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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  common sense on gas mileage - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By wrangler driver - May 13 - 10:00 am

  I average 19mpg and that is not bad for a 4x4.I have gotten 23.5 on interstate driving. Front seats are much more comfortable than any other suv I have driven. Traction is good. The only problem I have had was a leaking windshield. Body roll is a tad excessive, but overall ride is great for a 4x4 that I am not afraid to take on a mountain farm road! A bit noisyer than I expected. Belongs to my wife and she likes it better than I do. I drive a 95 YJ!

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  Loaded Jeep loaded with tons of problems - 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By J_nh2008 - May 13 - 9:40 am

  DO NOT BUY THIS CAR! Chrysler should be ASHAMED to sell this car. I have a beautiful red limited with over 5k miles on it. Since I have owned it for the past 4 months it has been back to the dealer 14 times for water leaking inside, periodically not starting, my gig, awful, itÂ’s been replaced 10 times (no lie) and it still doesnt work. It freezes all the time and the nav gets confused and freezes, god forbid you actually need it., ESP and BAS light on all the time, brakes squeaking. Just unbelievable. ItÂ’s dressed up nice but it is a nightmare underneath. Stay far away no matter how good of a deal they give you. I guess you really do get what you pay for. Currently filing lemon law claim.

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  DO NOT BUY THIS VEHICLE - 2007 Jeep Compass
  By Renee - May 13 - 7:01 am

  This car has more issues and definitely does not age gracefully. The issues are very expensive ones to repair, I would never recommend anyone to by a Jeep Compass. Keep searching!

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  Stable, Stable, Stable - 2008 Jeep Liberty
  By Satisfied Susie - May 13 - 3:26 am

  This is the best handling car in the snow I have ever driven. I travel some very steep roads every day and my Liberty is a real pleasure to drive.

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  My Toy - 1993 Jeep Wrangler
  By Becky - May 12 - 6:33 pm

  I am a 29 year old female and I Purchased my YJ about 6 mos ago with 125,000 mi. when I got it, it needed new axle seals,rear brakes, new fluid, and new u-joints. since Ive done a lot more. Its my favorite Toy ever. Its so easy to work on from changing fluids to changing the timing chain. Everything Ive done to my Jeep I did myself. The only thing I dislike is the internal slave cylinder. I will eventually change to an external(with a new bellhousing). My Jeep is my pride and joy and I love when I get looks from everyone, especially when they find out that I do all the work myself. I better since I took 4 years in auto tech in High school.

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  Good Vehicle - 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By bigdaddyju34 - May 12 - 5:43 pm

  Purchased with 40k miles in 06, currently has about 130k. I have had my fair share of repairs but overall it has been a reliable car for our family. If you have some knowledge of repairs and how to do some repairs you can save a lot of money, if not then you will pay a lot in repairs. I change brake pads twice a year no matter how they look, I change oil every 5k, i clean the injectors about 3 times a year, change plugs every year, 1 new coil pack, 1 water pump, 1 fuel pump, 1 radiator fan relay, 1 starter, 1 serpentine belt, 3 sets of tires, new front differential, 1 left axle, thats all I can think of over the past 4 years, overall a pretty good car.

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  Bad boy - 2006 Jeep Commander
  By Jeep in - May 12 - 9:50 am

  This Jeep is bad to the bone. I have the Hemi and the Saddle Brown seats which make the vehicle special. The only setback is that the factory installed a power steering hose incorrectly and it was rubbed raw and exploded with only 200 miles on the SUV. The service was incredible as they sent me home with a new Commander until mine is fixed.

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  Trade in or Nurse along?!? - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Exhausted - May 11 - 4:53 am

  I bought my Jeep brand new and now at 108K, its sitting at the dealership with a $2300 estimate. Just spent $800 one month ago. It was fine (except for the brake thing and the fuel injector issues) until it flipped 90K, ok maybe not so fine. List of repairs done: brakes 4 times - same warping rotor issue under class action lawsuit, starter, radiator, one ds window motor, hood shocks, 2 fuel injectors, battery. Now needs: tires, rear shocks, steering column bearing, rear axle seals & bearings, heater core, rear hatch shocks. Complaints: frequent trouble dis- engaging from 4WD, roof paint bubbled early, pathetic GAS MILEAGE!!

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  Commander is great truck - 2006 Jeep Commander
  By kmag51 - May 10 - 6:56 pm

  Just purchased this vehicle a couple of weeks ago and highly recommend it. The interior comfort is wonderful and the saddle brown seats look very expensive. Truck handles great and is extremely agile for a 5,000 lb. vehicle. The limited model offers a lot of goodies standard. Even though the truck is fairly new I got a decent discount when purchasing. All in all a great truck and would highly recommend.

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  Hunk of junk - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By TravF - May 10 - 7:46 am

  I bought this Jeep with high hopes. Boy that got shattered. This thing has had more problems than I can count. First its not the dealerships mechanics fault but DC. They should give all repair facilities the equipment they need to fix them. Jeep has been in dealership more times than I ever could imagine. Took 11 months to fix the no start problem. Discovered it to be bad fuel injector. Had many parts replaced as a guess as to what was wrong. Terrible vehicle. I average 19 MPG. When first bought got upper 20S and 30+ on highway. After fixed now its 19!