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:

• 

  Love it, although its far from perfect - 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Kelsey - October 25 - 3:53 am

  My Jeep is a 2008 Grand Cherokee Laredo 4X4 with a 3.7L V6 engine. I bought it brand new in 12/08 and got $9,000 worth of rebates and discounts. I havent had any problems with it so far, but I have only put 4,000 miles on it. Therefore, I cannot comment too much on reliability. I will tell you, though, that many of the reliability complaints about the Grand Cherokee relate to 2005-06 models, which had many issues, indeed. However, many of these issues have been fixed for 2007. For 2008, which is the year of my Jeep, the front-end suffered a light facelift and the interior received a major improvement. Some online data show that reliability has improved dramatically with the 07 model.

• 

  Jeep is it! - 1999 Jeep Cherokee
  By STER - October 25 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this vehicle with 7 miles on it,I have serviced the vehicle according to manufacturers recommendations and have had no major problems(41800 miles).I own a tent trailer and use it for traveling all the time.I have also used if for off road adventures and have been overwhelmingly pleased.I have even been to Moab Utah a time or two and have even amazed a few of the avid four wheelers with what I was accomplishing in a stock vehicle.There is not a stock S-10 or Explorer that can keep up with this one.I drove the other two and gave them their fair shot.If you like to get out camp and do some off roading, Jeep is it!

• 

  Lil Jeepster - 2010 Jeep Patriot
  By willy d - October 25 - 2:00 am

  I went looking for a small, 4wd SUV. On line shopping and reviews are quite helpful, unless they are strongly opinionated, then I just gloss over the review. When comparing equipment on others in this class, nothing comes close for cost verses content. The sport model with the $5000 latitude package stickered at $23,500. Less rebates etc. (and this gives you everything from heated seats to remote start. Overall very satisfied, 2.4 with the CVT trans is getting 20 mpg in town/27 highway. Buld quality/ paint and all seem very good. Engine can sound noisy, not at cruising speed tho, so it does not annoy me. Fast, nope, not bought for speed, but tap shift to highway speeds are no problem.

• 

  LOVE THE OVERLAND - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By HAROLDRADERMAN - October 21 - 2:00 am

  TRADED A MERCEDES ML320 FOR THE JEEP OVERLAND. OVERLAND MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE & POWERFUL & BUILT WITH GREATER LUXURY IN MIND. LOTS OF "BANG FOR THE BUCK." MANY MORE OPTIONS AVAILBLE AT MORE THAN $15,000 LESS THAN MERCEDES ML500 WHICH IS COMPARABLE IN POWER BUT NOT NEARLY AS LUXURIOUS. HAD ONE PROBLEM WITH WARPED BRAKE ROTOR FIXED QUICKLY UNDER WARRANTY.

• 

  Look Mom, a real SUV. - 2004 Jeep Liberty
  By rv - October 17 - 10:00 am

  There are only 3 or four true SUVs on this site that have actually *earned* the classification -- two of which are Jeeps. If you want a car, buy a car. If you want a truck, buy a truck. If you want an SUV, buy a Jeep.

• 

  I love this Jeep!!! - 1999 Jeep Cherokee
  By EJeep - October 14 - 10:00 am

  There is little to nothing i dont love about my Jeep Cherokee. The style is classic and it drives just like a Jeep should. There is no mistaking the fact that i am driving a Jeep. The pick up is unbelievable with the straight six engine. The cargo area is great for someone with a family or for a person who is just really active active. The only problem is the back seat is a little on the smaller side, but Ive been in a few SUVs and it seems to be that way in all of them.

• 

  Fun Vehicle - 2000 Jeep Wrangler
  By Marker - October 14 - 10:00 am

  Great Vehicle! I have the fully sissified version. AC, CD, add-a-trunk, and auto trans. I never thought Id buy the auto-trans but after I drove it around Washington, DC once I had to have it. Parking is very easy. I like being able to go anywhere I want. I may have to sell. The jeep isnt too confortable for my wife, my son (4 months) and I.

• 

  BETTER THAN BENZ,LAND ROVER & MOST - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By JJG - October 14 - 10:00 am

  I HAVE OWNED MANY JEEPS AND I CAN SAY THAT THEY ARE BETTER THAN ANY BENZ SUV,LAND ROVERS,BMW, ETC.IT HAS THE BEST PICK-UP AND IS A DEPENDABLE VEHICLE,WITH SLEEK STYLING,AND A REASONABLE PRICE..NO VEHICLE IS PROBLEM FREE IN THE REAL WORLD.I HAVE HAD SOME PROBLEMS HERE AND THERE,BUT NOTHING THAT WOULD STOP ME FROM PURCHASING ANOTHER.(WE HAVE HAD NINE IN THE PAST SIX YEARS,BETWEEN 5 FAMILY MEMBERS.

• 

  2014 Jeep Patriot 2.4L Latitude - 2014 Jeep Patriot
  By perfectsound - October 13 - 4:03 pm

  First off, dont listen to the harsh reviews. They arent reasonable. Secondly, this is NOT a Grand Cherokee. The Patriot is a cute little SUV (my first). It has all the comforts that a reasonable person would need, minus the elbow room of a larger vehicle. Secondly...it IS a Jeep...not a Lincoln. If you want a cute little SUV that rides and handles like a Jeep...then this is your car. I, for one, love it. The Latitude has all of the nice bells and whistles such as a nice stereo, hidden USB port for your iPOD, Blue Tooth for your phone, electric windows and door locks, heated seats, etc.

• 

  Get the extended warranty - 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By OverlandMan - October 13 - 1:13 pm

  I bought my 03 Overland new in December 02. I really loved the styling as well as long list of standard features. My problems started at around 10k miles with a broken hvac fan motor. The dealer replaced the resistor pack. Almost exactly 1 year later to the date, the fan died again. The dealer replaced the resistor pack again to fix it. 1 year later the heat stopped working for the passenger side; this time it was the blend door, a very expensive repair had the Jeep not been under the original warranty. So to sum it up the dash got ripped out 3 times in under 3 years, which would have cost over $2k had it not been under warranty. For these problems alone I cant recommend a Grand.