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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  New owner review - 2003 Jeep Liberty
  By dambio - June 4 - 10:00 am

  I love my Jeep Liberty. Ive only had it for about 1 month, but I just cant find enough time to drive it. It is the perfect size vehicle and is absolutely exciting to drive. I love the way it handles and especially love the power of the 3.7L V6 engine. My wife and I are both tall (shes 510" and Im 62") and the head room in the front of the car is perfect. There are still several inches left even when I sit straight up (which is rare in any type of vehicle). Most people complain about the handling and ride, but I say an SUV is a truck, not a passenger car or a minivan, and I expect one to behave accordingly.

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  Love my Commander, except for a glitch! - 2006 Jeep Commander
  By Anna - June 3 - 5:46 pm

  Ive owned my 2006 Commander for about 1 1/2 years and I love the ride. It was a big step up from my Mitsu Diamante. I needed something bigger for the growing family. The ride is so smooth. My girls love to go for a ride every night and fall asleep. The glitch is that recently Ive been driving and the truck turns of by itself for no apparent reason, itll turn back on when you restart it.

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  Great first month with Grand Cherokee - 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Eric S - June 3 - 2:40 pm

  Loving it after just one month. Very high quality feel and gets lots of compliments for style.

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  No More Jeeps for me - 2006 Jeep Commander
  By miss - June 3 - 2:43 am

  I have an 06 Jeep Commander. What a headache. I take it into Victorville Motors all the time. They are horrible. I have brought my vehicle in for brake problems since the beginning. Every time they tell me "can not duplicate". I brought the vehicle in for the same problem they recalled for. I had to pay to have them inspect and they told me my breaks were fine. Now the rotors are bad. I only have 29,000 miles on the Jeep. They want to charge me $400.00 to fix it. I will never buy from Victorville motors, ca ever again or buy a Jeep for that matter. I have owned almost every car made, this is by far the worst!

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  Ride and handling other suvs wish they had - 2016 Jeep Cherokee
  By Frankly Texas - June 2 - 10:37 pm

  My wife and I were looking to replace our 3 year old Escape with 1.6 motor. We looked at and drove several other suvs but keep coming back to the 2016 Jeep 75th Anniversary Edition with the 2.4 motor. It just felt more solid, comfortable, quite and interior was laid out better to us. We wanted to like other models more, but the Jeep just won us over. Having owned and driven many cars from around the world, the Jeep just keep being the best option for us. The ride is solid, the seats firm, but not hard and the interior is very quite, which should make it a treat for long highway trips. Looking forward to our first. The 2.4 motor has plenty of power for anything we need, equal or better acceleration than our old 1.6 turbo, and surly better fuel mileage. We were lucky to see 25 mpg with eco motor even using a light foot. The best ride and handling Ive ever exeperienced was an older RR. The Jeep is the closes Ive come to matching it. So far we are both extreamly pleased with the Jeep. Now the cons: the dealers lack of knowledge of the product. Navaid a $600 addition cost on a $30,000 car, supplied by the same clueless dealer. Chrysler Finanical is the least customer oriented company Ive dealt with in the last 20 years, and unable to reconcile the difference between a 911 address and mailing address. My only hope is the Jeep will outshine our last plagued Chrysler vehicle, a 2006 Grand Caravan.

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  5 Star SUV - 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Michelle - June 2 - 7:04 pm

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  Patriot Update Bought a Second one... - 2008 Jeep Patriot
  By NewJeepGirl - June 2 - 10:50 am

  Weve had 4 winter storms to date. Last storm dumped 10 inches. Drove home with no problems-slight slip in the intersections, but even our 97 Expedition slipped in that too. Very capable in the snow! Used 4WD lock to get in the driveway-works great! My husband loves mine so much, we just got him one yesterday-stripper for $17K-how can you beat that for the milage and 4WD? Even the vinyl seats dont feel cheap-looks like leather. Still has side impact airbags, ABS, electronic stablility control, tire pressure alarm light and outside temp guage. A lot of bang for the buck- plus its a nice Marine blue-very sharp! Looking forward to better milage. Trading 96 RAV 4 thats only getting 20MPG.

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  Loving my jeep - 2016 Jeep Wrangler
  By Kimani - June 2 - 8:47 am

  Im new to jeep. I commute over 120 miles per day and although I was aware of the mpg average of 19-20 hwy, I really needed the 4wd for winter and the top off for summer. I couldnt be happier with my purchase. 5,000 miles in and I havent had a single mechanical failure. I will say that the base speaker are beyond horrible, and the speaker bar sucks also. The wind noise at high speeds are to be expected with a vehicle that basically strips down to nothing in a matter of moments. The plastic interior doors can become a problem for long distance drives depending on driving position. Other than that, Its a total blast and I cant wait till summer!

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  Mines been very good - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Like MY Jeep - June 1 - 9:23 pm

  Wow, I cant believe how lucky Ive been. My Grand Cherokee Ltd has been great with only the brake issue ever a problem. Ive been through 2 sets of rotors and pads in 4 years. I drive it fast and hard all the time and love the way it handles except for the side to side rocking over bumps which takes some getting used to. I have the 6 cylinder and AWD (not Quadra that came with the V8s) and my mpg seems to hover around 16-17 except in really cold weather when it drops to 14. Tows my 20 boat with ease. Upright comfy seating, leather is high quality, midsized (think station wagon). I think its better looking (the 99 version) than the latest model. I liked my 93 Grand Cherokee Limited too. Guess I knew what I was buying.

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  Down and Out with Jeep - 2006 Jeep Commander
  By Raquel - June 1 - 3:03 pm

  Purchased this SUV brand new for our growing family. Within weeks the windshield started whistling during highway driving. Vehicle stalled while driving on the highway and turning corners. Talk about scary ! Dealership replaced windshield to fix the whistle, however they could not figure out the problem with the engine stalling. Reported this issue to NTSB. Stylish however unreliable so I traded it in for a Toyota SUV. Buyer Beware.