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:

• 

  DO NOT BUY THIS VEHICLE - 2007 Jeep Compass
  By Renee - May 13 - 7:01 am

  This car has more issues and definitely does not age gracefully. The issues are very expensive ones to repair, I would never recommend anyone to by a Jeep Compass. Keep searching!

• 

  Not worth buying worst car I ever owned - 2007 Jeep Compass
  By Rich - February 26 - 4:15 am

  Only had my Jeep Compass for 9 months I bought it used with 90 k miles since owning it the 9 months dumped about 6 grand into it def. not worth what the resale value is it does drive and I feel it is reliable to a point but every part that needs to be replaced when I had the issue was a arm and a leg I feel Chrysler and the jeep dealerships now this so everytime I bring it in its o this much time this much to fix while the parts are no where near what they cost or I feel they just try to get money from u I have a aftermarket exhaust which comes from the cat back which is not a no name brand it has a life time warranty on it and there telling me it all has to be replaced that my cat is aftermarket too lol I helped put it on I know theres only one cat and it goes from the cat back it was just the muffler and the pipe that went to the cat lol. But any way just trying to say that Im very disappointed in this vehicle and jeep themselves

• 

  A Hunk of Junk !!!!! DEFINITELY a lemon! - 2016 Jeep Cherokee
  By Ben Fink / Anthony Gordon - February 16 - 7:04 am

  Wow , What a huge dissapointment, was really excited and bought a 2016 trail hawk with the 6 cycl engine Heres how owning one has gone (FYI i only have had it 3 weeks ) Week 1, computer froze with rear camera stuck on and blaring latin oompah music ,,,,,,,brought it back to the dealer for repair ,,,,they said dust got in the computer? Week 2 , brought it in for a computer update ....... Week 3 ,,,,transmission froze up while driving into neutral , couldnt get it out of neutral , had it towed to the dealers ( Santa Monica ) and its been sitting there for 3 days and nobody has even looked at it yet What can I tell you ,,,its a huge disappointment , jeep dosent seem to care.... its been in the shop more than Ive actually driven it ,,,,,wish I would have bought something elese and the dealer is NO help whats ever !!!!!!!!!!!! #jeep #trailhawk #jeeptrailhawk #lemon

• 

  Do. Not. Buy. A. Jeep. - 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Anonymous - January 13 - 4:13 pm

  We bought a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee after doing A LOT of research, and the in-line 6 was supposed to be darn-near bulletproof. We had such bad luck with my wifes last car, we researched which SUV to get, and this one came up time and time again. We bought it. Long story short, the reviews were so good on Jeep Grand Cherokees because people were writing reviews on the 1st gen. GCs (the 1992-1999 versions). These were awesome! However, somewhere around 1998 or so, Jeep STOPPED building the motors and production was turned over to Chrysler. We spent about $18k on this SUV, and we ended up putting about $4k - $5k worth of motors in this car. This car buried us in debt because as soon as we paid it off, we needed another motor. Wed have to get a lien against the car to buy a motor. Once that motor was paid off, it would blow again. I was religious about oil changes and maintenance, but it didnt matter. I was so happy to get rid of this car last year for $500. I will NEVER buy a Jeep/Chrysler again, and I advice that you do not either.

• 

  Pray for a good one - 2004 Jeep Liberty
  By anderix - January 10 - 10:00 am

  From day one, my lemon-flavored Liberty has not been able to drive in a straight line. I have had the vehicle for 5 weeks, and have had it in the dealers shop 6 times. And Ive heard this is not an uncommon problem. On other sites, I have found that there may be a problem with the uni- frame being misaligned from the factory, but the dealer refuses to even look at that. So much for my warranty! Luckily, Texas has very consumer-friendly lemon laws, but I am not happy that it has come to this. My advice: dont buy one without having a mechanic you trust check it out first.

• 

  Wasted dough! - 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Tony - November 17 - 3:34 pm

  I purchased my 2014 Grand Cherokee AWD with the 3.0 Eco Diesel option. Everything about the car was awesome especially since I also had the trail rated package and air suspension option. The problem with this car was the electronics. Constant issues with the entire control dash lighting up with error messages, poor attention to detail in wiring harness (under fenders exposed wiring for headlights!) just a nightmare with multiple electronic computer flash upgrades. Then, while driving, at 65 mph and up, the steering would vibrate from left to right and the dealer was never able to fix it! The dealer! The engine is fantastic. This diesel is incredible and economy was around 27-28 m.p.g. Not bad at all. Almost to the year, I was so fed up with all issues, I drove it to the Honda dealer and traded for a 2015 Honda CRV, AWD. No issues at all! What kills me most is the drop in value. I lost an easy $25,000 on this vehicle that the manufacturer claim is the most luxurious vehicle and the Jeep name brand which is supposed to represent quality and durability. I should have listened to my friends that owned these cars. I should have used the Lemon Law! Get an Audi, VW, or Porsche Cayman with the same engine.

• 

  Chrysler has changed me. - 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Ron - August 15 - 12:12 pm

  Plagued with headlights not working, they just shut off while driving.

• 

  Worst car I have ever owned - 2011 Jeep Compass
  By KC - July 2 - 12:17 pm

  Yesterday was the 3rd greatest day of my life. 1. My daughters birth in 2011. 2. My wedding in 2001. 3. The day I got rid of my Jeep Compass in 2016. Ok, so this car never left me on the side of the road, but it was the worst investment I have ever made. It did not hold value well at all and every time I turned around, some small part was breaking. There is a LOT of plastic on this car. And the seats are extremely cramped and uncomfortable for long drives. Very little cargo space. The power is dismal. Something is also flawed in the design to the point you have to roll all of the windows down if you roll down one window. It makes a very strange vibration if you dont. The transmission whines after long drives. Nothing wrong with it, it just whines. If youre looking for a car at this price point and have a family, go with the Kia Sorrento like I should have.

• 

  I HAVE BEEN SICK OF THIS THING! - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By smaillie - June 11 - 10:00 am

  Nothing but TROUBLE since day one! In our 4th set of rotors. Fuel pump replaced a couple of times. New radiator this year. Spent over $3k in repairs in 03 and over $1k so far in 04. At 100k miles, things started falling apart with this piece of junk. Rear end overhauled and left rear bearing replaced 3 times. Constant wind noise on right side from 2nd month-vibrating weather stripping- "Cant replicate" says Mr. Dealer- cant fix what they cant hear!......

• 

  Very poor quality! - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Leslie - March 22 - 5:46 am

  We leased a 2005 Jeep Cherokee Laredo and not only is it a lemon but the dealership will not let us out of the lease. It breaks down all the time. Dealer cannot fix any of the problems we have had with it. Not to mention, recently, while driving down the highway, a small pebble went through the grill and hit the transmission cooler (in front of the radiator - dont be fooled, they look exactly alike), and caused transmission fluid to spray all throughout our engine and vehicle and it almost caught on fire. If a small pebble can cause this it gets you wondering about the build quality of this vehicle. I dont expect too much more from the 2006 or 2006 either.