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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  UGH that is all I can say - 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By ConvertedJeephater - December 15 - 12:46 pm

  WE purchased a "managers model" 2006 Jeep G Cherokee Laredo (managers special, I.e. the loaner when the cars get fixed) Well number one, we were sworn to that the car wasnt smoked in, but sure enough when it was warm enough outside to open the windows, the window trim had cigarette burns in it (couldnt see them when it was closed) It then went in 3 times for check engine light but no one could tell me why. It rattles and almost stalls at stop lights.(told this was normal in this model) Car seats with latch cant be installed properly because of fixed head rests. AWFUL blind spots, and now the Air conditioner blower motor went...I have only owned Jeeps, I am on number 6 now, never again

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  My first lemon - 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Amelia - December 13 - 8:40 am

  I bought the Jeep with only 3 miles on it. I, too, have experienced the uncertainty of whether the Jeep will accelerate and the windows I think are possessed. The dealership tells me "We cant reproduce these problems". Now, as the final insult, the engine "has thrown a rod" and I am expected to pay between $7,000-8,000 to get this fixed. I do not have all of my oil change receipts. I am told the oil was 2 quarts low. The oil was changed 5 weeks before the engine blew. No engine light came on, no oil light, no warning. I will never buy another Jeep product. For the money I have spent, I should be driving this vehicle for more than 3 years.

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  DO NOT BUY-MONEY PIT - 2007 Jeep Commander
  By reddogues - December 11 - 4:36 am

  have had nothing but problems from transfer case issues to now transmission problem this vehicle is only 3 years old also has needed a water pump at only 60k miles on it- tried to trade it and cant because will have to roll over 4k into another vehicle- also sun roof leaks at car wash- doors collect water every time it rains and dumps water on you when you open the door, windows go down on their own when you try to put them up, complete lemon!!!! what a disaster of a jeep

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  Bad car to buy - 2012 Jeep Compass
  By Irving vega - December 10 - 2:42 am

  Please save your money and dont buy this vehicle , nothing but problems ,car seen dealer ship tons of times.

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  JUNK CAR JUNK COMPANY - 2008 Jeep Patriot
  By kh0864 - December 7 - 11:39 pm

  I would like to add to my previous review... We went to the dealership and got our transmission looked at, and they confirmed at 100,000Km on a FIVE yr old car the transmission needs to be replaced... The best part.. the factory warranty is expired by TWO MONTHS and Jeep/Chrysler head office will NOT warranty it.. 2 [non-permissible content removed] MONTHS!!!!! Oh and the BEST part... They tell us it will be $5300.00 to replace...What a joke!!!! First and LAST time we ever buy an American car. Very disappointed, I really loved the looks of this car, too bad they cant get the CVT right.

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  Unreliable - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By George - November 26 - 10:00 am

  I bought the 2004 GC Overland in 2006 with 27,000. I have had nothing but issues with this unit. Brake rotors (at 27k), all 4 window motors, seat heaters, ac had to be replaced, seat motors, the roof was rusting, power steering pump.. the list goes on..you name it. I loved the vehicle when I purchased it but let me warn you, these are a maintenance nightmare. Avoid Jeep, I have spent over 5k in repairs over the years (most happened right after the 36k warranty expired.) I gladly traded this nightmare in for a Toyota, my first foreign car. (I previously bought from the big three however cant risk or afford another situation like this.) To hell with Jeep and Chrysler!

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  Not So Sure About JEEP! - 2009 Jeep Wrangler
  By Dawn - November 26 - 10:00 am

  I bought this vehicle new in Oct 2009. I have only put 9500 miles on it in a year. I just had to take it to the shop to have A LOT of work done to it. First there was a recall. I took it in for that and they found a right front axle leak. While I was waiting for the part to come in I had the oil changed and the guys at the oil place found a front differential leak, a rear differential leak, intake leak and also had to replace the steering shaft. The Chrysler place had to rebuild my rear end differential. It also kicks when it goes into first gear. I just got it back and it still does it! I think it will be going back again! I love my jeep but the quality of this vehicle is not good!

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  CDL - 2006 Jeep Liberty
  By bill given - November 25 - 7:40 am

  In the first week it had to be towed in due to a computer glitch. In the second week the gas gauge failed.The third week brought 3 pieces of trim falling off. The 4 th week brought an air conditioner failure. After owning 4 Grand Cherokees, the Liberty is a real disappointment. The drivers seat is too high to see out the front window if you are six feet tall. In the first month of ownership and 3300 miles of driving, I have come to dislike my new car. I will just look forward to a year down the road and a trade.

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  No flip rear glass ... No deal! - 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By BGF - November 20 - 10:29 am

  Corporate Eliminated the flip rear glass in 14 ... Deal breaker. Toyota 4Runner has the power rear glass! SUV ... U = utility. Dog owners use this feature EVERY DAY!!! Reliability is still MIA. Currently own a 99 JGC ... Been following very closely long term USER reviews of each subsequent model release ... 14s QA was so bad, Chrysler fired their QA chief (who was subsequently picked up by Apple ... I can only imagine whats gonna happen to Apple QA). Chrysler CUSTOMER SUPPORT gets a big fat 0. Dealership shops are still a full month booked handling back logged 14 transitions and Electronic issues. If youre still hellbent on purchasing a 16 JGC, make sure you get the lifetime maxcare warranty ... Youll thank me at the 70k mile (1C4RJFCT7DC646203!

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  Complete loss of power. Nice when it runs. - 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Bob B - November 9 - 6:06 am

  Sitting on the side of the highway just an hour ago with no power and I havent even received my payment book yet:( I really want to like this car, but sitting dangerously close to speeding traffic in the sweltering summer heat is really dulling my enthusiasm. When it runs, life is good. Life is hell when it doesnt. On Edit: After two weeks at the dealership, the problem could not be found. The dealer gave us another new Grand Cherokee with the same options. Chrysler gave us an extended warranty on the replacement car. We are happy with the new Jeep. The old one is still out there and the problem was never diagnosed. The dealer is using it as his daily driver and being diligent in witnessing the problem first hand.