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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  Very poor reliability - 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By morzh - July 26 - 11:26 pm

  Well, I have been a Jeep fan for a long time. Owned a Cherokee before, was a decent car. I knew the reliability reputation full well and bought this GC against my better judgement. Lets say, I have paid. Right after 4 years of very mild driving and not even 40K on odometer things started happening. The speed sensor. $1000. The starter. $800. A pressure sensor leaking air. $90. Today - another pressure sensor leaking air (the car will be 6 years old this August). $150. A $150 tire flat fix. No more Chrysler products for me.

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  Fun Jeep -- Increasing Cost of Ownership - 1999 Jeep Cherokee
  By Ken - July 25 - 11:20 pm

  When a vehicle has 100,000 miles, I know we have a lot of work to do. This is no different. Tires, shocks, battery, brakes, etc. are normal. Electronics should be a bit more resilient. The air conditioning coolant has a leak. Of the 3 Chrysler vehicles I have owned, this seems to be their plan to encourage us to sell the vehicle; the system always fails around 90,000 miles and the transmission fails around 100,000-120,000. Planned obsolescence? Other makes seem to be more robust for this, but I digress. Other that that, a nice vehicle, fun to drive as an SUV.

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  recall - 2006 Jeep Commander
  By marcus - July 25 - 10:03 am

  I bought this car for my wife after looking at a number of cars. One of the first things that I noticed when I drove it home is that this thing is going to love gas. But I was ok with that because this is something my wife would drive and she only do about 50 miles a week. Overall I love the way the looks and drive with that 4.7 v8. I had some concerns after reading a fee reviews from edmunds whether I made the right decision on going with the Jeep. I have experienced the wind noise from the windshield and the engine stalling. But I got on to Jeep website and went to the owners link and to my surprise the have issued a recall on the engine stalling. So hopefully this will fix that problem.

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  Great car to scale down to - 2010 Jeep Compass
  By Dave - July 25 - 2:03 am

  I purchased the Compass when I turned in my Commander. I was worried about getting a smaller vehicle, but it is great. It has 6 speed manual or ride it in drive. I am averaging 26 mpg and I drive highway and city.

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  ALL JEEP! - 2001 Jeep Cherokee
  By jeep4me - July 24 - 2:00 am

  Great Jeep! been around for a while... Hate to see the production stop!!!but you can bet twenty years from now these little bad boys will still be runnin around

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  Good SECOND vehicle - 2000 Jeep Wrangler
  By PaulF - July 24 - 2:00 am

  My Jeep is defintely not a vehicle for someone who needs daily transportation. The gas mileage is horrible!!! The wind noise on the highway is also really bad. It is a lot of fun on the weekend when I take it to the mountains though. Overall, I could not reccommend it to a friend, which is probably why I drive it less than 5000 miles a year. Buy a FourRunner if you need an offroad machine with good manners.

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  Rubicon Ownership - 2003 Jeep Wrangler
  By Medic3720 - July 24 - 2:00 am

  Best Jeep every, Need alittle more height for better performance offroad. I have been offroading on 5 ocasions with this Rubicon and have only been stuck 2 times and that was because of frozen ground...

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  OK for an American car - 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Cindy - July 23 - 3:53 am

  I got a really good deal on this or I probably would have gotten something nicer. I wanted 4 wheel drive and an SUV and I got this one at a good deal. Im used to imports so I would have to say that overall, Im not really happy with it. Wind noise, inferior sound system, chipmunk noises in the dash, not enough power. But if you dont mind buying American, its a good value and nicer than the Fords and Chevys.

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  Best value for luxury and capability - 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Jonathan M Hart - July 22 - 3:02 am

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  Fun, But get old - 1999 Jeep Wrangler
  By Shaxar - July 19 - 10:00 am

  I bought my 99 Jeep used in Feb of 2000, right in the middle of winter. They actually stay warmer int the winter than most think. It was great at first, but over time, you get sick of felling every bump in the road. The engine leaves much to be desired. It does have its good days where it feels like its as fast as any other car, but mostly its slow, and not very good gas mileage either. Its a great car, but wouldnt recommend it for everyday use.