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:

• 

  Update - 2007 Jeep Liberty
  By Bryce - April 10 - 7:06 pm

  This is a follow up review (2 years old 30k miles). Overall we still enjoy the Liberty. It is an average small SUV but the american manufacturing is definitely show through. Still under warranty so all window regulators have been replaced at least once, some twice. Seats are very uncomfortable on long road trips (very little lumbar support). MPG is actually pretty decent for a V6 3.7L on road trips, city MPG is horrible (16 city 25 highway). Decent amount of cargo with seats folded down. We have enjoyed it so far but wont buy another. This is our first American car and we have decided to stick with foreign.

• 

  square headlights bad - 1992 Jeep Wrangler
  By john - April 10 - 10:30 am

  The YJ (sqare headlight) jeeps are horrible. The new TJs are nice and the old CJs are nicer. I has my 92 YJ for 4 months and sold it because it had no character and i coulnt take the sight of all that interior plastic! Now I have a classy 1985 Jeep CJ-7, more work but much more fun- and it has character!

• 

  Style, comfort, and value - 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By J Farmer - April 10 - 4:21 am

  Best vehicle we have driven

• 

  Nothing but Problems - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Brad - April 9 - 10:10 pm

  Bought this Jeep with 51K miles on it. Not even 12 months after buying it the problems started and they havent stopped since. Ive replaced the following: front passenger window motor, rear passenger window motor, radiator fan (2x), radiator fan relay (2x), A/C coolant, rear brakes, turned front rotors, and the gas cap. I still am in the process of replacing the passenger side mirror and both tweeters. I now have 82K miles on it and I havent had any problems with the engine and transmission. There are more minor problems that I have but not enough room to write about it.

• 

  Love My Jeep! - 1995 Jeep Cherokee
  By Love My Jeep - April 9 - 4:53 am

  I am the second owner of my jeep and I have loved putting every kilometer on it. It has been reliable and fun to drive. My friends and I love tailgating and off-roading in it; it will be a sad day when it bites the dust. I have pulled friends out of the strangest places and the jeep doesnt even flinch, an excellent workhorse. Besides fuel efficiency, long trips are comfortable. Weve towed 17 campers without a hitch. Cant go wrong with this one!

• 

  Liberty Rides again - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By Liberty, Limited - April 8 - 10:43 pm

  Gas, Gas, Gas. It likes to drink. That is the only negative feature. I have a hard time not turning down every dirt road just to have a reason to go 4-wheeling.

• 

  Ill know better next time. - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By BudmanSnowman - April 8 - 10:00 am

  Good looking SUV, handles nice, power and traction is good, comfort is second to none, oh by the way that is when it is not in the shop. Had the SUV less than 18 months and had the drive train rebuilt. Bearings, shot, transmission pump making strange noise, replaced. Power window motor, both sides replaced, by auto body friend. Saved over $200 by going to him instead of dealer. AC, shot after 3 years. Never worked real well from day one. Also replaced by auto body friend. Saved over $300 by going to him instead of dealer

• 

  Limited 2003 - 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By MCappy - April 8 - 10:00 am

  Nice car...could use more rear room.

• 

  Some Good - Some Bad - 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Hoopermeadows - April 8 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my new 2001 well into 2002 and it was a spur of the moment purchase, which was unfortunate because I should have done more research - I may have passed. Its been a nice ride, but dont expect it to have a long life.

• 

  1400 Mi Highway road test - 2016 Jeep Renegade
  By M Pate - April 8 - 4:23 am

  I was really curious about this vehicle, so I rented one to drive from NC to FL. It was a 2WD 2.4L 9A Latitude trim level. The seats are very supportive, the steering was tight and I thought the vehicle handled very well. The ride was a little choppy for what I consider a car more than a truck. The very first thing I did not like was the automatic transmission. It was constantly changing at speed and almost drove me nuts, felt like the engine was missing or something. Finally, I discovered the way to overcome this was to pull it over to manual mode and shift it yourself. On the first leg of my trip I only averaged 27mpg allowing the vehicle to shift itself. I checked the mpg history on the computer and it read 21.5. Not good. On the way back, I manually shifted it and achieved 32mpg, which I believe exceeds the manufacturer claims. This was averaging about 65mph. So the folks that claim you need a manual transmission may have forgotten the auto has a clutchless manual mode. The 2.4 also has a lower torque curve than the turbo. I had a dealers license for almost 20 yrs as well, and from a resale perspective I would suspect a manual transmission might be very difficult to sell. This is not a Wrangler. I have 3 Jeeps, 2 XJs and a Comanche. They all have the 4.0L six, feel nothing like this car, but Id like to hear what folks have to say about the Trailhawk.