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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  120,000 miles and many many problems - 2006 Jeep Wrangler
  By tommer1 - June 9 - 8:41 am

  I am a very maintenance conscious person, oil changes every 3000 miles, tranny fluid, antifreeze, everything. I have had so many issues with jeep. I have never had this jeep off road at all, i use it to drive back and forth to work. I have had to have two engine rebuilds, the manual transmission rebuilt, the transfer case rebuilt and many other engine problems including repeat censor problems. Most of my problems happened while it was still under warranty but i spent more time in rental cars then i did driving my own car it seems like. the death wobble was fixed when i bought aftermarket parts but jeep knows this is a problem and dont fix it. very poor quality gets maybe 12 mpg.

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  Bye, Bye Jeep... - 2001 Jeep Cherokee
  By 2Mack - June 7 - 10:00 am

  Ive driven jeeps for the past 5 years and have been pretty happy overall. If jeep had continued to manufacture the Cherokee Limited I probably would have continued to drive it. However, I did experience a number of recurring issues on both my Cherokee and SE models that proved extremely annoying.

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  Loving Every Minute - 2000 Jeep Wrangler
  By Rugged - June 7 - 10:00 am

  I am in love!! I hae had my Jeep for over a year now and I love it to death. My daughter and I go showboating anytime we can and we can go anywhere!! I love the durability, functionability and the overall look. Way too much fun...

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  kpl - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By KPL - June 7 - 10:00 am

  Love this SUV. This is the 3rd one I have owned and the first Linited and fist V8. Will not go back to a 6 cyl. Rides like my Mercedes only more low end torque!. With black interior I get nothing but good comments.Real Plush looking. Have not had to take it back only for standard service. Only thing I do not like is gas millage. It is ok for a V8. It only looses 1 MPG against my wifes 6 cyl. Millage is typical with all similair SUVs.

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  2004 Grand Cherokee Limited V8 - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By MinnKim - June 7 - 10:00 am

  This is my 3rd Jeep and the first Grand Cherokee. Its head and shoulders above the no longer made Cherokee in performance, comfort, quietness and fuel economy. I find it quiet and comfortable on the road; a real pleasure to drive.

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  lovin my jeep - 2007 Jeep Wrangler
  By james - June 6 - 7:23 pm

  I love my Jeep. I drove my first one for seven years. I needed a larger vehicle with more space because of children. The new 4 door was just what I was looking for. The new v-6 is nice, but I would still like a V- 8. The ride quality and quietness of the new Jeep is much better that the previous year models.

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  Great car but terrible reliability - 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By jintseng - June 5 - 2:30 pm

  We experienced electrical problems 3 weeks after buying it. We opted for the 5.7 V8 Overland with QuadraDrive II. Check the Jeep forums to know problems associated with each model. Our Jeep Grand Cherokee had a check engine light turn on and off randomly. The shut off while the car was in drive, the air suspension raised and lowered, the windshield wipers would come on and off, the headlights would shut off in the middle of the night, and the doors would unlock themselves while the car was parked randomly. My wife was stuck at the mall for 3 hrs when the car would not turn on. The dealership tried to fix the car for 6 months to no available and we were without a loaner for initially.

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  Smart buy - 2009 Jeep Patriot
  By Like a rock - June 5 - 10:00 am

  The jeep patriot is a pleasure to own and drive for the price. I drive a lot for my job and the gas mileage is great from 28 mpg to 31 mpg. I have a 5 speed stick and its fun to drive and great in the snow. It has 31,000 miles not one issue the quality is there. I drove cr-v, rav4, the Jeep won, 31,000 miles later no regrets.

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  Move over Imports - 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By jeepguy - June 5 - 10:00 am

  I am impressed with Grand Cherokee, I did drive the Lexus, Audi, BMW, and a Ford, Ford got all wrong. The Jeep has stepped up to the plate and knocked out all competition. Hands down they got it right , great gas mileage, comfort, looks, and style. Also I saved about 20,000 in cash . Also lower cost of ownership. Take from a former import owner.

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  Cherokee Trailhawk 3.2L - The dream SUV - 2016 Jeep Cherokee
  By Gene W. - June 4 - 11:53 pm

  I have owned Jeeps for 45 years....CJ-5, CJ-7s (1975-2008), JK Wranglers (2), etc, In Sep 2015 I bought a new 2016 Cherokee Latitude 3.2L for my wife but wound up driving it myself and selling my JK manual - were getting older now and needed a Jeep that is more comfortable - she opted to keep her little car.. But there was something vaguely not quite right with the Latitude. It had no tow points (had to hook a tow rope to the suspension to pull a car out of the snow)..it didnt seem like a Jeep; it sat a little lower (though it had 18" low profile tires). It was more a sports car with Jeep characteristics. I was afraid to take it onto the beach - wasnt sure of the tires and with no tow points I had my doubts. So after just 5,000 miles and 7 months I went back to Jeep and test drove another Wrangler, both the JK and JKU. Though Id had the equivalent since 1975, this time it just didnt work - I just didnt want to go back. So, I wound up buying a 2016 Cherokee Trailhawk 3.2L with every option available including tow package, full sun roof, leather with ventilated seats, sound group, etc. The tow package was key but the way the car sat, the ground clearance, the tires, everything was just balanced and perfect - a stunning Jeep; what a difference something as simple as 2" of ground clearance and 245 tires will make. This is the SUV Ive been looking for for the last 5 years ever since my wife of 36 years first complained about being jolted around in the JK Wrangler. It will do everything I want it to do including rock crawl (I installed Rock Rails just in case I go to Moab though theyre unlikely to be used). It rides, handles, stops, crawls, goes through snow, sand, mud, handles interstates beautifully. It has a beast of an 3.2 6 cal engine that makes it run like a mini-Porsche Carrera. This Jeep will be with me for many many years.