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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  Easy Rollover - 2000 Jeep Wrangler
  By sportylady1179 - March 30 - 2:00 am

  I was just in an accident in my Jeep. I was hit on the drivers side, right at the rear tire. The man who hit me was going approx. 25 miles per hour. Instead of being a regular collision accident, my Jeep rolled onto its passenger side. $14,000 dollars in damage later...it has been totalled! I will not be purchasing another Jeep automobile. I will be opting for a car with better gas mileage and a lower center of gravity!

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  2003 Jeep Liberty Sport 4x4. V6 - 2003 Jeep Liberty
  By 2003libby - March 22 - 7:28 am

  I just bought this car in Jan. 2011, and I have owned it for 6 months now, I have already put in $800 for repairing. It has 204,000 miles on it but it was 95% highway miles. I guess this is why people leaning toward for foreign vehicles.

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  Fun but would not do over again - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By margie - March 19 - 5:06 pm

  Loved this jeep when I bought it. Live in major snowbelt and does great job in snow. In last year fuel injection blew, back window latch broke, and yesterday transmission died. Time to get rid of the thing. Was fun while it lasted. Customer service is terrible with jeep-their garage did a tire rotation and only tightened lugs to one tire completely. Drove away and then disaster happened. Chrysler headquarters did not want to hear from me on this incident and said it was between me and the dealership. That attitude and lack of concern would deter me from a jeep purchase in the future even if it was a well made product.

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  Leaking Lemon Freedom Top...One of many - 2011 Jeep Wrangler
  By jasmen - March 17 - 7:05 am

  Owners of the 11 wrangler, I would pull out the seatbelt as far as it goes on rainy days. See if the belt is wet. Also reach your left hand up to the speaker area and feel around the cushion. Those are the less obvious areas other than dripping water from different areas of the top. When I went to the dealership in Ramsey, NJ (terrible customer service) to meet with the rep from jeep, they tried to figure out the leak by comparing my car to a same exact model on the lot. I felt around and alerted them that the backseat driver side mat was also wet as was the seatbelt. I wrote the VIN number IJ4-HA3H12BL-54565. Unfortunately, therere many others having the same problem. http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f96/water-leak-1138623/

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  Just - Empty - Every - Pocket - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Flat Broke - March 14 - 10:00 am

  I bought this vehicle with 30000 miles. It was a program vehicle. Everything was fine until I reached 75000 and then the wheels came off. In the past two months Ive replaced the gas tank, radiator, leak detection mechanism, accumulator, and numerous other things. I should have paid more attention to the reviews. Never again.

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  I have a lake in my Jeep?!? - 2011 Jeep Wrangler
  By bender64 - March 12 - 9:31 pm

  I have always wanted a Wrangler growing up and finally purchased one several months ago. It was the biggest mistake of my life. Its been to the dealer 4 times and for water leaks. The service manager told me there was 4 major leaks and several other from the factory. I have no idea what Chrysler was doing when they had this thing assembled but it had to be on a Friday or before a holiday. I am in the process of talking to Chrysler now but who knows what they will do for me. Plus there was mold forming on the inside of the hard top from the moisture.

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  Persistent and constant issues - 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By jabberjabber - March 11 - 10:18 pm

  Since 05, had the following issues (85% highway driving): Radiator hose failed. Both front window regulators failed. Brakes failed - replaced rotors, calipers, everything. Rad Fan Control Relay failed. Radiator fan failed. Heater core failed. Engine hood struts failed (x2) Rear hatch window struts failed. Radio knob broken. Evap system failure. Headlamp lenses, after several polishes, just too pitted to restore. Had to replace. Had issue where dash lights were intermittently working - just terrible issue to deal with. Brake line failure - also terrible issue to deal with.

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  Buyers Remorse - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Bud - March 6 - 1:46 pm

  I traded in an 01 G. Cherokee that I loved for the 05. I was drawn in by the new design, smooth test ride, AWD and price. Plenty to like about new design, but not enough to overcome the problems. Had immediate problems with vehicle not starting twice. Computer modules were recalibrated after vehicle spent several days back at dealership. Problem was solved, but I have since brought it back for a recurring acceleration / transmission hesitation problem, particularly in low gears. Computer was "reset" again, but problem persists. Hesitation at slow speeds is just plain annoying. Vehicle seems to need to think about downshifting / accelerating for a second before doing it.

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  Cute Piece of Junk - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By sporty_a - March 1 - 2:00 am

  The vehicle is very cute and fun to drive. However, Ive had my vehicle for over a year and have had the heater break twice, the cd player replaced, the hinges on my tailgate window replaced, the transmission is beginning to fail (32k on the car) and 8 trips to the dealership still cannot pinpoint a grinding noise in my right front wheel. Oh, and the remote keyless entry comes with some random code where sometimes you press once to unlock and sometimes it takes 5 pushes of the button.. or 6 or 7..depending on its mood I guess.

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  Never Again! - 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Dee - February 28 - 10:00 am

  I will never buy another Jeep. We bought it used with only 15,000 miles on it. We have put at least $4,000 into fixing the A/C over the last 3 years. The switches have never worked consistently. One of the switches went out, at the same time the A/C went out, so all the windows were stuck OPEN for 2 weeks until the part came in. There have been other problems. It seems like we have a repair at least once every 3-4 months. Ill be glad when this piece of junk is OUT of my garage.