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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  The Renegade Trailhawk is fantastic. - 2017 Jeep Renegade
  By John - June 1 - 4:27 pm

  I got a free loaner from my Jeep dealership because my 2016 Jeep Patriot manual transmission wasnt working right. Had 17,000 miles on the car when it went down. The air bag sensor had to be replaced as well. Patriot was fine before these issues. The dealer lent me a 2017 Renegade Trailhawk and I loved it. Anybody whod buy the Patriot with freedom drive 2 is crazy because you could buy the Renegade Trailhawk for the same money and get much better fuel economy. and a thoroughly modern vehicle with blind spot detectors, back up cameras etc. Let me compare the 2 vehicles. HP : Renegade has 180hp, the Patriot has 172 HP. The seating in the Renegade is way more comfortable than the Patriot. It contours your body nicely and big tall people feel great in the bucket seats. Huge headroom like the Patriot. Back seats have the same legroom as the patriot. Cargo space is a little less than in the Patriot. You get a full size spare in the Renegade Trailhawk, Patriot has a smaller spare . Instrument panel is 10 x better in the Renegade and looks really really rugged looking . The radio has a nice rugged look , The Patriot radio is very ordinary. I liked the look of the Renegade radio, but the small screen made the backup camera picture hard to see .I wish Jeep incorporated all the new Renegade stuff into the Patriot . The Patriot looks like a real Jeep, the Renegade looks KIA Soul like. Acceleration is fantastic in the Trailhawk version , but I wish it came with manual transmission. Its higher off the ground than the Patriot and has a better ride. The Patriot had more storage space. Id probably buy the Trailhawk if I had to decide again. I own land in upstate NY and visit during the winter. The Trailhawk would be great with its superior off roading and excellent gas mileage . I thought about buying the Patriot with the freedom drive 2 , but the gas mileage was horrendous . The Renegade is the Patriot with freedom drive 2 and it gets much better gas mileage. It all has the blindspot detector. If a car comes into your blindspot, the mirror will light up with a yellow dot telling you a car is in your blindspot. I love that feature. The AC and climate control are excellent and it was freezing in the car on a hot 90 degree day. I wish my Patriot had all this new stuff. But I dont really like the look of the car. Its not bad. I paid $18500 for my 4x 4 Patriot, the Trailhawk is $24000 on True Car. Very reasonable for a fuel efficient vehicle thats 10 x better off roading than anything Toyota, Honda , Hyundai has.

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  Flex Fuel Problems - 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Mammabird - May 31 - 11:10 pm

  We have had our Jeep in for service 3 times before the first payment is due. The Evap. System has been replaced. The check engine light hasnt gone on since but it seems as soon as we fill with E85 the gas mileage (not great to begin with) plummets to 14 miles per gallon. we expected a "slight change" but not a 5 mile per gal difference.

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  New Transmission at 2K miles! - 2014 Jeep Cherokee
  By reliablenc - May 31 - 1:31 pm

  Well, I had such high hopes. After an exhaustive search, I finally thought I had found the perfect vehicle for me in the new Jeep Cherokee. But just after I crossed 2,000 miles the transmission died. Yes, you read that right -- 2,000 miles. Ive now been without my Cherokee for a week and there is still no timeframe for when I will get it back (or even if they are going to fix it correctly). Apparently, they "lost" the new transmission somewhere between the factory and the dealership. Its really too bad, because there is a lot to like about the Cherokee. But I guess I will be use the NC Lemon Law refund and buy something else thats more reliable. Frustrating...

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  Liberty Lemon - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By Rob - May 31 - 1:06 pm

  This vehicle has had so much replaced on it that its hard to tell whats original. Both front control arms, all brake components (twice), radio, Hub- locks. This is a vehicle that has been babied since day one and never misses a service appointment. From a reliability stand point, this vehicle is a disaster. All of this before 60K miles....I dont know what were going to do when the warranty is up.

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  Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited - Hemi - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By erikb - May 28 - 6:10 pm

  Excellent on road and off road ride. Interior design excellent, but a bit too much hard plastic on the dash. The console armrest should be leather, with the seats. But love the vehicle.

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  Long term fun - 2008 Jeep Wrangler
  By jimj - May 27 - 10:50 pm

  I have had 2 Jeep Cherokees, but didnt realize I never had a real Jeep till I bought this. I got the limited slip rear axle, and rarely had to use 4wd through a fairly tough Illinois winter. Have had no problems thru 33,000 miles, get 20 mpg, hauled my 21 boat to Canada, my camper to Oklahoma, and many business trips. My only complaint is that whenever I take the freedom top and doors off, the Jeep disappears (my wife takes it!) If I had to do it over, I would have gotten the power windows and locks, but other than that, I have no complaints. The 4 door model is practical for families, and it is just so much fun in both the winter and in summer, with the top and doors off, it rocks>

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  Our 5th Grand Cherokee, Grandest yet - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Jonathan - May 27 - 5:43 pm

  We just purchased a 2005 Grand Cherokee Rocky Mountain Edition. For those unfamiliar with this package -- its built off the Laredo package but adds some cool stuff for a pretty low cost to the consumer. Ours has leather heated seats, adjustable foot pedals, a trailer hitch, special Jeep leather seats with Jeep logo, a CD player with Boston Acoustics sound and Sirius satellite provided free for one year, as well as an upgraded rim and off road all season tires and chrome badging to replace the plastic pieces. Ours also has the available 4.7 V8 - which I highly recommend. We had a 93, 96, 99 Laredo and a 02 Limited. The Limited was our favorite but the sticker price was not.

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  Better than the Last One - 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By laurelmt - May 27 - 5:13 pm

  This is the second Grand Cherokee Larado we have owned. The last one was a totaly different car. This one has been a perfect gem. Even after all these miles, it has been very low maintanence. The only major problem was the computer went out with no warning. Only cost $600 to fix. Great cars but be careful what you buy..there are a bunch out there with problems.

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  Works for Us - 2006 Jeep Liberty
  By RandyM - May 27 - 2:16 pm

  I bought this 2006 Jeep Liberty as my wife and I wanted a small SUV with 4WD. We wanted something in which we could go off roading in the local mountains and deserts. Overall its been a very good performer for us for off-road use as well as street use. I am 6-4 and for me its quite comfortable. The mileage is fair, we tend to drive cautiously on street and as a result stand at 16 MPG city, 21 freeway. The one issue we have had is the window issue as oft reported by others. Four times thus far, we are going to have an independent mechanic do whatever it takes to lock them in the up position as we dont use them. Overall we quite like the Liberty, it serves our needs very well.

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  Solid Ride - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By Scorphitman - May 25 - 6:23 pm

  I have owned 4 wheel drive vehicles for 30 years. This is this second Jeep Ive owned. I have 163,000 miles on it and no major issues with the vehicle. It has handled Rocky Mountain winters like a champ. I live at 8400 and have drive this vehicle in 18" of snow over dirt roads with no problems. Overall average fuel mileage is 18 mpg with the 3.7 L. Ive gotten 26 mpg on the highway. I put a 2.5" lift kit on it to run bigger 245/75/16 snow tires. Driver room is good as I am 63" 255 lb former college linebacker and am comfortable behind the wheel.