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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  I love my car!! - 2004 Jeep Liberty
  By Mrs. Matthew - September 16 - 10:00 am

  I have had my car for about 4 months and I absoultely love it!! I find every excuse I can to drive it. I love being up high in a SUV, I feel so powerful!! I love the color of my car, it is blue. I was warned about the gas mileage but I have found it to be better than expected. I highly recommend this car to anyone.

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  Great SUV - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Bobfarock - September 16 - 10:00 am

  For the sheer fun of driving this is the car to have. Have yet to find the hard uncomfortable ride I was told it has.The mileage for and SUV of this size if good, not great.

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  disappointed - 2008 Jeep Wrangler
  By rob - September 16 - 8:20 am

  Bought this 2008 used with 13k miles. I have had an issue with a leaky soft top since I bought it. Taken it to the dealer 3xs to fix it and every time it rains, the floor boards in the back are soaked. Had to replace one of the tie rides already. Transmission line is leaking. Death wobble happens all the time, dealer cant fix it. The vehicle lacks power, should have stuck with the 4.0. Factory stereo is horrible with the top off. I used to have a 79 CJ7 witch was a mistake to get rid of. I think I will be trading the 2008 in for some sort of SUV and maybe buy an older jeep again. Jeep needs to get back to thier roots.

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  Ouch.. the seat hurts and the door lock. - 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By PittsburghRich - September 16 - 6:43 am

  Two big design flaws. The drivers seat is poorly designed and too narrow. Seat is too hard and rubs my right side. Im 63, 215 pounds, very uncomfortable. Also, door lock not recessed. Continually hitting my funny bone on door lock. Otherwise car is great.

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  It was trusty... - 2007 Jeep Patriot
  By joe_e - September 15 - 2:12 pm

  Drove a 2007 AWD model for 5 years. Note: at no point in time is the machine EVER 4x4. Even when you flip that little switch up, it never goes into a true 4x4. Got it as a daily driver, as my 99 Cherokee was a bit heavy on gas usage. When you buy this vehicle, youre getting exactly what you pay for. The CVT is one of the most worthless inventions for automobiles, mileage notwithstanding. Leave it for ATVs and snowmobiles. It worked well in Wisconsin snow with the AWD, but still was no more than an AWD car, not a Jeep by any stretch of the imagination. It began to be a bit much. Caught fire on some grass, burned the entire machine into a skeleton of itself. Not. A. Jeep.

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  Great All-Purpose Rider - 2001 Jeep Cherokee
  By Dan - September 15 - 3:36 am

  So far Ive had no problems mechanically with this car. Ive taken it off-road and it handles nicely, while on-road is even better. In general, for a vehicle with this kind of mileage (+50000) its in good shape. It does have some problems, though. When 4 wheel drive high range is engaged, if you make a sharp turn the wheels lock. Also, when put in reverse for too long, it sometimes stalls or sputters. You need to find the right kind of tires, too. Wet handling is below average, even with 4WD. The vehicle corners well for an SUV and has a good turn radius, just make sure its not cornering heavily above 50mph. At speeds above 80 on a straightaway highway, it becomes very shaky.

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  Extremely dangerous in wet conditions! - 2003 Jeep Liberty
  By tclaryuk - September 14 - 11:00 pm

  Ive owned my Liberty for 2 1/2 yrs now, with 47,000 miles. In the past year or so we have had terrible experiences of this car sliding and skidding when there is the slightest bit of rain on the road. The dealership recently checked it and said that the tires did not need replacing. Now we drive as if we are on ice when the road is wet. Even then we still have instances where we lose control. Unfortunately due to employee pricing incentives it will cost a lot of money to replace this car now as it has a low trade-in value. We have just taken the decision to spend $10,000 to replace this car with a Honda Pilot. A cheap price to save a life!

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  Less is More - 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Bill - September 14 - 5:16 pm

  Who would think of a 6 cylinder Grand Cherokee as being fun to drive? I thought that the most stripped down Grand Cherokee would never be considered a sporty vehicle, but I was wrong. My GC is the Laredo model that came with only 3 options, full time 4-wheel drive, Qradra-Track II transfer case and luggage rack. It pulls strong away from stoplights and seems very stable on switchback roads. The gas mileage is fair averaging about 16 MPG overall in mostly city driving. Although the car is only rated to pull 3500 lbs., it has no trouble pulling my tandem axle trailer with my John Deere compact tractor and attachments aboard. Overall, I have been very pleased with my vehicle.

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  great overall/ great value - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By jj - September 14 - 7:40 am

  I got this new 2005 Jeep Liberty for my wife. Compared it against some other mid-size SUVs and this is the best I could find for her. Easy and fun to drive (as a matter of fact I love driving it). Exceptional off-road capabilities. Its much more car than I expected. Its small, so dont expect to fit 7 people in it. But if you are looking for a 2 adult (+ 2 children) car, this is a great option.

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  Buy a warranty if you get a Jeep - 2004 Jeep Liberty
  By bryancos - September 13 - 12:06 pm

  We purchased our nearly new Liberty Limited in April 2005, with only 12K on the odometer. We installed a set of new tires two yrs ago, installed a new battery and new brakes one year ago. It recently hit the 80K mark and in the last three months, they replaced the High Pressure Power Steering hose, the Alternator, Water Pump, Serpentine Belt, and today a brand new Radiator and new Hoses was added to the list. Fortunately we had purchased an extended warranty so everything except hoses/belts/fluids was covered, but we had to pay a $50 ded. each time... Word to the wise... its a Chrysler product and purchasing an extended warranty is well worth the money...