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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  suspension problems - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By rough ride - June 14 - 2:00 am

  overall the liberty has been very reliabe.the 3.7 V6 pulls really hard if you put your foot into it. the downside is the goodyear wrangler s/r tires very poor choice for 4x4 lousy traction in the wet or snowand the rear suspension. at about 8000 km. the rear started to bottom out the dealer replaced the shocks and said itwas fixed. NOT!!by 10000 km. itwas so bad you couldnt carry apassenger in the back seat. the dealer test drove it said it seemed fine to him. I finaly got the service managerto come for a ride with me. put him in the back seat. he says I may have a problem.

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  The Jeep Tradition lives on. - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By Don in CT. - June 14 - 2:00 am

  I have driven My Liberty for about 4 months and 5000 miles. I love it.No problems what so ever. For an SUV it has a nice ride especially on the Highway. Even on bumpy roads it is not bad. Plenty of room. It performs well. Excellent in snow and ice. Gas mileage is not great but that goes with the territory. The Jeep Tradition lives on.

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  Satified customer - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By satisfied driver - June 14 - 2:00 am

  My Liberty has been a terrific car. No problems in first 15,000 miles. I have it serviced every 4,000 miles, including tire rotation. My dealer is a five-star dealer and has been most interested in how the customer feels about service.

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  A Ray of Sun - 2008 Jeep Patriot
  By Mr Rod - June 13 - 7:30 am

  I have only had My Patriot for 2 days now, but I must say I love it. I traded in a 02 Maxima. I has excellent room for me and 3 other adults has plenty power and is great on gas. I love the Orange Burst Pearl color, very unique for a Jeep!! I feel larger than it really is, as I look over the long hood. The handling is also great this thing turns on a dime! It also has a forgiving ride that doesnt hurt my liver as i hit imperfections on the horrible roads in Louisiana! Jeep you created a lovely SUV for the masses!!

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  Issues, Issues, Issues - 2015 Jeep Cherokee
  By towsonres - June 12 - 12:35 pm

  I want to start by saying that I love the comfort and styling of this car. I have the 6 cylinder, but that was not in the drop down menu. Jeep may have a serious problem with the Cherokee. Bought my first jeep on a Monday and started to have parking break issues. No fix after three trips back to the dealer to rectify the issue, so the dealer swapped out for another. I drove the new one for 300 miles and had a transmission code, which forced me to limp it back to the dealership. They swapped out the transmission module and they think that this may fix the problem. I sure hope so. I do feel that if you buy a vehicle in excess of $30,000 there should not be trouble the first week.

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  Slowest thing on the road - 2007 Jeep Commander
  By notbrian - June 11 - 10:57 pm

  I traded in our Trailblazer SS for a base model 07 V6 Commander 4x4 for the woman. I picked it up for under $11k with 77k miles and its in really good condition, not a spec of rust under it - and thats rare for Ohio. Anyways, coming from a 400hp monster to this thing, I start dosing off a bit when putting the hammer down. Ive driven vietnam-era military vehicles faster than this slug. The interior and build quality seems a lot nicer than Chevys, and the woman is happy, so I guess Im happy. Its been pretty reliable so far, but Im one to keep up with maintenance. A little bit of that goes a long way, so people should maybe think about that before typing up a page of complaints.

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  Worth Every Penny - 2010 Jeep Patriot
  By the_jeep_now - June 10 - 8:46 am

  I bought my Patriot new. It came w/ CVT which takes some time to get used to, but once you manage it, its a great feature. I liked the selection of trims. You can get bone stock w/ no AC to a fully loaded Limited. I picked a package that fit my needs which includes power locks, mirrors, windows, AC and cruise control. Folding rear and passenger seats provide tons of space to carry oversized items. It has best fuel economy in its class. Depending on the trim you choose, you can get 30+ mpg hwy. Great vehicle for any outdoor adventures! However, it is known for weak/cheap front suspension components which go bad at around 40k+ miles and water leaks. For more info check out jeeppatriot forum.

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  lemon - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By george welch - June 10 - 3:56 am

  LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH TWO DIFFERENT JEEPS. TOOK FIRST JEEP BACK 13 TIMES ON THE TRANSMISSON STARTED TO LEAK AT 23000 MILES. WAS TALKED INTO A TRADE HOPING THAT THE FIRST ONE WAS A LEMON,IT WAS WORSE THAN THE FIRST ONE THEY REPLACED THE BRAKES AND ROTOR AT 5000 MILES AND HAD THE SAME CLUNKING FROM THE TRANSMISSION AS WITH THE FIRST I HAD IT AT THE DEALER THE FIRST WEEK WITH FUEL PUMP PROBLEM AND THE RADIO ALSO WOULD NOT GET FM. I TOOK IT BACK A TOTAL OF 12 TIME IN LESS THAN 7 MONTHS. .

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  Great Buy For the Money - 2001 Jeep Cherokee
  By COL Rhino - June 8 - 3:36 pm

  I recently purchased my used, 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport with 67,300 miles on it. So far, it is exactly what I expected, a solid, 4x4, SUV that is great for daily driving. My other vehicle is a 2005 Cadillac STS that I use if I want to have a luxury sport ride. Although it had passed State Inspection, I immediately had some upgrades installed. I had 5 brand new Firestone Destination A/T tires installed, a catback, Borla exhaust system, a heavy duty Interstate 7 year battery, a full set of 4 KYB heavy duty gas shocks and a new heavy duty steering dampener. Everything else was "good to go" and passed State inspection. I enjoy driving it locally every day. My wife enjoys it also.

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  Excellent Vehicle - 2014 Jeep Cherokee
  By commuter11 - June 8 - 11:18 am

  Cherokee Latitude V6 4 x 4 bought early June 2014, currently with 6000 miles on it. This has been a very nice vehicle, keeping my wife happy (replacing a totaled Caravan) with enough space for a reasonable amount of hauling in town. We generally drive it on road trips, also. Dont overlook that this really is a Jeep, a little heavier than otherwise would be the case, but you find the advantages when driving over rough roads, as it just glides along where most cars would be shaking themselves to pieces. MPG is great on the highway, up to 27 mpg, with excellent merging acceleration for on-ramps. Cornering is good, also. The 8.4 inch touch screen is easy to read and works well.