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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  Problematic - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By freddyg - November 1 - 3:36 am

  Nice vehicle that had to go due to too many problems. Replaced the gear shifter mechanism, front shock, rear differential, two computer modules and the sunroof. I did not trust it out of warranty. Only had 37,000 miles. The resale value was terrible, originally a loaded 40K V8. Wound up with 15k on a trade in and in and lucky to get that.

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  Stay away! - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Stay far away - October 29 - 10:03 pm

  This has been the worst vehicle we have ever bought. We bought this Jeep new a year ago and have had it in the shop 5 times and it has less than 10000 miles. Since then, it has been one electrical problem after another. Surprise, Surprise, it is fine when it goes to the Jeep dealer. They do all their tests and drive it and tell us that it shows there are 3 things coming up on their computer, but it does not say what is wrong and they dont know what to fix. This last time it completely stalled and started 3 times while driving on a very busy road with 2 toddlers in the back and 110 degrees outside. Needless to say I dont feel safe. We are going to take the loss and sell before left stranded

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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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  Always a huge repair bill - 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By slh629 - October 17 - 9:56 pm

  Got this Jeep from a family member in 05. It was great until we took it in for inspection. Every time we take it in it costs us on average 800 to 1000 dollars. We drive very little and it has been garage kept and serviced yearly at least. Our new mechanic just told us the next set of repairs would be at least 1300 for the heater blower or something related to the lack of heat when we set it to the warmer settings. He told us it is something that Jeep should have recalled but hasnt. Also the dealer "fixed" the idle lag but it still dies at stop lights after they said they fixed it for about 500. I will never buy a Jeep product again and we are looking for a Toyota or a Honda!

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  Save your money and buy something else! - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By BillJ - October 14 - 1:20 pm

  It looks great and is fun to drive when it is working but that is not very often. I have had mine in the shop (all covered under warranty) 6 times in the first 9 mo. with problems from a leak in the fire wall that let rain water flood in to the drivers area to the transmission jerking every 10-15 sec at highway speeds.

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  Dont do It! - 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Mike M - October 11 - 10:16 pm

  This car is by far the worst quality new car I have ever owned. Over a three and one half year ownership, I have had more problems with this car than my 1964 Austin Healy Sprite that I owned in 1966. Most of the problems occurred after the warranty period elapsed. However, there were a host of annoying problems even during the warranty period. With only 47k miles on it, I have replaced a rear window wiper motor (twice), been unable to get my memory seats to work (ever), replace a heating system blower motor, replaced a split power steering line, completely replaced all brake elements, replaced the radiator and associated parts, replaced all four shock absorbers, etc.

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  Brakes and rotors nightmare - 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By selene - October 9 - 5:33 am

  Good looks and fun to drive but be ready to pay for many visits to the shop. The quality of the parts is awful. With only 40,000 miles I have had to change the calipers and rotors 3 times at $1500 more or less each time. This has been such a problem that there has been a class action lawsuit on it. There have also been many complaints about the fuel injection though I fortunately havent had any. The vehicle has also had 3 factory recalls. On the other hand it is very comfortable and handles well on the road.

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  i like the suv but - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By john connelly - September 29 - 10:00 am

  so far i only have 16000 miles on my jeep.But others have told me transmissions are not reliable.

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  Its a LEMON - Needs new transmission at 5000 miles - 2015 Jeep Cherokee
  By cttwin - September 22 - 3:03 pm

  Very disappointing experience! Leased the Jeep Cherokee 2015 without knowing there has been a history of transmission issues. Found that out after the car died on the highway. My Jeep had been skipping gears,running sluggish and hesitating but I never imagined it could be a problem with the transmission. I waited over 3 hours for the Chrysler Road Side Assistance to show up and tow me to the nearest dealer, it took 3 days to get an approved rental while they replace my transmission. My biggest regret is I still have 2 1/2 years on the lease.

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  After 20 yrs youd think itd be perfect - 1998 Jeep Cherokee
  By fishooked - September 22 - 10:00 am

  but it certainly is not. Right now I have about 68K on my 1998. One of my biggest complaints is the tiny glove box, and poor layout for storage of other items such as maps, change, whatever. I can barely fit anything in my glove box except for my owners manual. There should be side pockets in the doors for loose stuff. The center console layout stinks. It makes a lot of rattling noises, and it has also leaked water in it as well. Ive had problems with my rotors getting warped and having to be replaced twice already. Not great gas mileage; over 120.00 a month easy for gas.