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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  Love-Dislike relationship - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Julie - September 28 - 4:26 pm

  Bought with 600 miles - two weeks after purchase in shop for blower motor in fan, gas cap light on, whistle in air conditioner. 1 month later - gas cap light on, still noise in a/c, wind noise from all doors, low voltage light. 2 weeks later - gas cap light on, seats badly stained from water, etc! 6 days later - check engine light on, still noise in a/c (after being repaired-ha-each time). 1 1/2 months later - seats replaced; still stain, noise still in a/c, problem with rear vent. Had surgery, so not driven for a bit. May 06 - wind noise around all doors, sway bar links bad, 4WD light on, bumper paint peeling. All have been repaired, but Jeep customer service is a joke and cant get answer on lemon status.

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  No power - 2008 Jeep Wrangler
  By David Fekete - September 17 - 10:00 am

  For a vehicle that theyve been making for a long, long time, this thing is lacking in so many areas. My biggest complaint is that its horribly under powered. Most V6s are pushing 250 to 300 horses, this thing rates at around 202. Mines a 6 speed manual..forget about passing. The lack of a hood latch is almost dangerous. On a windy day or when a truck passes the hood slams up and down. Those big rubber bands holding down the hood just dont cut it. The soft top is not an easy off and on, they could and should have done better. In a nutshell, never again! What once was an American icon is now pretty much junk.

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  Shoddy Chic! Cute w/ Constant Problems - 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By katherine - September 12 - 6:00 pm

  Completely fed up. Bought this with 31K miles in July 05; nothing negative in CarFax. Was out of town 3 months so have only driven it 5 months yet Ive had to take it for service 9(!) times now: multi cylinder misfires (twice), valve over carbonization (twice), oxygen sensor failed/replaced, fuel line leaked, tensioner pulley fell out of engine (!) and replaced, pass-side window collapsed plus needed several parts replaced, and a few generic engine malfunctions. Unbelievable. Was there NO quality control? Only 35K miles now - should NOT be like this. I hate my car.

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  Dissapointed!! - 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Mari - September 7 - 7:32 am

  I love the comfort and look of my Jeep Grand Cherokee in eco diesel, but I have been non stop at the dealer since the first day I stepped out of the dealer. I have owned this vehicle not even a year and it has been in service for 4 times for check engine light. I have wasted countless hours waiting for my car and the service telling me they are not up to date on how to take care of the problem. I call Chrysler customer care and they told me there is nothing they can do but keep fixing it. I was told to leave with the car even though it was telling me it needed to be serviced and so engine didnt start a day later, I had it towed to the dealer and they supposedly fixed the problem. I feel stuck not knowing if this car is safe or who to turn too? The dealers are no help.Think twice on this pricey problem.

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  "JAJ" JUST A JEEP - 2004 Jeep Wrangler
  By KEN HARTLEY - September 1 - 10:00 am

  HUNG UP THE FIRST TIME IN MUD WITH FACTORY TIRES. RIDES LIKE A TANK. CRUISE AND TILT MAKE IT ROADWORTHY FOR TRIPS. HOT WEATHER, TURN ON THE A/C. A 3:07 REAR END GETS 22MPG SOMETIMES, CRUISES AT 1750 RPM @ 65 MPH, NO STRAIN, USE LOW RANGE TO CLIMB THE TOUGH HILLS WITH THIS JEEP. FOR $21,800.00 CHRYSLER SAW US COMING AND NOW YOU SEE US GOING-----OVER THE HILL ON ONE TIRE....DIDNT GET A TRAIL RATED STICKER ON THIS 2004 JEEP, PLUS THE PAINT SUCKS, ON THIS JEEP.

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  Poor Quality - 2006 Jeep Liberty
  By Not Happy - August 29 - 6:20 am

  This is the first US built car weve purchased in the last 10 years (all others have been Japanese, Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi). The Jeep build quality is poor. Both power windows on the drivers side have already failed in less than 9 months (the rear gets virtually no use, so why it failed is pure poor quality). The engine idles rough and the dealer can find nothing wrong with it. We will not buy another Chrysler product again. Putting products like this on the market its no wonder US car makers are losing to imports. I have a 2004 Mitsubishi (3 years old and over 50,000 miles) and its has only had routine maintenance, no build quality problems.

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  BEWARE! LEMON. No Help From Chrysler! - 2007 Jeep Wrangler
  By newchryslerhater - August 27 - 6:16 am

  To make a long story short...this vehicle has been a nightmare. Drove it off the lot with 3 miles on it and had immediate problems. Have taken it to 4 different Chrysler/Jeep dealers and only a few problems have been fixed on it...mainly TSBs & recalls. Chrysler will not help and the dealerships have outright refused to fix my car. Needless to say, this is illegal. The list of problems now consists of 35 line entries...bad clutch, rough shifting, broken seatbelts, pourous soft top, leaking hard top, high-pitched shrieking sounds, dead horn, fluctuating stereo volume, and the list goes on & on. Although a very cool vehicle, customer service & mechanical assistance is unacceptable!

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  not great - 2012 Jeep Wrangler
  By jshhand - August 24 - 5:16 pm

  I ended up selling my wrangler after 3 years. I had numerous issues with the heat. Specifically the heater core,oil cooler and radiator. I had them all replaced under warranty. The heat never did work properly on the vehicle. I did like the look of the jeep. It towed my boat well. I dont know if I trust the 285hp . It always felt under-powered. Unfortunately It was rough on the road, had very little storage and was incredibly slow on the road. I would give this vehicle a honest rating of 3 out of 10. I would not purchase again. although it did have amazing resale.....

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  Mine broke down - 2008 Jeep Patriot
  By christy - August 16 - 5:23 pm

  I read every other review & did lots of research and after an hour long test drive bought my Patriot. I loved it until 35 miles down the road it broke down. It has been towed in & dealer is repairing. I wanted a new one but..no luck. They said when they filled it up a lot of water got in tank. They are draining tank & I hope to be going soon. However, I remain concerned.

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  Need to recall - 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Amy - August 5 - 10:00 am

  I bought my Jeep used last year with 24,000 miles on it. Up until now it has been absolutely wonderful. However,a few weeks ago I started experiencing loss of acceleration when turning. Then this week, I took a left turn and it would not accelerate at all. I ended up rolling to the other side of the road and was luckily able to pull over. Today I spent $950.00 replacing the electronic shift module. The car has currently only 37,000 miles which of course is just out of warranty. I am very disappointed to learn after the fact that this is a common problem. There needs to be a recall on this vehicle. This is a serious safety hazard.