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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  GC Summit, Lot of fun to drive, great looks - 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Bob Farb - September 25 - 11:18 am

  The GC Summit is really nice. Fun to drive, comfortable. It needs some additional technology like lane departure and front cameras. Maybe auto parking, thats not a huge issue. Overall I really enjoy this car!

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  jeep review - 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By josh lundy - September 24 - 2:00 am

  great off road capability but needs to have the reliability problem taken care of.the also need the spare tire put underneath the vehicle.but all in all i love it!!

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  tomsjeep - 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By reba - September 24 - 2:00 am

  I find the Jeep fun to drive even on long trips( weve been coast to coast twice in it).

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  Well-Loved Jeep - 1995 Jeep Wrangler
  By LW - September 23 - 4:46 am

  My 95 Rio Grande is my first car and I cant see myself ever driving anything but a Jeep. This Jeep has 171k miles and is still going strong. We had to replace the fuel pump around 168k and patch up a few rust spots, but this Jeep is well-loved. Great in the sun and snow too!

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  Mostly great things - 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By captain - September 22 - 10:00 am

  Vehicle four wheel drive is great. I keep up with my brother in off-raod situations where he is driving a wrangler. My only issue was an engine problem that needed four trips to fix. As it turned out, they replaced the head. It has been great ever since. As for everybody having the brake problems, as long as it is still under warranty, they should be replaced by the dealer. Jeep came out with a new system for these vehicles to stop the rotor problems. Both a friend of mine and myself took our vehicles back to the Jeep dealership and complained aobut them. They replaced the brake system with out any further questions.

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  Awesome truck - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By JOEY - September 22 - 10:00 am

  I just bought this truck......I was a little aprehensive with the negative relaibility reviews, but with 0% financing and getting the truck for $3200 off sticker, I couldnt pass it up. I compared it to the 4runner, pathfinder and the durango. The cherokee has many more options for the money. The truck rides great and I love it....!!!!!

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  If I Could Do it Over Again....... - 2017 Jeep Compass
  By Donald HIll - September 21 - 8:59 pm

  If I had another chance at purchasing this vehicle.......1) Id upgrade to the advanced safety features; as it is there are a few blind spots requiring constant diligent observation. One blind spot is the front windshield pillars. The pillars create a momentary obstruction to pedestrians crossing the pillars.. be vigilant!! That said, other models have similar obstructions. 2) As is common with this genre of vehicle, the vision to the rear both left and right is limited. Jeep needs to include blind spot monitoring in all levels of the New Compass, not only as an option. However I would purchase the option in a moment if I could do it over again. The New Compass provides a solid feel and ride, which is important to me. Getting used to the shift points on my six speed manual (which I opted for) is a normal learning curve. So far other than the listed items, I am pretty well satisfied.. Of course, at 10 days in, I still enjoy looking out my front window at my new Compass; the new car feeling has not yet worn away.....

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  Grand Cherokee FlexFuel - 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Jimmy Horton - September 21 - 12:30 pm

  My first Jeep owned. Very satisfied with all aspects of the Grand Cherokee. I have enjoyed the v8 and all the amenities.Very satisfied with the Jeep.

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  Lets go Jeepn - 2003 Jeep Liberty
  By Steve - September 20 - 1:43 am

  This is my second Jeep. The first was a 92 Cherokee. Ive loved them both. The Liberty feels like a sports car, but jacked up with 4 wheel drive. The seats cradle me and the steering is sure. The engine isnt a supercharged V8, but it is quite capable of moving the little Jeep around.

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  First Wrangler (2 door) - 2013 Jeep Wrangler
  By jkmeriwether - September 20 - 12:00 am

  Wanted a Wrangler for a long time but didnt like the comfort in the 2012 and earlier. Also concerned about the gas mileage, being used to driving fairly economical cars. The 2013 comfort well surpassed the previous years. The new seats are much better, though they could be a little firmer. The driving position is great for me (511). I love having that higher vantage point on the road. Gas mileage is not bad. Ive seen 23-24 on highway, keeping it at the speed limit. I usually drive it conservatively so my mileage is better than average I guess. I have a loaded Sport with dual top. I put the soft top on a week ago just to see what it was like, but decided to stick with the hard top.