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:

• 

  Jeep Grand Cherokee 1999 - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By ScottCelander - July 8 - 10:00 am

  The Jeep is very fun to drive and has a great deal of sex appeal considering it is a SUV. My Jeep has the Quadtrac fulltime 4wd system and I would recommend getting this. It is clearly one of the best features of the Jeep. Another personal best feature, is the fact that this jeep has serious whip. From 0-30mph, the car is very fast. My stories about the brakes are not nearly as bad as everyones else...although I agree the car definitely needs a new braking system, as long as you go somewhat easy on the brakes it wont be that bad. Overall fun and PRACTICAL car.

• 

  King of SUVs - 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By 2 Jeep Guy - July 8 - 10:00 am

  The Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo is the one SUV that all the competitors fear. It has tremendous off road capability. I have taken it on beach sand with heavy ruts and loose drifting sand. No problem at all. It can handle anything. Try that with the fake SUVs put out by the competitors. Who knows more about four wheel drive than Jeep? My wife drives this one, and she absolutely loves it. (She owns Ford stock, but we bought this new. We also have a Liberty).

• 

  Fun with Liberty - 2003 Jeep Liberty
  By 2 Jeep Guy - July 8 - 10:00 am

  This SUV is really lots of fun to drive. Good visibility and an amazing turning radius. The seats feel hard at first, but offers good support. Lots of cargo room. What happened to the cross bars on the roof rails? My Jeep Grand Cherokee has them. The Liberty is a civilized Wrangler in many ways. It feels like a junior verson of the Grand Cherokee Laredo. Many similar controls.

• 

  Jeep? Never Again! - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Jeep? No Thanks! - July 8 - 10:00 am

  Car turned out to be a lemon. Lousy reliability. Has been in repair for half a dozen items. Altough it is comfotable to ride, i woul NOT recommend it to anyone. Go Japanese.

• 

  A Jeep That Does It All - 2007 Jeep Liberty
  By Don - July 8 - 6:06 am

  This is my second Liberty, I bought my first one in 2004, (the window regulator wasnt an issue in that model). I love the Liberty for its carlike/suv appearance and towing capabilities. I am averaging 20-21+ mpg in combined city/highway driving. I bought the 2007 knowing that the window regulators were crap. However, it was still under factory warranty and I received such a good deal since it was a manufactures buyback that the savings made it worth the risk/hassle.

• 

  Jeep is fun stuff. - 2014 Jeep Wrangler
  By champ306 - July 7 - 5:30 am

  I am coming off owning sports cars, I really find this thing entertaining. For one it handles the road just fine, and what I mean, it eats up the crappy roads. Potholes, cracks, bridges. yes, no worry anymore. Sick of scrubbing your nose on your porsche? Buy a Jeep. Seriously, its that fun. Fun to drive, great stereo, top off fun when wanted, oh yeah and 4x4 like few others out there.

• 

  Jeep Liberty 08 and going strong! - 2008 Jeep Liberty
  By Diane K - July 6 - 5:26 pm

  Every day I get into my 2008 Jeep Liberty and its like a new SUV to me. I love the interior layout- easy to use iPod and sound system. Did not get GPS-- dont need it, so other features are housed there. Fabulous off road- after I upgraded the tires to the Firestone, Destination A/Ts. Now I have a lot more confidence. Use this for trailering, skiing, dog and vacationing- LOVE IT! Didnt listen to reviews- and glad I got it. Its been really fun to drive.

• 

  I like it. - 2007 Jeep Commander
  By WireEd - July 6 - 6:16 am

  Driver seat moves to where I can get comfortable. Good engine power, reasonable economy for V8 SUV. Transmission shifts crisp, automatic 2 speed transfer case is very quiet and works properly. I had reviewed and considered Ford Explorer, Expedition, Dodge Durango, Chrysler Aspen, GMC Envoy and Chevy Trailblazer. There were 2 warranty problems from the get go: E-brake was not connected from the factory and there is tick noise in front axle dealer is having trouble finding. Other than that I like the vehicle. It fits our needs with style. Mine actually was not a Limited edition but it was the only style I could select to complete tis review. Mine was a Sport edition with the 4.7L engine.

• 

  2015 Overland - 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By wop_job - July 6 - 5:57 am

  Picked up the new 2015 Overland about a month ago. Without a doubt, this is a great SUV. Ive read all of the reviews and I honestly dont understand all of the negativity.This Jeep runs smooth and strong, mileage is very acceptable, and the comfort is outstanding. Blind spot monitoring, adaptable cruise control, user friendly interface, and many more features make this SUV stand out amongst its rivals. I have had no issues with transmission, electrical,or any of the other great features. Maybe Im just lucky, but I absolutely love this ride. So far, so good.

• 

  Learned about ignition & transmission the hard way - 2016 Jeep Patriot
  By peter. - July 6 - 4:00 am

  Overall the patriot does the job nicely. It can crawl across the desert with no real issue. In fact ice and snow it runs like a dream and goes up hills, down hills and stuff that the large and lifted 4x4s cant do. So why the poor review? 1: The CVTY Automatic transmission is highly variable and works like a charm, BUT it CANNOT BE FLAT TOWED (Dinghy Towed). This is towing the vehicle behind another vehicle. Why? Because the transmission is lubricated by the engine running and if the engine is not running the transmission fluid isnt covering parts. As a result, flat towing or dolly towing will destroy the transmission. This means that if rock crawling, desert hopping or snow driving the jeep fails for any reason, it has to be flat bed towed to a dealer. The ignition WCM module is a huge problem and a Google search will reveal page after page of complaints going all the way back to the 2006 model year. The module will fail at any time (usually around 45-50K miles) and is an expensive repair that the DEALER ALONE can do. Why? because the module has to be programmed to the VIN number of the vehicle and the keys have to be programmed to the module. Otherwise the thing wont start. There are other issues with the Uconnect system and the 2017 revelation of the Apple iphone issue also translated to poor or constant disconnect from the radio. This is an apple problem, but because the Uconnect is also very slow on connecting, a turnoff of the vehicle switches the radio back to a radio station and the Bluetooth system disconnects. Overall Jeep put out a relatively decent product with the patriot and would give better reviews if it slved the WCM problem and gave the CVT system a neutral-flat tow capeablitlty.