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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  Love Wranglers, Cant Afford Fixing it - 2001 Jeep Wrangler
  By Keith - September 29 - 12:36 pm

  I love my 2001 Wrangler as a vehicle that is great in the snow, mud or even on road. Top on or off it is the best vehicle for all situations. Anything i throw at it, it takes it like nothing i have ever drove. Stock height with 31x10.5R15 made it a blast for any trail navigation i wanted to take it through. I could drive circles around most the huge trucks and even other suvs like a lifted Cherokee (not so much a lifted titan on 34s.

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  Beware: fun but unreliable - 1999 Jeep Wrangler
  By Fun but unreliable - September 20 - 10:30 pm

  Purchased 99 Wrangler in 2004. In 06 engine dropped a rod with 127K miles. Replaced engine and it has been nothing but problems since. Its embarrassing how much money Ive spent on maintaining this vehicle. I LOVE driving it but the last few years have been a major disappointment

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  Hhhhhmmmmmm. - 2006 Jeep Commander
  By The P family - September 18 - 2:26 am

  I did buy my Jeep Commander used, I should have looked it up first i bought in 2007 and it had 10,000 miles. Of course the salesman "fibbed" and of course i bought the vehicle. REGRET! since i had bought it in October of 07 it has been in the shop over 25 times! seat belt problems, slow pickup, wind leaks you name it. Though i never have had as bad of problems as the others i still definitely regret this purchase! I will always research a vehicle first from now on. The body style is awesome and i have never been a red fan until i saw the Inferno and red rock reds they are gorgeous, But, When you think Jeep you think dependable, durable and long lasting this jeep is none of the above!

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  Wont be buying when the lease is over. - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Bert1287 - September 11 - 3:50 am

  We will be returning our Jeep when the lease is over. The ride is stiff, even for an SUV. The front seats are uncomfortable for any trip longer than an hour. Front seats are narrow and never seem to hit us in the right spots no matter how many ways we adjust them. Visibility is so-so with the narrow front windshield and wide a-pillars.

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  Its true Virginia, 5 stars are a myth - 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By leopold - September 8 - 10:00 am

  Dealership incompetence and arrogance made a bad braking situation into a safety nightmare -with unpredictable failure of braking power twice narrowly escaping hitting a pedestrian. All the while over 9 months dealership claimed an inability to duplicate problem. The customer is stupid-- stupid. Finally the chip assembly for ABS was grudgingly replaced and problem resolved. Vehicle was essentially out of service for over 9 months due to fear of killing someone. This - from a five star dealer! Three years later Im still furious at the lousy treatment.

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  LAST JEEP - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By LAST JEEP - August 29 - 4:03 pm

  2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee: 1. Intermittent Problem: engine fails to crank (happens daily). Tries to turn over but will not. Acts like battery is weak. After waiting and repeatedly trying engine will start, showing no signs of any problem. 2. Intermittent Problem: A/C cuts off and will only work if fan speed setting is changed to high. A/C cuts off repeatedly while driving. 3. Check engine light (orange engine symbol) comes on anytime fuel gauge reaches the ¼ tank level. When light comes on the engine sputters and misses for several minutes. This light will not come on until the fuel tank is filled. 4. When starting engine with A/C on it takes over 30 seconds for air to blow out of the dash

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  Lumbar support needed - 2010 Jeep Commander
  By SUE - August 28 - 6:30 am

  This is a great SUV, however, the front seats need more lumbar support to be comfortable. The leather is beautiful, but if theres no support, its useless. The drivers side seating is large, so for a smaller individual, youll feel like youre in a huge seat that doesnt "hug" you into place while driving. The navigation system takes a while to get used to, but its better than most Ive used.

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  Poor Quality Costs the company - 2004 Jeep Wrangler
  By Jeep_boy - August 27 - 2:00 am

  The Jeep Wrangler has been the icon vehicle since its introduction in WW2. My first experience as a Jeep owner has been a bad one. The manual trans is hard to shift and pops out of gear constantly. It also occationally wont shift into a gear for whatever reason. I took mine to a dealer 4 times and Jeep "can find a problem". I also have the dual top version. Believe it or not the Hard top leaks worse than the soft top in a car wash. I was actually told by Jeep that "convertables leak" and I shouldnt go through car washes. I have had several convertables, and the Wrangler leaks like there is a window open.

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  Dangerous on Highway - 2011 Jeep Compass
  By jtthrew - August 17 - 4:39 am

  We had purchase our Jeep Compass Latitude 6 weeks ago. While driving on the freeway there was a loud explosion type sound and then the front drivers side collapsed. Luckily my son was able to safely get to the center divide and stop only to find that the entire front drivers wheel had completely snapped off leaving only the center part of the hub cap bolted on and the rotar filed down. The Highway patrol officer and tow truck drivers had never seen anything like it. However, the dealership is trying to tell us that we must of hit a curb to cause a blowout. How does a blowout cause the entire wheel to rip off of a car? Others are telling us its a possible design defect. BEWARE!

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  Loved it, but too many problems - 2007 Jeep Wrangler
  By formerjeeper - August 16 - 4:16 pm

  I was really hoping to keep my Rubicon for a long time, but it just had too many problems for only 40k miles. A couple of recalls, ball joints, gasket leaks, power module gone, and on and on. Also, the radio was toast towards the end. Finally, the body was starting to show rust spots, lots of them. Come on. Cars dont really rust anymore.. I enjoyed driving it, and it was great in the snow, but the quality control issues killed all of the fun stuff for me. I just traded it in for a new SUV, as my warranty was off, and I need something much more reliable. This could however, make a great second car.