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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  2 door bigwheel pimp! - 1998 Jeep Cherokee
  By dj - September 16 - 11:33 pm

  I got my Jeep in October of 2007 and I love it! I received it with 93,000 miles on it and it has bout 120,000 miles now. Just recently I had to replace the crank shaft censor and the radiator fan assembly, but overall its a great build and like a rock. Mine is 2 door and White with tent and I have big bowlegged tires on it and I just changed the grill to chrome to match my rims. I am officially obsessed with my Jeep and its brand.

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  Reliable and fun - 1997 Jeep Wrangler
  By Jeeppr - September 16 - 10:00 am

  Jeeps are not cars, so drivers shouldnt expect that. Love Jeeps for what they are: fun, great off-roads, convertible, and rugged.

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  Ouch.. the seat hurts and the door lock. - 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By PittsburghRich - September 16 - 6:43 am

  Two big design flaws. The drivers seat is poorly designed and too narrow. Seat is too hard and rubs my right side. Im 63, 215 pounds, very uncomfortable. Also, door lock not recessed. Continually hitting my funny bone on door lock. Otherwise car is great.

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  Not Sure - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By notsure??? - September 13 - 2:00 am

  It is a great looking vehicle for the money. But I have owned for 2 weeks and the dealer has had it for 11 days of those 2 weeks. Bad vibarations and air bag straps had to be replaced. They have changed the tires twice and are now working on replacing drive shaft to rectify vibration. I am now seriously questioning the quality, maybe I should have continued to shop around? It only has 400 miles on it and the dealer has put 300 of those on it trying to fix the problems. It is a thirsty little bugger but it is packed with a lot of options for the dollar. I would recommend if they can solve the quality issues. It built like my 97 wrangler that is for sure!

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  Great Mid-Size SUV - 2003 Jeep Liberty
  By PStardust - September 13 - 2:00 am

  My Partner has had a Liberty( 2002) for a year now and loves it. I had driven it for a while before I decieded to get one myself. I love the turning radius and the heighth of the car.The Liberty is a very utilitarian car. Simple quality with a little style.

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  CRD - 10 Rest of vehicle - 7 - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By railguy - September 10 - 8:00 pm

  Best fuel economy in a 4WD in the US. Diesel has great power all the way to 11,000 ft. elevations on mountain passes. Best 4WD Ive ever owned for winter driving. Diesel performs marvelously off-road. Without serious suspension modification (at least a 2.5"-3.0" lift) and larger tires (245/75R 16 would be ideal), though, it lacks adequate ground clearance for anything but mild off-highway use. A Subaru Forester has much better ground clearance. As noted the factory tires are crap. EGR valve failures are a common problem, though mine have lasted pretty well. Fuel economy ranges from 16 mpg in dead winter starts and stops to 31-32 mpg on highway at speeds 65 mph or less.

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  Its a Jeep - 2004 Jeep Wrangler
  By Pratt - September 10 - 5:36 pm

  I just bought this January 2010 as my first Jeep (SE trim, 5-speed manual). Overall I dig it, but I you gotta be sort of a Jeep fan to in my opinion. The ride is harsh (more bumpy than the average car, and the wind noise can be unbearable if youre just getting out of a Cobalt or anything other quiet car ride). On the other hand, from what Ive seen, theyre pretty reliable (I know mine is), and off roading is great alongside the many many accessories from tops to lift kits, you name it, theres probably an accessory for the jeep and thats always great!

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  Overall great, but a few annoying problems so far - 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By hager_2000 - September 9 - 1:40 am

  I have had my 2011 JGC Limited Hemi for about 7 months now. Its quiet, fast and handles pretty well for a heavy SUV ~ 4800 lbs. One major problem I have had is I went to start it and it was dead in my driveway. Found out the ground bolt for the starter sheared off. No clue how it happened, dealer had never seen it happen before. Automatic HVAC required reprogramming, would only blow hot air, seems to work ok now.. Pretty happy with the vehicle, very solidly built compared to my 2005 JGC which I hit into a concrete embankment at 50 mph and walked away without a scratch - hyrdoplaned. The vehicle is cheap life insurance, very safe.

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  Death Wobble Unacceptable! - 2007 Jeep Wrangler
  By k7su - September 7 - 12:26 pm

  I purchased a pre-owned 2007 Jeep Wrangler X Unlimited in Feb.2011 with 16,000 miles. About a week later the front end would go into a bad shimmy when I hit a little bump. It was out of warranty so I took it to a local 4x4 suspension shop. He knew all about the death wobble. We tried a heftier steering damper, new cam bolts, rotating and balancing tires...nothing fixed it. I read about it on the forums after it happened to me and saw the problems with the death wobble so I figured it was pointless for me to try to spend more money on it. I traded it for a Toyota 4Runner. Too bad Chrysler. That was my 7th Jeep product. No more for me!

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  First Jeep - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Twitch - September 7 - 5:16 am

  Have been driving the 3.7 version for almost two years. Towed a fully loaded 5x8 enclosed trailer weighing 2000 lbs across the country with no problems in the mountains. Turn radius in parking lot is similar to small car. Power steering works great when at full stop. Spark plugs are difficult to replace, but not impossible. Climate control is quick to respond.