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:

• 

  Great Car for what it is - 2007 Jeep Liberty
  By Mark - September 17 - 8:36 pm

  If you want a small SUV that has great off-road capability and still provides a decent city and highway ride, this is it. I think the folks that have complained about Chrysler standing behind their vehicle should probably look at their dealership. I have had exceptional warranty service.

• 

  Commander is a Cherokee wanna-be - 1996 Jeep Cherokee
  By Sleek Black Powerful - September 17 - 4:53 am

  I cannot be happier with my fun 1996 Jeep Cherokee that I bought at 126,500 miles. It is a sleek, black Sport 4Dr 4WD with gray cloth interior, OEM aluminum wheels, and Goodyear Tracker tires. The car is in fantastic condition, in terms of the engine, transmission, suspension, electronics, interior and exterior. It simply looks cool and commanding. Its as if Jeeps new Commander design team went retro and modeled their design off of the original 84 Cherokee. Id even venture to say that the new Mustang is to the original 65 Mustang as the new Commander is to the original 84 Cherokee. Its a lot of fun driving this car. The shift-on-the-fly 4WD gets me anywhere in brutal Chicago weather.

• 

  2 door bigwheel pimp! - 1998 Jeep Cherokee
  By dj - September 16 - 11:33 pm

  I got my Jeep in October of 2007 and I love it! I received it with 93,000 miles on it and it has bout 120,000 miles now. Just recently I had to replace the crank shaft censor and the radiator fan assembly, but overall its a great build and like a rock. Mine is 2 door and White with tent and I have big bowlegged tires on it and I just changed the grill to chrome to match my rims. I am officially obsessed with my Jeep and its brand.

• 

  2 Years and 55k miles of Dream Ownership - 2014 Jeep Wrangler
  By Conrad - September 16 - 6:52 pm

  I drove my 2014 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon (automatic transmission, 3.73 gearing) for 2 years until a car crash (another drivers fault) took her from me. I loved the car so much Ive ordered a 2016 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Hard Rock as a replacement. This was two years and 55k miles of hard, varied, challenging driving. The Jeep took me on two long, 3000 mile roadtrips to national parks; it also served as my commute vehicle from Boulder to Denver and around Boulder (city driving) for that time. First, a disclaimer: this review is about a loaded Rubicon. Some of the positives I mention will not relate to a base Sport or even a Sahara or a limited edition, but at the core (engine, transmission, basic off-road capability), all Wranglers have a lot in common. Now, the positives (there are too many to list, but Ill cover my favorites). (1 - Off-road ability) My Jeep saw two trips to Moab and countless trips to the Colorado trails. The mud-terrain tires, heavy Dana 44 axles with lockers, the sway bar electronic disconnect, and trip computer with navigation and tire pressure monitoring and etc. proved invaluable. Not only was I able to climb terrain my friends in Nissan XTerra Pro4Xs and Toyota FJ Cruisers could only dream of, I was able to do it EASILY and often quite slowly. Sometimes momentum is your friend in challenging or slippery conditions. While some cars had to floor it in 4-LOW to ascend a hill, I could do it at a leisurely crawl. Furthermore, when I bought the Jeep I was an offroad novice. This vehicle endured countless crunches (and I mean crunches) onto the skid plates and rock rails while I made rookie mistakes. And at the end of the day, I drove back out onto the two lane highway, shifted into 2WD, and drove away without a hitch. Most cars would have been rendered immobile by what I often subjected the Jeep to. (2 - Luxury) Yes, luxury. A Wrangler is not, and hopefully will never be, a Mercedes-quality vehicle. But the Rubicon surrounds you with heated leather seats with "Rubicon" embroidery and contrast baseball stitching, illuminated footwells and cupholders, leather wrapped (yes, real leather) steering wheel and shift knobs (both the transmission and the 4WD knobs). My Rubicon also had a very good 7-speaker Alpine sound system with a subwoofer. New Rubicons have a 9 speaker, 500 watt Alpine system. The UConnect system has Garmin navigation and voice-controlled sound system (iPod, radio, etc.) and voice-controlled Bluetooth calling. Mine also had a TravelLink subscription which allowed you to check weather, ski conditions, movie times, etc. from the touch screen. Another qualification: my Rubi cost almost $50,000. With that kind of money, you could buy a much more luxurious Ford Explorer Limited or Honda Pilot Touring. The Wrangler is not plush. But it IS comfortable, and sitting in it makes you feel special, and isnt that all you can ask of a vehicle? To scope out the interior more, simply build the edition of your choice on CarGurus and look at pics of the interior - it speaks for itself. (3 - a feeling of command and safety) The Wranglers upright driving position, planted stance, and almost entirely vertical glass make the road easy to see, the vehicle easy to place on the road, and you confident that youre driving less of a passenger car and more of a tank. Especially with the hard top, you really do feel in command of the road and ready to meet anything the world or other drivers want to throw at you. That confidence simply isnt felt in a reclined, car-like CUV like a Honda CR-V or Toyota Rav4. (4 - SAFETY!) As stated, I was involved in a car crash. I was going about 40 mph through a green light and another driver made a left turn into me going the opposite direction (she was going about 20 mph). It was a fast crash (60 mph) but not awful. Even still, head-on collisions are always scary and you want a car that can protect you. Both front airbags deployed and I got out of the vehicle without a scratch and feeling relatively fine. The other driver was stuck in her car and distressed. Speaking of the other car - it was totaled, the hood crushed and the front end pretty compacted. The Jeep looked almost fine aside from the bumper being dented in dramatically and damage to the grille. Ultmately, it was totaled anyway - it needed a new frame apparently (which I blame on a combination of the crash and aforementioned rock crunching, which Im sure weakened the frame). Feel free to argue amongst yourselves what this means about crash durability of the Wrangler - I simply care that it protected me so well and had very little visible damage. (5 - A few cons) Fuel economy decent but not great, lack of some luxury or convenience features youd want for 50K. Other than that, its an absolutely incredible vehicle.

