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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  Very Satisfied - 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Proudjeepownr - February 25 - 2:00 am

  We leased it new. Now were buying it! Weve moved three times and fit lots in the back when the seats are down. Well, now that were buying it, therell probably be lots of things that fall apart, because thats how things go sometimes. Well just buy an extended warranty.

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  Its All Right - 2008 Jeep Patriot
  By Joel - February 24 - 9:10 pm

  Well to start the Patriot is a nice truck, I do have some problems with the flat tire gauge going on but I have no flat. It should be standard to have the Information Center on the dash I am very disappointed with that mine didnt come with that. I would like to see a Glass Panoramic sunroof too that would be cool and some more interior lighting preferably under the dash, and the tach lighting is dim make them a little brighter white is the new color for gauges. and a wood dash option with black leather, the two tone leather looks tacky.

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  Couple of Quirks - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By golf26guy - February 24 - 12:50 pm

  Overall I like it. Power of V8 is great. With Quadra drive, turning tight turns, jumps, jerks etc. from full time 4 x 4. Rear seat leg room could be better. Had a Nissan Murano; loved it, but would not pull my trailer -- this Jeep will with ease. Just hope the tranny and rotors hold up to 100k miles. Ride is a little shaky, not as refined as most suvs these days.

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  Whats with the FOBIK key !! - 2008 Jeep Commander
  By Pilgrim - February 22 - 4:46 am

  Have owned 4 other jeeps all great! This one seems good so far except that "plastic key design known as Fobik " how long do you think it will last and replacement cost is $140.00 plus programing of $30.00 if you dont do it yourself. Whoever designed it should be sent to Ford or gm. Only other thing is seat backs to high making poor rear view.

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  Better than regular Jeeps. - 2006 Jeep Wrangler
  By Brett - February 21 - 1:56 pm

  Fun to drive. Bigger and better cargo area. Six speed manual is a little hard to get used to. Rides better than regular sport package. Lousy gas mileage and small tank, but I dont drive that much so its not that bad.

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  Very good overall, brakes problematic - 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Charlie Grayson - February 20 - 10:00 am

  The beauty of this vehicle is it is relatively small for an SUV with the power of a V8 and 6300lb towing capacity. You wont find another vehicle that can pull as well that drives like a car when you arent pulling. Things I dont like: front brake rotors will warp under normal use every 10-15K miles and will need resurfacing to prevent shimmy. Jeeps warranty on this is 6K, I think. Also think front seats could be a bit firmer. Poor fuel economy when towing about 5500 lbs---about 9 mpg. Rear end makes a whirring noise when moving very slowly (5 mph or less), but is normal. Other than brakes, no real problems.

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  Total Lack of Support - 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By floridateacher - February 16 - 6:58 pm

  Bought a JGC Ltd. in January and loved almost everything about it. But in May I had an accident that caused all of the front air bags to deploy. The vehicle was repaired in about 3 weeks but I am now in my 7th week waiting for the knee air bag to arrive and be installed. The collision center has done everything it can and I called Chrysler Support. What a joke, they are telling me it will be another 8 weeks before the part will be available. They have offered NOTHING in the way of support like a free rental car even though I have maxed out my rental insurance. I will NEVER buy another Chrysler product. How can they sell cars they dont have parts for? Does the customer mean nothing?

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  Great Fun but Time to Move On - 2009 Jeep Wrangler
  By Rascula - February 14 - 8:17 pm

  I bought my 09 Wrangler Unlimited Sahara in June of 2009 and will be honest for the most part it was a great vehicle. It did what I needed it to do getting me wherever I needed to be, protecting my children and I when we were hit by a drunk driver from behind at nearly 40 miles per hour, and the touch screen radio with GPS and HDD were wonderful to have for getting to places and not having a vehicle cluttered with CDs. I rarely took my front top panels off but when I did everyone loved it (cant say how heavy or difficult the back portion was as I never removed it). My torque converter did go bad at 42K miles (thankfully I bought the lifetime warranty on the vehicle which in and of itself paid for the tranny issue), I had to replace the brakes at 65K miles with the rear passenger side shoe sticking and needing a-lot of work, the door hinge bushings were starting to go bad, and finally the O2 sensors (which there are 4 of) went bad twice. I did truly love the vehicle. Visibility was great, the ride was smooth for a 4x4 and it was easy to handle. My main reason for getting rid of it is that the gas mileage is lower than I would have liked and I travel a-lot. I never got more than 21 mpg on the highway (and roughly 50k of the 75k miles I put on it were highway). If you want a fun 4X4 and can get past the lack of mpg and a little less than desirable power the 2009 was a good vehicle (at least for me).

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  No Troubles here! - 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Dan Bartlett - February 14 - 10:00 am

  Bought this Jeep last year. Has everything. Paint is great. Engine has 107000 miles now Transfer case is gear driven so it has the typical whine to it. I pull a 2500 lb boat with is and a family of 5 goes as well to the lake...This jeep has no trouble doing its job. You will however pay for the power with fuel economy. 15.9 avg over the last 17000 miles. This includes trips to Vegas from Ca during the summer daytime. Climbs well The Jeep only requires oil changes, tire rotation, and 8 or so grease fittings every 5000 miles or so. As I said no problems mechanically or electrically except for the radio!

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  Good, Bad and Ugly - 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Jpg - February 14 - 10:00 am

  Good - 4.7 V8 engine screams. What a Rocket. Bad - Ride is interesting with solid axles and short wheelbase. Ugly - A/C could be better. Live in Texas so keep that in mind. Overall - Very solid and reliable truck.