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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  Comfortable P.O.S. - 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Jon Levy - February 23 - 10:00 am

  Good looking car, very comfortable, wouldnt bet my holey shirt on its reliability. Im now riding on a back of a motorcyle, waiting for a new transmission to be put in, ouch. Ive paid more in problems associated with everyday driving than I will for the downpayment of the Audi Allroad Im about to pick up. I want to like the jeep, but it keeps breaking down and falling apart! AHHHHHHH!!!!

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  A little adds up to a lot - 1998 Jeep Cherokee
  By Snow in DC - February 19 - 10:00 am

  Ive enjoyed our Jeep. Purchased at 68K and now at 109K weve had to replace the exhaust system, the heater core, the AC core, the water pump, the brakes, the left signal doesnt work, and the left speaker also doesnt work. With a ten year old in the back seat its too small. We also had to purchase a turtle for the top b/c the back is too small for a family of fours luggage. But all in all, weve enjoyed it and plan on keeping it for awhile. After all, weve had all of the work done! What more could go wrong??

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  Grand Cherokee not for me! - 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By wildman - February 19 - 10:00 am

  Buyers beware of problems with drivetrain. Transmission hesitates in reverse, and suddenly upshifts/downshifts from 2nd to 3rd (always has since 45000 miles). Also, bearings in differential are prone to go bad - apparently this is a common problem according to local dealer - manufacturing tolerances were too tight. I would not recommend this vehicle to anyone. Chrysler really should do something about their problematic transmissions. I hate to say this, since I enjoyed the Wrangler that I previously owned, but it had a manual tranny, instead of automatic. Im now lookind at Toyota 4runners, based on their good history.

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  Why We Divorced our Jeep - 2004 Jeep Wrangler
  By Matt - February 16 - 6:13 am

  My wife and I greatly enjoyed driving this vehicle - however, it was truly a Love-Hate relationship. Over the period of 18 months, we had this Jeep back to the dealership for steering column thud over bumps (fixed, but not until after they replaced portions of the rear suspension), clutch master cylinder failure making smooth starts impossible (fixed), water leaks from hood hinges (could not duplicate problem - not fixed) and two trips to attempt correction of "pre-ignition" (first time fixed, second time told to take to another dealer). Although we did enjoy our Jeep, we knew with only 18 months of ownership that we would never keep it past its warranty expiration.

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  Wanted to love it - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By beach987 - February 12 - 6:23 pm

  This car is amazing... when its working right. Ive had so many problems, cracked axle (seriously), new tires at like 50,000 miles, transmission computer glitches, had to replace the stereo system, new shocks, and now the instrument cluster is the latest. Ive put way more money into this car than it ever was worth. And I love it, taking it off road was awesome, but I was always freaked out that something would happen to it, almost too much to enjoy it. Honestly I cant wait to trade it in for something more reliable.

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  Never again! - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Ginger Harrill - February 5 - 10:00 am

  This Jeep has been nothing but a headache. The mechanical problems I have had with it: both front power windows (twice), the fuel gauge, replaced brake pads and rotors, the back seat cup holder had to be replaced, trim strips around the sunroof, drivers door window, and rear liftgate all came loose. The loose trim strip around the liftgate caused the spare tire well to fill with water, rusting the spare wheel. The CD player quit working. The transmission had to be replaced at 23,000 miles due to an ear-splitting whine. The only consolation is that all of this occurred in the first three years/36,000 miles while it was still under warranty.

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  junky old jeep - 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By JDEOFF_2000 - January 31 - 10:00 am

  Great vehicle until about 100,000 miles. After thatlittle things start to add up to kind of a junk pile.

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  Electronics Problems - 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By pixeek02 - January 22 - 11:30 pm

  I have owned a Jeep Cherokee for over 35 years, buying a new Jeep every 4 years or so. I have a 2007 JGC that has frustrated me (and the dealership) beyond all limitations. It seems NOTHING is ever covered by the warranty unless it is convenient. The paint is peeling off numerous places (even the roof, go figure) and that is considered normal wear and NOW the biggie. I have spent over $2500 & at least 4 weeks in the shop to repair an electrical lock & alarm/tire pressure system not working/bright lights working at random problem that (it seems) cannot be repaired by any technician (nor engineer) from the factory. They have replaced module after module (yes, at my expense) to no avail.

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  Jeep Liberty - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By Liberty - January 12 - 1:30 am

  When I first bought my Liberty I loved it, or so I thought. In the year that I have had it I feel unsafe in it at times. I do not speed, I do the speed limits as recommended however there are times when it feels like it could just roll over. Almost as if it were top heavy. The gas mileage is very bad. Yes I do drive 80 miles a day and of course when I bought it the gas prices were not so high. I have to continue to keep the Jeep or I would take a bath in the trade in since I have two more years to pay it off. I like the style on the outside however on the inside there are not many compartments with mine. I will never go with another Liberty again or recommend it to anyone.

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  Run from it as fast as you can! - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By 1hotrod - January 10 - 12:49 pm

  We bought our 2002 Liberty fall 2009. Fixes in 2 1/2 years ...Water pump and radiator $800.00+, Rear Deferential seal and door hinge $300.00+, Front struts and rear shocks $600.00+ and i did the labor myself, a rocker arm fell off and caused engine damage (a common problem in all Libertys still!) $2100.00+, Eats front brakes and rotors, Interior lights come on and go off by themselves, Lower ball joints break (factory recall) Fuel mileage sucks. Tranny does a goofy shifting thing going down the interstate at cruising speeds. (I dont know the cause of the shifting issue.) All this before or by the time it was a 10 year old vehicle that was well maintained. My first and LAST Jeep/Chrysler!