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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  Windows - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Ariel - July 23 - 11:23 pm

  Very bad manufacturing, no Wonder people dont buy American, had to change the Windows regulators in 3 of the four doors, also the front drive train had to be change already, the control for the fan broke at around 30,000 miles, will never buy another vehicle from this company again and I will not recommend this vehicle to anybody.

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  Dont but a Grand Cherokee - 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By dnbj - July 17 - 12:14 am

  The Eco Diesel has seen a number of problems. My Grand Cherokee has been at the dealers for 6 weeks. FCA Tech Line could not figure it out, until I called their customer service line.

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  Windows - 2006 Jeep Liberty
  By Kathy Roberts - July 16 - 12:26 pm

  I have a a little over 44,000 miles on my 2006 Jeep Liberty Sport and I have had to have the regulators in the windows replaced five times. Three times for back passenger windows and twice for the left drivers side window. The motor crunches and then the window just disappears into the door. I picked up my vehicle from being repaired for the fifth time yesterday and am afraid of letting the windows down for fear they wont go back up. I wouldnt recommend this vehicle to anyone.

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  Total waste of money if you want a Jeep - 2006 Jeep Liberty
  By nicole - July 14 - 6:46 pm

  I bought my jeep in November of 06 and it had its first recall in January, I have had nothing but problems since i bought this car. The engine has been rebuilt (recall issue). The only positive thing about this car is it is pretty fast on the take off. Gas mileage is not to bad for an "SUV". The room in the back is sorry. Dont suggest this car for any one with a new born baby, or with tall friends.

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  Dont Do It! - 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By kpcoach - July 4 - 7:07 pm

  Sold my 14 Jeep GC today. First American car in 20 yrs. Biggest $50K mistake of my life. Replaced it with a Lexus NX that will give me no trouble. First 10 weeks of owning this Jeep - dashboard went black, service department AWFUL and have had it back in the shop every few months for other issues; including rear shock failure at 16K miles that caused daily creaking and clunking in the rear end. "The most awarded SUV" is a complete piece of junk. Old Jeep Service Dept. not meant for a luxury vehicle experience (looked like a Kmart) new Lexus Service Dept. treat me like royalty (beautiful place). I will NEVER buy American again. There is no reason they cant build good cars. Took a loss, but so glad to be rid of it. I felt sad b/c it looked good, just didnt run and ate gas like no other car Ive owned. BEWARE.

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  Dissappointed - 2007 Jeep Compass
  By Jeep Compass - July 2 - 10:26 pm

  I bought the Jeep Compass because I had heard it was a great little SUV along with great reliability....I was very wrong!! I have had the brand new Jeep for only three months and just last week the transmission went out, and it only has 8,000 miles! The passenger door makes a loud screeching noise every time you open it and the rear doors are not even flush with the car. i have to say that is one of the cheapest, and most unreliable cars I have ever owned!

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  Run away - 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By captkirk2 - July 2 - 4:14 am

  I bought a 2014 GC Summit diesel for Christmas less than a month old and been into the dealer 3 times. This last time tranny is stuck in 3rd gear, all I can say is do not buy this vehicle! You have been warned! If you are even considering a Heep run away, run far away....

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  Thw worst vehicle $30K can buy you - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By WhyDidIBuyThis - June 24 - 2:00 am

  From the day I got this vehicle, it has been one thing or another. It just seemed like everything was falling apart inside-out. Considering I traded in a Honda Accord to get this Jeep, made me feel like a loser even more. Current list of problems - broken transfer case, break system failure, suspensions need replacement, steering wheel alignment, power windows dont work. As you may have guessed, all of this starter happening right after the warranty expired.

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  120,000 miles and many many problems - 2006 Jeep Wrangler
  By tommer1 - June 9 - 8:41 am

  I am a very maintenance conscious person, oil changes every 3000 miles, tranny fluid, antifreeze, everything. I have had so many issues with jeep. I have never had this jeep off road at all, i use it to drive back and forth to work. I have had to have two engine rebuilds, the manual transmission rebuilt, the transfer case rebuilt and many other engine problems including repeat censor problems. Most of my problems happened while it was still under warranty but i spent more time in rental cars then i did driving my own car it seems like. the death wobble was fixed when i bought aftermarket parts but jeep knows this is a problem and dont fix it. very poor quality gets maybe 12 mpg.

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  economically bad - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Jeep_Owner - May 30 - 2:00 am

  Very poor fuel economy, even though used 89 octane rating. Had to refill every 3-4 days. Paid more than $20 every time. Unless you live in a suburban area or farm land where you need a 4WD, wouldnt recommend it. Consumer Reports picked Lexus RX300 as the best choice in midsized sport- utility vehicles. It has the highest overall mpg fuel economy rating in its class.