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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  Acceleration problems - 2008 Jeep Commander
  By - October 9 - 6:12 pm

  Love my Commander...got it new in 2008. This morning I got the scare of my life. Started the vehicle, drove to the back of the house, to picked up my utility trailer. As I was leaving the drive way, the accelerator got jammed. The vehicle went out of control (live on dirt road) and raced full speed ahead. First reaction was to hit the brakes... that helped a little, quickly put it in neutral and turn the key off. Got my conposure, and started the vehicle again. It went right back to a very, very fast acceleration. Turn it off and called dealership to have it tow to be serviced. Has anyone ever had this kind of problem ???

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  There is only one! - 2012 Jeep Wrangler
  By sbresnick - October 9 - 2:37 am

  Looks great, drives fun! Surprisingly smooth ride around town and a blast to drive!

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  Solid Performer - 2017 Jeep Patriot
  By Al Poplawsky - October 8 - 5:40 pm

  All the professional reviewers trash this car but most of them must not have bothered to drive it. I got the manual transmission for the better fuel economy and it got 25 mpg on the first tank with half highway and half small town driving. Not bad for AWD - beats the old Subaru that died after only 160k miles hands down. Here in the Northwest everyone drives Subarus, I call this the Subaru alternative. Fit and finish both inside and out are excellent. Very solid feeling on the highway - feels like a much larger vehicle, yet very maneuverable in the city. Wind noise is minimal, you do hear the 4 cylinder a little when you put it through its paces, stock tires are terribly noisy. These Goodyear tires rate near the bottom in every category at TireRack, Jeep must have gotten them for free! I got a car that listed at $24,500 for $19,100. It has all the features you need and expect in these times - plus a few - and was $5000-$10,000 less than a similarly equipped Toyota or Honda. A good value in my book! Professional reviewers say they are not reliable, but when I looked at the details for the 2015 it was below average or way below average for repairs in every category. My 6 foot teenager is amazed by the room in the rear seat, says its more than our Dakota crew cab! Not new and not sexy, but solid. After 7200 miles I have not had a single problem or item needing attention from the dealer. We have taken this AWD/4WD vehicle on the worst Idaho forest roads (5 mph) and it performed and handled beautifully! It does not have low range, but is geared low enough already with the manual transmission to have no problems with very low speed rough rocky roads.

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  Good reliable SUV - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Ben - October 2 - 3:03 pm

  I bought the car in 2006 with 18,000 miles on it. It now has 95,000. I have not had any mechanical problems. This SUV is one of the smoothest riding vehicles I have been in. Power is good and it is holding up well to the wear and tear. No visible rust. Gas mileage is poor at best. I had been getting between 17-16 mpg around town and 18-19 on the hwy. However, now I am below 13mpg. It may be caused by the lack of driving. I have a company car now so it only gets short trips here and there. Also it tows very well. I pull a boat on occasion and can hardley tell it is behind me. I would recommend this car to friends. To

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  Makes Me Smile Every Time - 2010 Jeep Wrangler
  By alphadog10 - September 29 - 4:13 am

  I have the soft top version, and wow, with the top down, its so much fun, it just makes me smile and feel happy to drive around town. With the top up, its quieter than you might expect, but I prefer the top off every chance I can get. The only thing I dont like about my Jeep is that its absolutely terrible to drive on the freeway. When I test drove it before I bought it, I really didnt spend much time driving it on the highway, but after living with it for a while, I sometimes wonder whether I made a good choice. This is my one and only vehicle, and I think it makes a better second car than a primary one. I find it terrifying on the freeway.

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  Not bad - 2006 Jeep Commander
  By Mary M - September 28 - 9:30 pm

  I traded in my 2001 Trooper with 156,000 miles for this brand new Commander. Fuel tank is a big disappointment - only 17.2 gallons. However, I have increased my highway mileage to an average of 20.6 MPG by adding in a bottle of gas treatment or fuel injector cleaner with every other tankful. City driving is approx 16.5 MPG. I have a possessed passenger window. Not thrilled about gas cap - anyone can open it, no safety lock. Not much cargo room (Trooper held a sheet of plywood with ease) and the loss of 3"-4" because of 3rd row seat now folding level with tailgate. Molding not glued to back door frame. Replaced windshield which also took part of factory molding with it!

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  Love My Patriot - 2008 Jeep Patriot
  By Jeeper - September 28 - 8:13 pm

  The 2008 Patriot is "most excellent". Considering that I got a relatively maxed out 4x4 limited for $23,500, it is truly an outstanding value. I did choose the 5 speed manual over the automatic and am quite pleased with the result. Handling is nimble and I like the Jeep styling. Have logged over 9K miles in less than 6 months. Had one experience in very slippery snow conditions, and found it had better traction than my 94 Grand Cherokee Laredo 4x4. Fuel mileage has been 25 - 28 mpg for combined highway/city driving. The Boston acoustic speakers are outstanding - it is terrific for tailgating. Space utilization is excellent. Like the interior materials and they are easy to keep clean.

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  rugged - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By donutsapd - September 27 - 2:00 am

  it is a little "trucky", but, this is a solid, fun and rugged vehicle. For the dollar, Id put it ahead of any SUV in its class.

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  Just awsome! - 2004 Jeep Wrangler
  By felo - September 27 - 2:00 am

  I love this jeep. I ve driven alot of diffrent suv, nothing is like my Rubi. Stop being a baby, grab your *$#@ and get one!

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  Suprise - 2004 Jeep Liberty
  By Quasim - September 27 - 2:00 am

  I was pleasantly surprised by the 2004 Jeep Liberty. It displayed and soild firm ride quality, and great handling habits. The build Quality was also better than I expected. The truck(yes it is a real truck) was what my girlfriend wanted and I pushed against it... however after I drove it I was happyly surprised. I budged much more money for an SUV but this is a great truck for the money, and feels like many of the more expensive less capable trucks