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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  Get one and youll want to keep it forev - 2001 Jeep Cherokee
  By 5forfighting - November 17 - 11:00 pm

  My 2001 Sport 4dr 2wd was my daily driver for the past 6 years. I now have a more fuel-efficient car for daily driving and the Cherokee is a "spare" vehicle. But I couldnt justify selling it. Its just too dependable, low-maintenance and useful. Even with 150k miles on the drivetrain, it runs like new, never misses a beat and doesnt leak anything at all. Its a bit noisy and gets horrible fuel mileage in city driving (around 17 mpg) and only 24-25 mpg highway. But its got torque to haul a lot, ground clearance to go anywhere, tons of cargo room (plus a roof rack) and is easy to drive in any weather, on any roads. I just got back from a trip (920 miles each way) at mostly 75 mph, no problem

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  RockSolid - 2007 Jeep Commander
  By Rock Solid - November 16 - 5:10 pm

  I was reading all the negative reviews and wondered if I had the same vehicle? We bought this as an end-of- year closeout on the 2007 models. We have 22K on the Commander with nary an issue. I have the 4.7 flex fuel option and it has been rock solid. Average 16 in city and 22 highway. This vehicle drives and feels like a primo luxury vehicle – smooth solid and surefooted as a mountain goat. The only issue I have is the vehicle is best described as “sedate”. It doesn’t have hard acceleration and just moseys on down the road. Turning radius is awesome, 4WD off road is tenacious. This vehicle is not as big as it looks at first glance and tight parking places are a breeze. Love it!

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  The Little Beast - 1996 Jeep Cherokee
  By Bryan - November 16 - 11:16 am

  This Jeep has been the most reliable auto I could imagine. I had to replace the water pump a couple times, the radiator, and have the intake cleaned once. Other than that, we are talking regular maintenance, and 219,000 miles later she still roars to life every morning. I have driven her on the beach, in the snow, out of holes (my fault), and every time, the Jeep has been up to the task. I say all of this and remind the reader that the Jeep 15 years ago is not the Jeep today. I think simplicity, quality mechanics and minimal electronics is the way to have an auto you can keep for many years.

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  A Great SUV - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By cozz - November 14 - 10:00 am

  This is our first SUV and has proven to be a fun and reliable vehicle. As far as gas mileage, I cant understand all the negative comments, no SUV will not do any better than the Liberty, in fact usually less. We are running Mobil 1 synthetic oil and get 21 1/2 miles per gallon on the road, not bad.

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  N/A - 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By James - November 13 - 4:38 am

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  5 speed dream - 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By J.D - November 13 - 2:00 am

  This is absolutely fabulous. I picked up my 94 Laredo 4x4 5-speed with only 40,000 miles on it in October, I havent had a problem with it since, 12,000 miles later and its still like driving it the vary first time. I cant explain how much I love to drive it, on and off road. The one suggestion I can make is get the 5-speed.

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  Dependable, comfortable transportation - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Robert J - November 13 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Jeep from my dad after driving it around for awhile. Now after a year of ownership I can say I love this vehicle. It now has 106,000 miles and I still average 18.9 mpg (even with the optional 245 width tires). This has been an incredibly reliable vehicle and is extremely comfortable on long road trips. The 4.0 litre straight 6 (with K&N filter) gives decent power. Oil consumption between oil changes is barely noticable. I will probably never sell this vehicle. I like the exterior styling - it has a good rugged look. The suspension is tough and does its job well off road.

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  Great vehicle - 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Upstate Grand - November 12 - 5:13 pm

  I purchased an 07 Grand Cherokee AWD used for a very good price. I wanted an awd/full time 4wd vehicle that was not too big for city driving. I also considered a Subaru outback. No other midsize SUV is as small as the Grand Cherokee. That is due to the lack of the third row, which is completely unnecessary IMO. This allows the GC to be a perfect size for all around driving. I also considered a Subaru Outback but the deal on the vehicle was too good to pass up. Sure, its fit and finish is not Toyota quality, but it is a very solid vehicle, excellent offroad capability, strong suspension parts, unbelievable on road ride for a vehicle with a live rear axle.

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  5.7 Hemi is a must! - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By TAW - November 11 - 8:16 am

  I am coming of an MDX and there is no comparison. The Grand Cherokee Hemi is a significantly better ride and and a much more powerful SUV in every way. My GC is loaded and I love every feature, especially the navigation, the Sirius radio and the Bluetooth. The only negative is that I expected bad gas mileage but it is worse than I thought. Interesting is that is is acceptable on the highway but terrible around town.

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  When will I learn - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By nickels55 - November 9 - 7:50 pm

  Last 3 Jeeps I purchased brand new all had transmission/4 wheel drive problems resulting in $4K fixs under 100K. NOW this 2005 LIBERTY DIESEL NEEDS A NEW MOTOR This doesnt include the new turbo, paint peeling on bumpers, cracked speaker and the vehicle has never run good since the turbo was installed.