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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  Road Rocket! - 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Phil Zima - May 19 - 10:00 am

  My 4th Grand Cherokee and thus far the best! Suprising performance from the 4.7 HO engine, best build quality to date and a teriffic 70,000 mile powertrain warranty. This vehicle takes on the luxury imports (MB & BMW) and wins on every feature and specification. A tremendous value for the price!

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  Maybe next time - 2009 Jeep Patriot
  By Jeepbuyer - May 19 - 7:03 am

  Small interior, blind spots, unheated mirrors that fog up, front seats that heat but arent power, sliders for seats stick out way too far and could cause injury. Not much pep in the engine. Oh and did I mention the 13 1/2 gallon fuel tank? Way too small. SUV sits way too low to the ground I thought I was in a sports car not an SUV. I am a tall female who half the time cannot reach the controls of the sun roof. Does it sound like I am happy? Should have walked away from the deal. Next time I will buy another make or spend more money on a real Jeep.

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  Ive had 3 2005-2007 Grands and liked them all - 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Jenifer Ambler - May 18 - 5:39 pm

  After my 2005 Grand (Laredo 4.7L V8 4x4) was totaled while still going strong at 171,000 miles, I replaced it with a used 2007 Grand Laredo V6 which is now up to 182,000 miles and still doing great. So I added a second 2007 Grand Laredo V8 which is also doing great at 96,000 miles, and handed the V6 over to the college student. Excellent on snow and ice in the winter, as well as back roads and New England mud season, yet highway ride is fine too. Very little has had to be done to any of them except normal maintenance and replacing worn-out items which were no surprise for the mileage. Some reviews complain about headroom but Im only 51" so no problem. Id happily buy one again.

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  First new SUV in 17 years. Glad I waited! - 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By capt_flounder - May 18 - 9:03 am

  Just drove home in my new Limited with the Hemi and luxury package. Drove the Volvo XC60/90, Audi Q5, Mercedes ML350, Land Rover LR2/4 and Lexus GX. All were nice as youd expect a new car to be but only the ML350 and Audi came cross to the drive and none to the cost/engineering/features/value that define the new Grand Cherokee. Im driving it 2900 miles in two weeks, Ill update my post after breaking it in on long road trip. Cant wait!

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  Good styling poor reliability - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By BCK9900 - May 18 - 1:00 am

  The Bad: AC problems common (some easily fixed for DIY) Brake system very poor design (cause rotors to be replaced more often) Radio system starts out as a plus until you crank it than it becomes a negative because there is no band pass thus you blow the tweeters Window motors go out quite frequently (4 sets on mine now) Brake lights have a fault (have you not noticed this on other jeeps on the road yet) Not easily fixed or tracked down Strut system sucks The Good: Its paid off

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  One Year Anniversary - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Jim - May 17 - 9:46 pm

  Its been exactly one year to the day that I have owned my Jeep and I am very pleased with it. Its my first Jeep so I dont have a comparison with respect to improvements, but I can say it offers solid performance, its easy to drive and provides great value. Mine is loaded with every option and with the Hemi gets decent mileage.

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  I love my Jeep! Sad & not fair! - 2007 Jeep Compass
  By Cher - May 17 - 4:43 am

  I love look of the Jeep Compass 4x4. We have had problems from the gate. We bought the Compass brand new, from our favorite dealership. We can only drive about 20-30 mph on the interstate, when there is inclement weather. The Jeep fish tails all over the place. It has been in the shop 9 times. 3 sets of tires have been placed on,a rear bearing & 2 alignments, To no avail, didnt fix the problem. The Jeep is so unreliable during a rain or winter storm. My husband is a Airplane pilot, & not afraid of any vehicle. He said, that he doesnt feel safe driving this Jeep, nor do I! We have always had Jeeps & loved them ! We are getting ready to sell our Compass. We have had enough ! Im SAD!

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  Unexpected changes for 2015. No more dual exhausts. - 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By newjeepbuyer - May 17 - 3:11 am

  I took delivery of my new 2015 Grand Cherokee Limited this week. Unfortunately, I failed to notice that for 2015, Jeep has eliminated the sporty dual exhausts for the Limited, which is very surprising for their most popular selling model. Aesthetics were part of my decision for the Grand Cherokee and this is a horrible design decision by Jeep. It cheapens the look of the high-end Limited model down to an ordinary Laredo and ruins the symmetry of the car from the back. Having just shelled over $45K for a Limited, I expected better. This is a very cheapskate decision and shame on Jeep.

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  Glad to be a Owner of a Jeep - 2007 Jeep Wrangler
  By Love my Jeep - May 16 - 3:20 am

  I am very pleased to be a owner of my Jeep. It is fun to ride and has many looks (top half-way off, all the way off, doors off, or just take it all off!). I never knew about the Wrangler family but as soon as I started driving I quickly found out. The four doors have great space and handles well. As for gas (gas is just to high to even say anything good about that) but its ok. The hard doors with electric is the way to go. I have a soft top and wind is still a little issue but not that bad (will soon get a hard top). But over all very happy.

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  Way too small for a family..... - 2008 Jeep Commander
  By Charlie - May 15 - 3:55 pm

  I purchased this truck a year ago. As soon as I put car seats in the back, I couldnt sit comfortably in the front. You need touch the dashboard in the passenger seat, you cant even open the glove box. Driving the truck, I cant even see the gauges without sucking my head down because I was so close to the dashboard. And my sons feet are against my seat. And Im not a big man, just 6:40. The rear storage is not big either. For a big SUV, the layout of this truck is terrible. The transmission was garbage. Had to put a new one in and 100000 miles. Seems like something breaks on it every other week. And the Jeep dealership near me needs at 2 to 3 week appointment to get service done. So if you want to go to the dealership, you need to make an appointment after you break down. Not very convenient. I will never own another jeep again! One year later, and truck still sucks! Worse than before! Something breaks on this piece of garbage once a week!