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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  Its a Chrysler - 2000 Jeep Cherokee
  By Weston - December 30 - 2:00 am

  Its cheap! But not cheap enough! I should have spent the extra 50$ a month and got a Blazer. Cool classic rugged styling, but, rough ride, BAD breaks, noisey,and below average overall quality. In and out for warranty work 7 times. Resale is very very bad,, cant find a dealership that wants another one sitting on their lot.

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  My no good car - 2015 Jeep Compass
  By Elenanca - December 28 - 6:14 pm

  I leased the car in 2014 . After driving it for a while I started to be very disappointed by most of features of the car It is like an old car once you press the gas . It makes the noise of a tired grandpa and the noise is loud ! . Poor acceleratin , lack of space for the driver and bad adjustment of driving seat . No real storage at all in the car . The door side pockets are for the birds and the back of the seats have no pockets . There is just a minimal storage box in between the chairs . You can store few things . The trunk has no dividers for anything so your goods goes from right to left and all other directions . Once you get home you repack everything and please dont buy eggs ! !

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  Worst car Ive ever owned! - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By eots44 - December 7 - 4:49 am

  I bought mine new and five years later the engine blew up and after a new engine the transmission went. It was beyond repair and now just sits in my driveway rotting away. It is also extremely uncomfortable, I didnt want it to begin with but I was suckered into it. Never will I buy another Jeep product in my life, they are so unreliable and are listed for the worst quality amung cars. Replaced it with a 2004 Cadillac Cts, also bought new, and now nine years later and about 185,000 miles no problems and still rides like new. I knew I should have just stuck with General Motors.

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  RETHINK YOUR PURCHASE - 2000 Jeep Cherokee
  By DUKE - December 5 - 10:00 am

  Hind-sight is always 20/20 and I really wish we would have listened to the advise of others. Our Jeep has been towed so many times to the dealer for various problems, its a shame we dont get frequent flyer miles! I could list a whole variety of problems, but if replacing a transmission at 31K miles doesnt tell you everything, please contact me and I would be very willing to sell my Jeep to you!

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  Stay away - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By FromLovertoHater - November 30 - 10:00 am

  Bought new (for a really good price) in March of 02. Started having trouble from the get go. Had the left rear tire blow out every 3,000 miles, then at 11,500 the tranny blew up. Thats just the beginning. Nonstop problems...gas guzzler...inside is bland. If you do get one get the V8

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  cry of the jeep owner "never again!" - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By ron - November 22 - 12:13 am

  Purchased this vehicle brand new off the lot in 2002, have had nothing but problems since day one. Breaks down at least twice per year, I am writing this becaue I am on Edmunds lookin for a Toyota, last night Christmas eve was the last straw, broke down again, seems like it wont come out of four wheel drive and am burning something, smells like oil. Am guessing from the transfer case. Constantly in for brakes and rotors, this is a design flaw, was even a class action lawsuit for the breaks. Power window on pass gone, not working, has been in the shop way too much for a new vehicle. Never again will I buy a Chrysler product.

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  Seats! - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By M. Stew - November 17 - 4:00 am

  The seats are not comfortable. Water stains the seats, raindrops, sweat, anything. I have had nothing but trouble with this vehicle. It has been in the shop several times for the transmission. I wish I havent bought this vehicle.

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  EHHH - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Holycow - November 7 - 10:00 am

  Bouth our Limited V8 because of looks and power. THis is the only thing I am happy about with our jeep. We have 14,000 miles on our jeep so far and it has been to the dealershipe 5 times. Two times for paint peeling off the driver door. The back leather seat actually chipped away. The outside passenger mirror actually had a hairline crack in it. The oil pressure indicator had to be replaced. This is my first and only Jeep. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ONE AGAIN. I cant believe it paid 35+ for this piece of YEA! Were trading it off on either a Explorer or a Tahoe!!!

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  BUYER BEWARE - nothing but issues! - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By lschulz - November 1 - 1:54 am

  Bought fresh off the lot in 2002 for over 50 grand. Nothing but problems from the get go, and the dealership hoses you! Jeep has awful customer service. Though a nice looking vehicle on the outside, ive had the heat fixed twice now, A/C is on its third break. I swear, heat works in the summer and ac works in the winter. It started making an awful whirring sound and I noticed it was leaking fluids all over the driveway, took it to the dealer and they wanted over 6 THOUSAND DOLLARS to fix everything!! Turns out it was leaking coolant, power steering pump was cracked, and the gas caps seem to be famous for giving out on these. Now transmission is going..

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  Really think about buying - 2010 Jeep Compass
  By Luke - October 29 - 10:00 am

  Me and my wife owned these vehicle for about six weeks now. First let me say at the time of purchasing the compass it was a good buy after the first week had second thoughts first it was the ignition that went wrong then we got it back ad found it was not fixed so finally after two weeks they finally repaired it second the remote start was having problem they finally repaired that then found there was a oil leak that was coming from the timing cover in which the motor had to be removed from the car to repair so think long and hard about getting a jeep compass in its a hit or miss and another thing very loud inside the cabin due to the engine