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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  Satisfied - 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Joshua Ash - July 27 - 7:23 pm

  Great SUV love it. Comfortable realiable and powerful even with I-6. Unstoppable in winter and off-road situations.

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  Great car to scale down to - 2010 Jeep Compass
  By Dave - July 25 - 2:03 am

  I purchased the Compass when I turned in my Commander. I was worried about getting a smaller vehicle, but it is great. It has 6 speed manual or ride it in drive. I am averaging 26 mpg and I drive highway and city.

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  Best value for luxury and capability - 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Jonathan M Hart - July 22 - 3:02 am

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  We Love Our LIBERTY - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By J I Berg - July 19 - 10:00 am

  We chose the Red Sport with the charcoal gray exterior because of the more rugged look, even though we would have liked to have some of the options only available on the limited. We have driven it on the dusty back roads of the Big Bend National Park Texas with no dust getting inside and on the Interstate at well above legal speed and it took it all with ease. The v6 power with automatic and 4 wd is great, even in all the heavy snow of NJ last winter. The heater & AC work well to make it comfortable quickly. The service departments in Texas and NJ have been well above average in most everything. It gets alot of notice and is fun to drive!

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  Got the 2004 - 2004 Jeep Liberty
  By Brad Lepelley - July 18 - 7:56 am

  We looked at many vehicles; Tribute, Escape..etc. When we were done with everything we decided to go with the Jeep. Good price, service and reliability. It drives like a SUV, not a car. Thats what attracted us to it. The Mazda was cheap sounding. The Liberty was solid. It does seem to have a slight hesitation when accelerating around 35- 40 range. Other than that, its everything we could have wished for.

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  Quite possibly the best vehicle we have ever owned - 2016 Jeep Cherokee
  By Mark - July 16 - 12:19 pm

  My wife and I purchased our 2016 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk 3.2 V6 in April, 2016. We have taken it on three road trips and just absolutely love it. Comfort, ride, visibility, power I could go on and on. I am a car guy so upkeep and cleanliness are top priority for me, this thing is put together like a Mercedes Benz. In fact, my parents liked ours so much they purchased one too. So far very pleased with product and dealer network and hope it stays that way. Note: I found no option for the Trailhawk with a 3.2 V6 so I used the 4 cylinder.

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  Hemi is awesome - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Peter - July 15 - 5:53 pm

  Ive owned a 1993 Grand Wagoneer (V8) and 2001 GC Laredo (6 cylinder). The 2005 GC limited with the HEMI and QuadraDrive II is awesome. New England just had a major snow storm and this SUV drove through it without any issue. You feel very safe and would even know you were driving on snow. The ride is taut like a European sports sedan.

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  2014 Saraha Jeep- best of all worlds - 2014 Jeep Wrangler
  By brunobravo - July 15 - 10:20 am

  This is our fifth Jeep. Weve always have had great luck with these vehicles. I decided to go with the 5 speed auto. My other Wranglers have been manual trans. This is the Wrangler that fits all occasions. Rides very nice, leather interior, Nav, SAT radio, 7 spoke mags. Went with the hard top. They can easily be off in less than 10 minutes. Very quite. The soft tops are really a pain. For the SAT radio, they have the antennae in the dash instead of having those dorsal finned antennae coming off the top.

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  Jeep - 2009 Jeep Liberty
  By Impressed - July 15 - 2:56 am

  We only have 5,000 miles on it, but its the most impressive, fun to drive vehicle my wife or I have ever owned. Jeep did a great job on every aspect of the design of this vehicle. Its comfortable, roomy, plenty of power, and great looking. The suspension is awesome - soaks up huge bumps without a hiccup or any sort of crashing noise whatsoever. The ride is spectacular on and off road. Engine and tranny are USA made.

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  09 Commander - 2009 Jeep Commander
  By JGS - July 14 - 12:46 pm

  Very satisfied. Excellent four wheel drive system. Very powerful, smooth, and quite powertrain. Achieving slightly better mpg than EPA estimates.