• 

  Never thought I would own a jeep - 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Jeff - September 16 - 1:50 pm

  Was coming out of a 2010 Pathfinder and I liked it but the new ones? Not so much. As a an afterthought I looked at the Grand Cherokee Limited, test drove it and took a shot, the price was right. I have never been a jeep fan but, so far, after 2 months, I cannot find anything wrong with this car. Its comfortable, looks great, drives great. The technology package is awesome and the more I use the GPS the better I like it. Not sure what Jeep did to turn it around but its working. So far, it has been terrific

• 

  2007 Jeep Liberty 6 speed 4x4 - 2007 Jeep Liberty
  By paullgj - September 16 - 11:40 am

  Ive been four wheeling in Chevy pickups since 1967. Well, time for a change, went to a Jeep Liberty 6 speed. It is much easier to drive. Where the Chevy used brute strength - torque and ground clerance to clear obstacles, the Jeep does it by finesse - the coil spring suspension conforms to the terrain providing traction. I love the 6 speed - nice and tight and a good feel. It is very European - snick, snick, snick as I run through the gears. The Liberty is set up for off-road - good articultion and little front or rear overhang. It is not a cross-over car-based SUV like the Honda CRV or Toyota RAV4 - it should not be compared to them in terms of fuel economy and ride.

• 

  Reliable and fun - 1997 Jeep Wrangler
  By Jeeppr - September 16 - 10:00 am

  Jeeps are not cars, so drivers shouldnt expect that. Love Jeeps for what they are: fun, great off-roads, convertible, and rugged.

• 

  great - 2001 Jeep Cherokee
  By ottotheduke - September 16 - 10:00 am

  im buyin another, they stopped making the xj model but im getting another used one the 4x4 system is the best and will last forever.

• 

  Junk - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By RRyan1 - September 16 - 10:00 am

  Awful! 60,000 miles and the brake system (pads, calipers and rotors) replaced twice; rear differential & axle replaced twice (under warranty fortunately); transmission replaced once. $35,000 cars should not fall apart like this. Partially my fault- should not have trusted claims that quality of American cars had improved. I love America but will never purchase American designed/built auto again.

• 

  New Jeep owner - 2004 Jeep Liberty
  By Jamie Romero - September 16 - 10:00 am

  This is my first jeep and if the liberty continues the way it has, this will not be my last. We traded in a suburban for this jeep. I was nervous at first, but absolutely love the jeep. That is a peppy little v-6 under the hood. The interior is great. It is one tough looking little sucker on the outside too. Gas mileage is about what the sticker said. Coming from a Suburban, we are ecstatic! Getting between 17 and 18 with a mix of hwy and city. Havent put it on the highway for a trip yet. Great incentives to buy right now too. I really like this SUV. Once we drive it a little more, Ill post another