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:

• 

  Grabage!! - 2006 Jeep Wrangler
  By duckydo - April 14 - 2:02 pm

  just bought this junk 3 months ago for 8400$ , and allready to dealer for pcm replacement .1500$...and like impossible to find cheaper ..out of stock , or discontnued parts ..same has muffler ...im gonnna get this pcm fixed and sell this [non-permissible content removed]!!

• 

  Im trading it in after 6 months! - 2007 Jeep Wrangler
  By No more Jeeps for me - April 14 - 12:33 pm

  This vehicle looks great, and I bought it 6 months ago, it has 7,000 miles on it. Good cornering and acceleration. The transmission was replaced. I drove it through a touchless car wash, and water came into the interior. Cannot get in and out of back seat with ease. Interior panels and paint scratch easily. A recall exists for many 07 Wranglers, per NHTSA. Mine was not included in the recall, therefore, I was never informed. But my vehicle stalled out for the same reason as the recall while I was driving 55MPH in the rain. Soft top windows scratch easily. Noisy and cumbersome driving. Well priced, but a huge disappointment overall for me.

• 

  money wasted - 2003 Jeep Wrangler
  By sammyk - April 10 - 10:00 am

  The build quality of my new Jeep is simply horrific ! With less than 12,500 miles, it has been in the shop no less than 5 times !! The driving lights went out ( replaced whole harness ), the A/C quit working twice, the airbags quit working twice, engine stalled 4 times and the bumper-ette worked itself loose. The most annoying thing is the paint quality. With 3500 miles on it, bug juice removed 117 eraser sized chunks of paint on the grill !! The dealer ( 2 of them ) refused to declare it a warrenty item. Chrysler defered exclusively to the dealer. No other car Ive ever had ( over 15, brand new ) ever had this prob.

• 

  stalling problems - 2003 Jeep Liberty
  By questioning - March 31 - 1:10 am

  My Jeep did great for the first few years. Now it is in the shop more than out. The dealership started by replacing the crank sensor, and now they say they dont know, or there is nothing wrong. The poetic justice is that the mechanic finally got stuck himself in it and had to be towed. However, I still dont have my vehicle. It is my second Jeep, but I am disappointed now. Wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same. It started with downshifting at odd times and now just stalls out while driving. I only saw one review that said the same, but several that mention a hard shift, etc. I wonder if it is a factory defect.

• 

  Stay clear - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By pittsburgh driver - March 26 - 11:20 am

  I unloaded my 05 limited, it had all the options and was my dream vehicle. I bought it at one year old to save a few bucks. Im sorry i ever traded my 2000 Cherokee for it. In the two years I owned it it leaked from the sunroof badly, blew a rear seal and had to replace the rear. Had two computer modules go. If your having weird things go on it is usually one of the modules. Everything was replaced under warranty and seemingly fixed but the luster had worn off because of the poor quality and I sold it as soon as the warranty expired. If i had to pay for the repairs myself it would have cost over $3,000. Jeep and Chrysler is off my list to buy for good. Only had 37,000 miles, what a shame.

• 

  yeah - 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By go_leafs_go - March 20 - 2:33 am

  This thing has been a problem from day 1. Seems like every week something needs to be replaced. I had to put in a new engine at 88K and now it wont shift into overdrive and no one has any answers as to why. Ive put almost 15 grand into fixing this thing, Im ready to push it off a cliff!

• 

  Fun, But no winner - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Don P - March 20 - 2:20 am

  When it is running, it is fun to drive. Brake repairs due to leaks on two occasions. Transmission repair. Differential repair three times. Window motor failed. Dont do it to yourself.

• 

  Worst buy ever - 2007 Jeep Liberty
  By mandalore04 - March 17 - 5:44 pm

  I traded in a great subaru for this vehicle (used) for a larger vehicle for my son and I. I had the vehicle less than 30 days and the electronics completely failed costing $600 in repairs. I still have issues after the repairs with the electrical aspect. The passenger side front and driver side rear window regulators have broken and I have had this vehicle for 3 months. Looking to trade it off for something else if Im able to. I like the vehicle but Im not happy with the quantity and price of all the repairs. I will never recommend another Jeep or Chrysler product to anyone, let alone by one myself.

• 

  I dont know what Ive gotten myself into - 2016 Jeep Cherokee
  By Jasmine - March 11 - 6:05 pm

  I have been having issues with this care starting.. it sounds like it doesnt want to start. When I put the key in to start it up, it sounds like it isnt turning over. I had to push the gas pedal so that it would start up and I shouldnt have to, so I am worried about this, and I dont want to continue with this lease. I dont know if anyone else is having this issue but I am thinking about

• 

  Engine Issues Galore! - 2011 Jeep Liberty
  By Lbanana - March 10 - 12:58 am

  I purchased my Jeep Liberty certified pre-owned. It had roughly 60k miles on it. It now has 105k miles on and my extended 7year/100k mile warranty JUST expired. What a perfect time to need a new engine, right?? The check engine light came on and its throwing a p0303 code (whichever code is for cylinder 2 misfiring). I still owe quite a bit of money on it and these depreciated SO badly that Im in a financial nightmare right now. I mean, why cant I get 150k out of this vehicle? I feel like Ive been ripped off. Im looking at a very large bill to either replace or rebuild the engine and Ive had it for less than 2 years. The crazy thing is that I have truly enjoyed this Jeep and love the look and feel of it. The radio is a piece of junk.. The clock slowly gets behind about a minute every 3 or 4 days. Took to a Jeep dealer and they replaced it. Still does the same thing.. I was really looking forward to possibly upgrading to a Jeep Wrangler unlimited for my next car in a year or two but now it looks like Im either never buying another Jeep or not for a while. Thanks Jeep....