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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  A Jeep for all Reasons - 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By botewcc - April 19 - 2:00 am

  The Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited V8 4WD is not only super-capable off road, but competent and classy enough to drive around town without embarrassment. It is laden with luxury appointments, comfortable and the right size. The only drawback has been the disappointing gas mileage.

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  Put Some Fun Into Your Life! - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By WCG - April 17 - 5:53 pm

  This is our first SUV and we love it. Its fun to drive, handles well and is surprisingly comfortable. The Limited model we have came LOADED with extras and is a beautiful "Patriot Blue" color that has received more compliments than any other car Ive owned. So far, were in the 17+ mpg range, but we werent expecting much more. Overall were very happy with it and, oh yes, our Golden Retriever loves it to!

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  High Oil Consumption - 2007 Jeep Wrangler
  By trixie8 - April 17 - 7:18 am

  Good car, very poor build quality and Chrysler will not stand behind fixing engine issues.

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  A rockbashed/mud covered 97 Wrangler - 1997 Jeep Wrangler
  By muddyjeepbob - April 17 - 2:00 am

  My 97 Jeep Wrangler has been through the mill. In the past five years I have beaten this vehicle to death and it comes back for more. My Jeep has offroaded on many medium to high difficulty trails in the mountains and deserts near San Diego. It shows battle scars from many encounters with rocks and desert cactus. It has traveled to 44 states (3 cross-country runs). It has never broke down. The A/C works great even crawling on 120 degree offroad trails in the deserts. It has plenty of power and gets decent mileage (18-22 mpg) on highway (as long as I keep it at 60-65 mph.) Its it Jeep Thing.

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  Love JGC, but has Problems - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By tomally - April 17 - 2:00 am

  Overall the vehicle is wonderful to drive. It has great pickup and power. The inifinity sound system is wonderful. The ride is great. However, there are several mechanical problems on my vehicle. Jeep service is not the greatest and it takes numerous trips to get things fixed. Ive been to several different dealers, some better than others.

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  Our new car.... - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By JAL - April 17 - 2:00 am

  Great Car! After looking and looking we checked out the Liberty and were impressed. Great styling inside and out and functional too. We tried it out 2 days ago (3/18/2002) in one of our annual Northeast Ohio Spring snowstorms and were even more impressed. About 5 inches of snow over ice and the Liberty actually put you back in your seat a bit with some moderate accelleration.. Our 1st 4WD but it really impressed me!!! Same outing, nailing the ABS brakes and we stopped straight and true. Bottom line We love it!!! (Gas mileage seems to be of concern to some other reviewers however Im not to worried... If I wanted good gas mileage I would not have been looking at a SUV)

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  Perfect Jeep...Beats my BMWs! - 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By hoosier02 - April 17 - 1:26 am

  I have been driving German vehicles for years now and I decided to take a detour and give jeep a try. Paid $45,580 (much less than my BMW X6) and have been very happy. I love the transmission because it "feels" German which equates quality. Same with the interior; the steering column is fantastic and the touch screen is simple to figure out and amazing agile. I have read many reviews trashing this car and I dont understand because I have had not one issue with the car since its purchase last August. I drive nearly 100 miles a day and enjoy every mile of it. Many of my co-workers have driven it to lunch and are always impressed (mainly with the technology and the feel of the transmission).

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  Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 Alpine - 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Randy Edge - April 16 - 3:21 pm

  Its a race car, not an off road vehicle.

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  Jeep you dont want to buy - 2006 Jeep Commander
  By acerjeep - April 16 - 4:40 am

  I Bought this Jeep Dec. 12, 2006. I drove it 785 miles and the engine overheated, so I took it to the dealer and they stated it was a small crack in the bypass hose which was leaking. I had an overheat problem again about 2 weeks later. I returned to the dealer, they stated I drove it too hard (which is NOT true). They rebuilt the engine and now I only get 12 miles to the gallon. I went to the dealer to complain they said it was due to the overheat. As for the water coming in after a rain, I am so angry that the Chrysler Company will NOT do anything to remedy this. This SUV is not a good deal at all.

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  Totaled it and not a scratch - 2008 Jeep Patriot
  By Greg Murphy - April 16 - 12:16 am

  Bought it on 3-30 (traded in a Dodge Ram) and totaled it on 5-6. Bounced off guard rail at 65 mph and did not have a single scratch. Has to say something about safety. We love this car so much that we are buying another one today.