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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  Flawless - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By 71charger - September 21 - 7:53 pm

  Three years and nothing to fix, nothing to replace except the factory tires at just over 30k miles. Zero problems. A wonderful vehicle. It has handled all weather conditions beautifully, including a couple of nasty blizzards the first winter we owned it. We will definitely buy another one.

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  Overall one great car - 2008 Jeep Patriot
  By gsxgirl916 - September 21 - 5:16 pm

  I purchased my sport 4wd in automatic in March of this year. First of all, I got this for $14,995 brand new (You cannot beat that deal for any 4wd); second, I am getting way better gas mileage than what it said on the sticker. I already put 8500+miles on this, and I truly average 28mpg combined. This is my first jeep and I am so impressed.

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  Just driving it! - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By CAT - September 21 - 2:13 pm

  I love my jeep! This is my first Jeep and its not bad at all. It looks good, drives excellent and everybody I talk to wants one. I heard they dont hold their value and mines uses lots of gas which worries me. I may be forced in the 3rd year to trade it in for something bigger like a Jeep Cherekee or whatever. Will do homework next time before I buy for looks again! But overall its still worth the money I paid and I still would buy it again. I love it! Heading for the web site next to book the summer Jeep tour this year if its available, see you there!

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  Best Jeep Yet! - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By mbrewer - September 21 - 9:50 am

  I have owned 3 Cherokees and 3 Grand Cherokees. This is my first Liberty and I have to say it is the best one yet. It is the most fun to drive, great get up and go, much tighter than the Cherokees were, sits higher and turns sharper too. The 05 refresh is tasteful and the chrome accents give it an upscale look and feel. The leather seats are a huge notch above the Cherokee leather in quality and it has a very German feel to the interior. You can park this thing just about anywhere with a minium of fuss - paint is glossy and consistent, fittings are snug and properly aligned, controls are logical and content is very high for this price- a lot of Jeep for the money and a lot of fun at any price!

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  This SUV is ROCK SOLID! - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By JP05FAN - September 20 - 10:00 am

  After owning a Jeep Cherokee for eight years, we decided to add another one to our garage. So we went out to test drive the Liberty Sport 4X4 and WOW were we impressed! Very Smooth (better than our sedan), braking was very good, acceleration was very fast and the engine was so quite (it never was loud or odd sounding). And since being a previous Jeep owner, we were suorised to find that the body roll was cut down to almost nothing! All and all this re- design of the 05 is very solid; and you feel that while drving it doesnt feel flimsy or cheap. And the funny thing is the same day we test drove it we came back later and ordered one!

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  First Jeep. Love it. - 2015 Jeep Patriot
  By Abra - September 20 - 3:19 am

  As many a reviews say, this car is about value and about being Jeep. I moved from Subaru legacy sedan that served me exceptionally well and with ZERO trouble for 7 years (cars age 10 years). I am an outdoors guy and love my camping trip and a bit of sofy-roading. I was split between Forester and Patriot. Few factors that swayed me to the Jeep - latest Forester has become just like all other cute-utes. Jeep stands out with is retro look. Secondly the value, features and dealer discounts. Lastly the ride height and SUV like suspension. I would have bought and XT but couldnt justify the cost. About 1000 kms on it. So far no issues. Mileage has been improving and currently at about 10L/100kms in mixed hwy and city. Great sound (and it is not the Boston Accoustics upgrade); remote start; leather trimmed seats; smooth shifting though slower to start from stop; ride comfort. Will watch for repair issues and resale. Hope it beats the Subaru I loved. ---- Just over two years and 22k kms on the Patriot now. No issues whatsoever. Followed the maintenance schedule. Feels comfortable and safe esp in winter snow. Not the best acceleration from stop, but that is not what i bought the Jeep for. This Jeep is a keeper.

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  Drip Drip - 2011 Jeep Wrangler
  By jdog63 - September 20 - 3:06 am

  This is my first Jeep. The interior design is excellent. Power is OK but the fuel economy is poor. The issue with the leaking doors/top on the soft top is troublesome. I’ve had mine back to the dealer twice. They finally showed me a notice from the manufacturer that basically said it leaks and there is nothing to be done. Thanks Chrysler for leaving the drain plug in the floor and giving the 2.0GPA engineers a job – at least they’re not building bridges. If I’d known the doors/top leaked and every time it rains the carpet would get wet it would have been a deal breaker on the soft top. Oddly enough the wind noise is acceptable. To say the least I am not pleased – the dealer has had 2 attempts to fix it, we’ll see. Three strikes and it’s a lemon.

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  Rubicon - 2003 Jeep Wrangler
  By mattv - September 18 - 3:53 pm

  I bought the Jeep back in January of 2007. It was not to a few little dings and soft top. I got it in Georgia and I dorve it to North Carolina and latter to Colorado. The thing gets about 18 to 20 mpg on the highway and 15 in town. Right now it has about 90,000 miles on it. The only problem I have had is the trakbar on the front axle. I have had to replace it twice but it happened within 5000 miles of each time it went out and the dealer replaced it free of charge the second time. The stock front bumper is a piece of junk also. I got a tube bumper that looks great and I am going to drive it back to North Carolina when I get back from my deployment.

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  Very Happy With My Jeep! - 1995 Jeep Cherokee
  By Jonathan - September 18 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this used 1995 Cherokee Sport with 100,000 miles on it two years ago and now have 150,000 on it. I have not had to put any money into this vehicle other than oil changes. I bought the vehicle for its 4WD capabilites to traverse mountain roads, some paved and some unpaved for my line of work. I have nothing to say but good things, this truck has the High Output 6 Cyl. and has plenty of power to get me wherever I need to go and fast. I have owned many new vehicles over the years and this has become my all time favorite. Way to go Jeep!

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  Sounded like a good SUV @ time - 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Ana - September 18 - 2:00 am

  Where should I start mmm...bought with 42,000 in 99, interior hardware failing,side mirrors memory set failing, stereo buttons sticky hard to change mode, heating seats dont work anymore, back wiper sticky, replaced CV boots(@93k),power steering brackets before 90k, theres acouple of other things that have failed right before it hit 100K but overall still runs great. Weve been across the border twice and other long trips in the state, not sure what other SUV we could have bought at time (NOT FORD). Would like to sell but only for gas mileage reasons, I drive alot in town.