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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  Brakes etc. - 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Robert 2 - August 30 - 1:20 pm

  Rotors and brakes were changed 3 times in the first 20K and thereafter every 30K. Extremely rough ride. Instrument cluster and bezel poorly designed and poor fit. Cat/convertor rattle at idle common to this model at 100K milage. Poorly designed door; weatherstripping results in severe wind noise. Sharp low speed turn results in extremely loud "thunk" from wheels. All the above defects found to be common with several other owners

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  engine fails at 36,000 miles - 1999 Jeep Cherokee
  By Joe Bob McElroy - August 28 - 3:10 pm

  Interior - very spartan. Good acceleration with 4.0 liter engine. Occasional (5) problems starting the vehicle - alternate start procedure effective except when VERY COLD. Cooling system problems. 36,600 miles - cooling system - catastrophic failure at highway speed. Fried engine. Engine Replacement required. I do not recommend this vehicle to anyone! I will buy a 4 runner next time!

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  Transmission - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Mikelamb - August 12 - 10:00 am

  Why does it seem that i have to fix the transmission in my Jeep every year. Its always the shift modulator. My buddy just got a Jeep of the same year and drove it off the lot and when he got in his drive way it did the same thing as mine. Transmission light came on and you cant switch to manual shifting. i think Jeep needs to get me a new transmission.

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  Never Again Will We Make This Mistake! - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By turner rock - July 27 - 8:10 pm

  Run for you life! This is the worst SUV on the market! Problems from literaly day one. Black smoke poured out the back after owning for one day. Company would not diagnose correctly until warenty had expired! Thank you Chrysler! The brakes ate up our entire savings, the transmission was my right kidney, and not to mention the new engine we had to put in it. The front door does not lock, the windows leak, the hood does not stay up by its self. Please what ever you do DO NOT buy a 1999 Jeep! It is by far the worst decision my husband and I have ever made! We tell everyone we know how much we have "loved" our Jeep. If you own a Jeep you understand the nightmare.

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  Nothing But Junk - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Sorry I bought a GP - July 14 - 10:00 am

  I purchased this vehicle used about a year ago. At 36K, there was a terrible transmission clunk when shifting. At 40K, rotors had to be replaced due to poor DiamlerChrysler caliper design (well known problem). DC refused to assist in the $450 bill. I phoned the 800 number and they refused to let me talk to a manager and then hung up on me! Their customer service is horrible and rude. DC capitalizes on the Jeep "American" tradition (but its a German automobile). Dont make the same mistake I did. You will be sorry.

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  Jeep in the Family - 1999 Jeep Cherokee
  By Dvldog - July 13 - 2:00 am

  This is my first Jeep and I love the thing! I have about 75,000 miles on it. The engine remains strong and responsive. The off-road and weather handling capability is outstanding. Along with normal maintenance, I have only had to replace the rotors and brake pads (better then my 2000 Mercury - replaced at 20000 miles). I was sad to see that Chrysler started building the Liberty in its place. I had a chance to drive one and they can keep it.

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  Review - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By NH - July 13 - 2:00 am

  Very unhappy with noise and reiliability.

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  Learned about ignition & transmission the hard way - 2016 Jeep Patriot
  By peter. - July 6 - 4:00 am

  Overall the patriot does the job nicely. It can crawl across the desert with no real issue. In fact ice and snow it runs like a dream and goes up hills, down hills and stuff that the large and lifted 4x4s cant do. So why the poor review? 1: The CVTY Automatic transmission is highly variable and works like a charm, BUT it CANNOT BE FLAT TOWED (Dinghy Towed). This is towing the vehicle behind another vehicle. Why? Because the transmission is lubricated by the engine running and if the engine is not running the transmission fluid isnt covering parts. As a result, flat towing or dolly towing will destroy the transmission. This means that if rock crawling, desert hopping or snow driving the jeep fails for any reason, it has to be flat bed towed to a dealer. The ignition WCM module is a huge problem and a Google search will reveal page after page of complaints going all the way back to the 2006 model year. The module will fail at any time (usually around 45-50K miles) and is an expensive repair that the DEALER ALONE can do. Why? because the module has to be programmed to the VIN number of the vehicle and the keys have to be programmed to the module. Otherwise the thing wont start. There are other issues with the Uconnect system and the 2017 revelation of the Apple iphone issue also translated to poor or constant disconnect from the radio. This is an apple problem, but because the Uconnect is also very slow on connecting, a turnoff of the vehicle switches the radio back to a radio station and the Bluetooth system disconnects. Overall Jeep put out a relatively decent product with the patriot and would give better reviews if it slved the WCM problem and gave the CVT system a neutral-flat tow capeablitlty.

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  DONT BUY! - 2004 Jeep Liberty
  By ventura ,ca - June 25 - 11:40 pm

  Buying this car was the biggest mistake. With no warning I had to get the transmission fixed and after that everything went down hill. Put more money into the car than what its worth. Learned a costly lesson

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  Hate this Jeep - 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By John D. - June 8 - 8:43 am

  I have a 2007 Jeep grand Cherokee Laredo 4x4,3. 7 liter v-6. This is not the first Jeep Ive owned but will probably be the last. It has been to the dealer 3 times in the last 6 months for the same problem. Driving down the road no matter what speed it does not stall but the computer drops it down to 20 mph and the engine will shutter. Sometimes it will correct itself and sometimes if you turn the car off and restart it it clears what ever the problem is. Dealer says they cant reproduce the problem. All I know is that this thing is dangerous. My wife was driving in heavy traffic and it cut out on her in 65 mph traffic and she almost got rear ended. Has anyone else had this problem?