were hopeless, the guy in the 4 Runner couldnt make it and the snow plow broke the blade trying to follow me (no exageration). The JGC is not perfect but as long as I live where I live I will keep Jeeping.

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  Lemon City - 2003 Jeep Liberty
  By Lori Foster - February 24 - 10:00 am

  I have owned my Jeep Liberty Limited for 14 mos. It has 38,000 miles on it. I have done routine maintenance as directed. 2 wks ago, driving at 35 MPH, it started to vibrate and quit running on the side of the road. Come to find out, the 5th Cylinder has Zero Compression/100% Leakage and the Head needs replaced. Since then, it has been found to need replacement of the Piston and Cam. This is completely unacceptable major failure in a vehicle, that is suppose to be known for its reliability. That is why I bought it. I made my $550/mo payment and can not even drive it. Pathetic.

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  Window Regulators - 2006 Jeep Liberty
  By JKaplan - February 24 - 1:50 am

  I was excited about the purchase of my Jeep, until, yup the rear, then front passenger side window fell! Ive had them repaired/replaced 4x. I even wrote to the BBB concerning this safety issue. I am lucky to be under warranty and I have to laugh at all the Duct Tape users that own a Jeep Liberty (been there, done that!) Recently my map lights wouldnt go off and rather than drain my battery until I could get to my Dealer for repair, we disconnected the lights..well, that cost me $124 when someone could have told me, lady, check the switch! The manual was no help (showed other schematics, not one of mine!)

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  Great Value - 2007 Jeep Commander
  By Keith - February 22 - 1:56 pm

  We just bought this vehicle. I think the value is tremendous. The seating is very comfortable and roomy. I love the reclining second row! The leather feels thick and durable. The instrument panel is well laid out. The 4.7L engine has plenty of power and the ride is great. Taking it up to the snow this weekend to test out the handling in the snow.

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  Could be better - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Mat - February 22 - 4:10 am

  Hoping 2005 was just an off year. Mine has been back to the dealer 4 or 5 times for different items like the tire pressure monitor and the air bag light continuing to have problems. Then the 5 cent knob on the GPS guide broke and they had to order a new radio (the whole unit), not to mention the brake rotors warping and getting replaced under warranty. Other than that its fine.

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  WOW - 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By ANTQETC1 - February 18 - 10:40 pm

  The more we drive this Jeep with the 5.7 liter engine, the more we love it. Terrific acceleration when needed and effortless acceleration when speed is not needed. The ride is good and the seats while good, are not as good as those in our 1998 Limited. We traded a 2004 Infinity with a Bose high end system and the Boston Acoustics system in the Limited is simply better. Someone did their homework on this system and it simply sounds great. Gas mileage so far is about 15 in city and 20 on highway; as advertised. Actually this is quite remarkable considering it is just about the same as our 98 Limited which has 100 horsepower less and substantially less torque.