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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  4WD, Necessary? - 2004 Jeep Liberty
  By Southpaw - May 21 - 10:00 am

  This is a review of a 2002 Liberty Sport 4wd, automatic. The car has gusto, powerful engine. The ride is bumpy and uncomfortable on long hauls. Just drove from NY to Florida and got body aches to prove it. The gas milage is poor at best. The rear seats dont fold flat which I didnt think would be a big deal...until I had the thing fully loaded, at that point I was very annoyed with the difficulty of loading the rear on an angle. This Jeep is about utility, it was great in the NY snow storms of this past winter and it does have plenty of room to make the rounds at the local stores and trips to Home Depot. In a word a utilitarian SUV.

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  I like it - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By wj - May 21 - 10:00 am

  The jeep grand cherokee is a relaxing easy ride. some bumps but not to bad ride overall interior design is functional but dated.

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  My first Jeep - 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By frank - May 21 - 5:56 am

  Either my wife or myself have had the comparable products. The last being the ML Benz. When taking the "mine" ML to the dealer I passed Chrysler Jeep of North Olmsted and saw the 2011 Jeep. Out of blue I stopped in after servicing the ML. Surprisingly without being caused any stress by the salesman, I decided to drive one of these. AT roughly $25,000 less the the ML, the Jeep has the ride, the quite, the handsfree cell, Nav. with traffic. I drive a great deal, also spend the drive time on the phone. This new jeep is the best deal out there. I must say that they sold me one, and after my wife went with me to pick up the car, she ordered one for herself! Thank you.

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  A bit disillusioned with gas mileage - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By Jfzdad - May 21 - 1:50 am

  Ow, I came from a Nissan Altima with a 4 cylinder, 5 speed, 155 hp, getting about 30 MPG around town. At 2,200 miles, and no different driving, getting about 15 with this unit. I am looking forward to doing some off-roading in Moab, if I can afford to leave the city driving this. Additionally, 2 recalls since I purchased 7 weeks ago.

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  Best chrysler ever (Jeep dealer Svc Mgr) - 2008 Jeep Patriot
  By Steve Lyon - May 20 - 5:20 pm

  I have a Patriot with 60 K on it, front and rear brake pads are not even close to needing replacement. The svc mgr at the dealer says he has never done a brake job on a patriot. The maintenance cost is very low, mine is well under a penny a mile so far. The first set of good years went 55000 miles, so add a penny a mile for tires. Gas mileage is a solid 30 mpg with and that is the combined. The svc mgr at dealer claims these are amazingly problem free. The car has a life time warranty on the drive train, it sounds like everything else should hold up well, so I hope to have this for a long time. You can add a cruise control for about $350.

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  A lot of car for the money! - 2015 Jeep Patriot
  By Richard Keul - May 20 - 12:22 am

  We traded for this new Jeep January 10, 2015 and left on a winter trip to Texas a month later 3000 miles round trip with four adults and a large car top carrier. The car performed well and the all wheel drive was really nice as we drove through a Kansas snow storm on the way home. I was concerned about trading in a 10 year old Subaru Forester with 187,000 miles that I loved, but after a test drive I felt the Jeep performed at least as well and the deal my dealer offered was really great. My experience with the Subaru service department was terrible (the only local dealer) so I was looking for a new service experience anyway. As it turns out I cant report on the Jeep service department as I have not needed to have the Jeep into the dealership for repair of any kind (I do my own oil changes and minor service). We just got back from our second winter trip to Port Aransas and averaged 23.5 mpg over 3100 miles. We now have 20,000 miles on the car and everything is working great. This little Jeep has been all we had hoped for, up to this point anyway. The only things I would change are to make the fuel tank larger for greater cruising range and mark the speedometer in 10 mph increments instead of 20 mph for easier reading at a glance. We are looking forward to many more years with this bargain SUV. The car has been to Texas and back again and now has 35,000 miles on it a little over a year later. It still has not required a trip to the dealer for repair of any kind and continues to operate as we expected. By now the original equipment Firestone tires are about half worn out and are getting pretty noisy, but we will probably replace them with new Michelins before next winter. So far we are pleased with the car. The car now has 44,000 miles on it and we did replace the tires. There was plenty of tread left on the OE tires but they became so noisy we couldnt stand it. New Michelin Defenders and the car is quiet and rides and drives better than ever. No other repairs have been required.

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  Great Mid-Sized SUV - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Jim - May 19 - 11:03 pm

  Ive owned my 2002 Grand Cherokee Since Sept. 2001. We have the Laredo V8, with leather, sunroof, heated seats, and the upgraded audio package. This is my 4th Jeep, and the 3rd Grand Cherokee in our family. We have two kids, two dogs, two jet skis, and a 24 power boat - this truck handles it all. I have only had one major repair related to the defroster, but it was expensive ($1000). I follow the maintenance schedule and get great reliability. We live in Chicago, and I never get slowed down because of snow. Im getting ready to trade this one in, and am looking for the same model with low miles. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a really functional SUV.

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  Long live the Jeeps - 1999 Jeep Wrangler
  By Ippa - May 19 - 10:00 am

  I bought mine used with 35,000 miles almost 2 years ago. I now have 65,000 and have not had one problem with the Jeep. Its great in the snow for winter and awesome in the summer... Offroading it really shines. Rocks, sand, trails, hill climbing it does it all. I removed the back seat for added space but now its a two seater. Ill keep this one for a while.

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  What jeep are 4 - 2001 Jeep Wrangler
  By mudpuppy - May 19 - 10:00 am

  The jeep is bad on gas, yup, but not that bad. Everything is nice. Now go take the top down, find some power lines or a mud hole, and put in first, maybe second thatÂ’s it, go slow, up and over everything, enjoy life, the clean air, get lost. This is why you buy a jeep, I mean you do not have to go nuts wheeling, just put the top down, find a quite dirt road and smile. I have owned many this one is only 2 or 3 months old, I have found only a small squeak where the spare is attached. I have added some hella 500 driving lights and tow hooks, small shovel and some other items, so I help other stuck people.

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  What jeep are 4 - 2001 Jeep Wrangler
  By Mudpuppy - May 19 - 10:00 am

  The jeep is bad on gas, yup, but not that bad. Everything is nice. Now go take the top down, find some power lines or a mud hole, and put in first, maybe second thatÂ’s it, go slow, up and over everything, enjoy life, the clean air, get lost. This is why you buy a jeep, I mean you do not have to go nuts wheeling, just put the top down, find a quite dirt road and smile. I have owned many this one is only 2 or 3 months old, I have found only a small squeak where the spare is attached. I have added some hella 500 driving lights and tow hooks, small shovel and some other items, so I help other stuck people.