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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  WORST JEEP EVER - 2009 Jeep Patriot
  By iichukid - September 20 - 4:46 am

  Worst car EVER.. I traded in my 2007 Sonata Limited V6 bought it brand new(which never gave me any type of problems @ 130,981miles besides oil/filter change and 4 new tires) for the 2009 Patriot needed a 4WD vehicle and it SUCKS. I got the Jeep a month ago and due to CVT trans problems I had to take it back to dealer and it been in the dealer since then only had for a week and gotta take it back this week cause now is the CVT trans plus shocks absorbers, axels, and struts....... Im going to make the last 5 payments in August just to get read of it...... Worst Jeep EVER....... And BTW the Jeep only have 60,451 miles.....

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  Jeep - 1998 Jeep Cherokee
  By MrFiero - September 17 - 10:00 am

  Multiple quality issues, bad paint, many odd things breaking, like pulleys and misc electrical components.

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  Dont do it. - 2009 Jeep Liberty
  By not impressed - September 15 - 3:06 pm

  Folks got it as a B-day present for me. So it was free and I still dont like it. I drive in -40F temps, the heat often doesnt get the job done on the feet or the dash. Ive actually had ice form on the inside of the windshield. Dealer says "Nothing they can do about it." So its definitely not good for colder climates.

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  Not Pleased - 2004 Jeep Liberty
  By BT - September 15 - 9:10 am

  Front ball joints went bad causing excessive wear on new (expensive!) tires, power steering / crank case problems, split hoses, calipers locking up and wearing new brake pads down - black, sooty substance all over hubcaps from brake pad burn. Transmission (auto) sometimes slams into gear unexpectedly during stop & start traffic situations.

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  Good vehicle if you can deal with the small things - 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Kevin R - September 14 - 7:52 pm

  Plenty of power with the hemi. Good technology package and plenty of charging points for your devices. Squeaks and rattles are common and dealers are atrocious. Fiat please sell off Jeep line to someone who will do it justice.

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  Beware - unseen bugs - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By brad - September 3 - 4:13 pm

  Transmission is slow to engage at times, acts like it is slipping, you gas it and it free revs, exhaust manifold leak, limp mood is triggered sometimes by transmission issue resets to 3rd gear and is very slow, battery already went bad 3 years old (special expensive battery needed), surging at idle, dealership services, they have only fixed the manifold, numerous attempts by dealership but have never fixed. They could never get it to do it and the service manager would never return my messages. Had differential fluid changed and they charged me an extra $60.00 to just shut off the light. Planning on taking some where else to fix.

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  After 70k Problems! - 2007 Jeep Patriot
  By md59 - August 31 - 8:12 pm

  Ive enjoyed driving our 2007 Jeep Patriot 4x4 and have driven it carefully. Now after 70k miles I have two major repairs: 1) every pulley (alternator, two tensioners, air compressor) have bearings that have failed (and you cannot purchase just the part of the part - its all or nothing, baby!). 2)Also the front end is failing with the left ball joint out and the right not far behind. $2,200 after 70k miles is a little premature. Outside of that it has been a good vehicle except it has too much road noise.

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  WISH I BOUGHT A CHEVY - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By LLR - August 30 - 10:43 pm

  The Jeep Grand Cherokee looks nice, but there are problems with the design of the 2005. I bought mine in June 2005; in October I took it in for service because the air conditioner didnt work. The told me its not covered under warranty because something from the road hit it and put a hole in it. Now I thought this was an off road SUV. There is a gap under the bumper thats at least 1 foot by 2 foot with no protection at all. The customer care center didnt seem to care that the car was 3 months old and only had 3500 miles on it. Sorry Nature caused your problems. It wasnt nature, it was a bad design and should be covered.

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  AN ANIMAL THAT DRINKS GAS - 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By BUD M. - August 26 - 1:18 am

  1 LOT OF RECALLS . NO GLITCHES. GREAT IN SNOW-BETTER THAN ANY OTHER 4 WHEEL I HAVE OWNED(6). ROTTEN GAS MILEAGE. GOOD LOOKING. FEEL VERY SAFE TO BE IN.

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  11-14 MPG! - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By mike - August 25 - 3:03 am

  Fun to drive, w/ 5.7 L Hemi. Not a good family SUV, too small. 11-14 MPG over the past 3 years of mixed driving. Would not buy another Jeep in the future.