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:

• 

  Hello happy mileage! - 2014 Jeep Cherokee
  By dggarcia - March 21 - 5:19 am

  I started reading Edmunds.coms reviews a while ago, deciding between Mazda CX-5 & Cherokee, i am happy with my choice, is super comfortable and full of details as they claim, i switched from Jeep Liberty (3.7 V6) to the V4 and mileage is great, granted is that the V4 does not performs nor sounds as my old V6 did but my main concern was gas mileage so to me is a fair trade, tested the VW Tiguan Turbo and seems a more powerful V4 than Cherokee but overall car is no comparison at all. If you are looking for super performance probably the V6 will respond better to that need, design which seemed hideous on pictures quite frankly grows in me easy and love that sets it apart.

• 

  Expected a little more - 2008 Jeep Liberty
  By Liberty Limited - March 21 - 12:20 am

  I have very mixed feelings with my Jeep. Aesthetically it looks nice inside and out yet once you begin to familiarize yourself with the SUV you begin to notice the abundance of plastic both inside and out. Cheap plastic that scratches easily. The MPG sticker says 20 mpg on the hwy. True if you reset the gauge doing 55 mph on a flat low wind hwy. 16-17 mpg combined city/hwy is realistic. The drive train should have been updated with the rest of the Jeep. Same drivetrain as in the previous version/yrs. Normally this would be a good thing however the additional 200-300 lbs that the vehicle gained with the remodel has made it lethargic from a stop and forcing the trans to constantly look for a gear.

• 

  Toughest SUV on the road - 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Mike - March 18 - 5:56 am

  Words to describe this truck: Brute power, menacing, aggressive, intimidating, classic, smooth, head turner, exclusive, hungry (or thirsty), "get-out-of-my-way". Ive put over 1000 miles on it and it is more fun to drive each day. It is also surprisingly quiet inside, and not as bumpy as I thought it would be. Stereo is clear and crisp, but could use a little more bass.

• 

  Sad to see it go... - 2000 Jeep Cherokee
  By Danny Wong - March 17 - 10:00 am

  I never thought that I would be driving a Jeep. This XJ has been my daily driver, my street racer, and my savior in bad weather. For a 4.0, Inline-6, this Jeep performs like an SUV on steriods. After a year since I bought her, I have been installing performance modifications that have upgraded the power. Now my XJ really burns the pavement. Overall, Im sad to see it go as I still believe DC made a horrible choice in discontinuing the XJ. Maybe someday, DC will have a change in heart and the XJ will come back with a revamped XJ for the future.

• 

  Never Again - 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By rhpenny - March 17 - 10:00 am

  I will never buy another American made car b/c they arent the type of quaily and dependabilty I am used to with foriegn products.

• 

  Pleasant but ... - 2010 Jeep Compass
  By diligent_buyer - March 9 - 10:00 am

  Useful tip for potential buyers: Drive preferably in slow traffic. While going on an uphill or flat road accelerate the car to 25 mph, let off the pedal and you will feel the car shaking. This will not go away as long as you own the car. If you can take it, you will be ok. This applies to the Jeep Patriot as well.

• 

  fun to drive and built tough - 1999 Jeep Wrangler
  By John - March 8 - 10:23 pm

  In my experience, a mechanically sound year for Jeep Wranglers. Had to replace sway bars twice in its lifetime and the starter once. Also the connection to the speedometer and heating control had to be replaced during warranty due to corrosion from water leakage (left top down once during rain storm). Unfortunately, a local repair shop molested and murdered my first love. Go straight to the dealer or someone who knows Jeep clutches. If you love your jeep, 1. Dont machine the flywheel, just replace it with OEM parts 2. Same for the clutch kit, buy OEM parts just to be on the safe side.. 3. again, to the dealer.

• 

  Amazing ride - 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By richardar6 - March 8 - 5:03 am

  Traded in 13 Kia Sorento because service center was beyond disappointing. So glad I did. I bought the Sorento to be practical, I bought this GC because I truly WANTED it. I am so glad I did. The ride improvement alone justifies my desicion. In 3 days, Ive driven over 300 miles just because. I cant wait to get out of work just to drive it again. I know I sound like a kid, but Im 45. Also, I actually have gotten thumbs up from people checking out my rims. Never would of happened in the Kia.

• 

  Binding Sound - 2008 Jeep Patriot
  By stm - March 5 - 3:30 am

  We took the Patriot back the first week because of a strange sound from under the front of the car. Service said it did not do this for them but other buyers had experienced the problem on a national level. One month later the sound got louder, including a vibration on the floorboard. We are waiting to hear what can be done. We loved the car at first but we never got the good gas mileage and believe it has something to do with that intermittent sound. It happens in all types of driving situations, stepping on the gas, breaking, turning. You might drive a few miles before hearing it or just out the driveway. We wonder if anyone else has had this happen?

• 

  Great Jeep - 2003 Jeep Liberty
  By Jints72 - March 5 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Jeep Liberty Limited Edition at the end of 2003. Got great financing and have been generally happy with my purchase. My Liberty is loaded w/ options at a great price. Might I suggest that any one thinking of purchasing a Limited Edition get the Chrome Grill in the front. It makes a big difference in how it looks. Trunk space is kind of limited but other than that its a nice choice for a someone in the market for a mid to small size SUV.