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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  Looks Great But!!! - 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Ron - October 27 - 10:27 pm

  I really wanted one of these. My son has a 2014 Grand Cherokee Limited and i fell in love with it. The overall ride, comfort, features. So I did a lot of different car shopping and settled on a 2015 Grand Cherokee Limited in Red, the color I really wanted. I got a good deal. Second day I had it I could not program the memory seats. Took it back to the dealer which was great, salesman and service manager looked at it for about 30 minutes and could not get it to work so I had to make an appointment to bring it in. Few days later smelling oil from the vehicle in my garage. Looked underneath it and oil dripping from it. Took it right down to dealer as it is close to my home and they brought it right in and said my power steering pump was leaking and they would have to replace the entire pump. 700 miles and new pump. Said I could drive it as they would have to order part would have it in a day or 2. So I go to take it in in 2 days and a puddle of oil by my back tire. My rear shock was bad, they had to replace that also. So 2 major things with under 1000 miles on it. The power seats the push pin connector was bent. Now fast forward I have 3000 miles on it and my front tire was at 9 lbs thought I picked up a nail or something so took it to dealer. They found nothing in tire so thought it was the valve stem, replaced it. well next day tire low again and the next day low again. Back at the dealer today for low tire issue. I think I may have a lemon. I hope this is it with the problems. I had Subarus for the last 3 years with not 1 problem. I buy this car and nothing but problems in the first month. I really like the vehicle but I am hating the inconvenience and the poor reliability. Paid a lot of money for this. The dealer has been great so far.

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  Great SUV Love it - 2007 Jeep Compass
  By newjeepowner - October 26 - 2:16 pm

  I love this SUV. Traded a 2004 Civic in on one. Insurance went way down payment stayed the same. This is an SUV that is good on gas and great on the road. I feel so much safer.

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  glad its a lease - 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By 01jeep - October 26 - 10:00 am

  this car has 41000 miles an the brakes have been rebuilt 5 times it is on average every 7000 miles it eats the rotors up you get pulsating in brake pedal first then the steering wheel vibrates real bad,everyone i talk to has the same problem, my 94 had 93000 miles an one brake job

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  Incredible Value - 2004 Jeep Liberty
  By chuckd003 - October 26 - 10:00 am

  I love this car. The looks of the Rocky Mountain are the best of any liberty. Love the wheels, tinted glass, sunroof, all the options I want w/o the extras I dont need. I dont know how people can complain about the gas mileage. I have the V6 with a 5- spd manual and avg. about 19 mixed city/highway, and 21-22 straight highway - excellent for a vehicle with this much utility. Plus the dealers give excellent incentives - best value of any SUV.

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  Best Little SUV! - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By Rayrock - October 26 - 10:00 am

  My wife and I test drove just about everything and settled on the Kia Sorento or the Liberty, We were able to drive both back to back. The Liberty has a tighter feel, the Kia was bouncy and felt sluggish. The liberty felt snappy. I like the fact that you can hear the engine. We couldnt get all the options we wanted in one vehicle. We wanted the off-road group and the towning package and got neither. It took over 5 hours to complete the deal!! I still cant belive it. we are glad we have a real Jeep!

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  Newly Jeeped!! - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Vals - October 26 - 10:00 am

  I only have one complaint about me new jeep, outside noise. The engine noise seems to travel througout the cabin, as well as wind noise. Maybe they need to make a thicker window or better moldings!! Other than the noise issue,I love my jeep!!

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  Used for Everything - 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By donnieb - October 25 - 11:50 am

  I bought this Jeep and have used it like a Jeep. I off road, carry friends and dogs, tow my boat, and load it up with cargo for a weekend with the guys up in Vermont. Overall, I love my Grand Cherokee, this is my 2nd one, the 1st being a 97. I just turned 100,000 on it and have had absolutely no drive train problems. It drive to NC frequently and the trip is always comfortable. The ride is great for a solid axle SUV, replace the shocks with Bilsteins for an even better ride.

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  Yes! - 2010 Jeep Patriot
  By MountainWoman - October 24 - 9:16 am

  This baby hugs the curves well on my mountain highway, with a little boost from the CVT on steep side roads. Its quiet and comfortable; the heater clears all the windows well, and air circulation keeps it all fresh. Theres plenty of room (and little nooks) to stash gear, tools, shopping bags. My neighbors all complimented the appearance, too!

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  Looks great but watch out for glitches - 2006 Jeep Commander
  By D. George - October 23 - 7:16 pm

  The style and performance on the Commander is great. However, our Commander is headed back to the dealership for the 4th time because of glitches with the engines computer. In the 8 months we have owned this car the check engine light has been on more than off. Last time the dealership replaced the entire engine computer which kept the check engine light off for about 30 days. Now it is back on yet AGAIN and the engine is running rough. I have been pleased with everything else but this one problem necessitating numerous trips back to the dealership makes me wish I had spent just a bit more money and purchased the Lexus SUV instead.

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  Awesome SUV! Hot! - 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By ChristieB - October 23 - 7:53 am

  There is no other SUV like this out there. The performance and handling is outstanding. It impresses me everyday and I love driving it everyday. It drives like a dream if you want to putt around and it drives like a race car if you want it to perform. All the bells and whistles are included. The price is right. Its mid-size yet has great cargo room. It fits all my 2 1/2 year old sons items including stroller. This is a hot suv. I test drove many other suvs and the minute I turned on the engine and drove off the lot to test drive it, I was sold and had to have it. The center dual exhaust is awesome!