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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  Poor Reliability - 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By DisappointedinOregon - August 25 - 10:00 am

  We were very happy when we bought the car. It was 3 years old and had only 43,000 miles. It now has 90,000 miles and sitting in our driveway because we dont want to spend the money to fix the myriad of problems with it. We have had the air conditioner fixed multiple times and it isnt working again. The front end is shot, it has a cracked manifold and has a leaking head gasket. It would cost more to fix than its "blue book" value. Theres just too much wrong for a car with only 90,000 miles on it.

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  3rd Jeep - 2004 Jeep Wrangler
  By Sergant - August 25 - 10:00 am

  This is my third Jeep I started with an 1979 CJ7. So far the new Jeep has lived up to its reputation. Its definitley more comfortable and it seems a tad bit smaller also. My 17 YOA daughter has fallen in love with it and now wants one of her own. So far its been great but the real test will be this coming November during deer season

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  Good Enough - 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Jesse - August 25 - 7:30 am

  I bought this Jeep with 98000 miles on it. At first I was skeptical to say the least. I was wrong. It is slightly under powered but I think that is solved with the v8. I use this Jeep as a work vehicle and my only complaint is that it wont hold all my tools. I am impressed.

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  Critics are too Critical - 2007 Jeep Compass
  By Jim - August 24 - 11:03 pm

  Although the Compass is a Consumers Digest "Best Buy" and an Edmunds Lowest Cost to own vehicle, auto magazine critics and Jeep traditionalists have not had many nice things to say about the Compass, which almost swayed me from purchasing a new Compass. Fortunately I test drove one, and for the money, you can not beat the ride, features, safety and all around capability of this vehicle. Its fun, practical and confident inspiring. Many critics make the mistake faulting this model because it is not like the more rugged, trail rated Jeep line-up. I dont think that was ever Jeeps intent. Kudos to Jeep for thinking and building outside the box.

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  Look elsewhere - 2009 Jeep Commander
  By diggyp - August 24 - 10:10 pm

  Drove this car for one week during west coast trip. Cannot recall that a car that was so unenjoyable to drive. First , the acceleration of the base V6 engine is very poor. Merges on the crowded California highways are just downright scary with a car that accelerates like an overloaded tractor trailer. 200 horsepower is inadequate for such a big SUV. Second, the car was not designed with visibility in mind. Without passengers, there are some large blind spots on both sides that make lane changes a harrowing experience. With passengers, you can forget about even being able to check if there are oncoming cars when you are looking to change lanes.

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  Skyslider - 2008 Jeep Liberty
  By Desert Rat - August 24 - 3:23 pm

  Best looking SUV on road. Performance very robust. Interior features including Sirius is great. Smart stylish yet masculine design inside and out...and ergonomic. The "YES" "no stain" fabric is nice as well along with auto-lock. Controls very intuitive. This automatic Skyslider is a knockout folks. This was my primary focus in the purchase. It essentially is a ragtop vehicle.

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  It is what is is and thats not all bad. - 2008 Jeep Wrangler
  By Bill B - August 24 - 1:43 pm

  Driving on the open road is terrific have yet to take it off road. Because of the low gearing of the transmission you must be ready to take off when the light turns green. This is were more power is needed without question. Love the seats which are curved like sport seats to hold you in place.

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  95 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4.0 - 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Joe - August 23 - 11:00 am

  Purchased used with 60K+. Mileage now is 106k. It seemed after the 100k. it was one thing after another. However most was minor. The one major problem that I had was violent shaking and bouncing and the worst part was when I took it in, the problem could not be replicated. Finally a local mechanic put an off road steering dampener on! Problem solved. Before this the dealership replaced; stock steering dampener, front shocks and a motor mount. So if your having that shimmy SHAKE SHAKE... off road steering dampener.

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  Best midsize SUV bargain - 1996 Jeep Cherokee
  By - - August 23 - 10:00 am

  Overall, an awesome vehicle. Its made by Jeep and certainly lives up to its name being a very serious off roading vehicle. Low weight and a very powerful engine makes for great acceleration and power (extremely high power to weight ratio). Dated design, but I like it - Id prefer to call it rugged.

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  Chrysler Sucks - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Bad Brakes - August 23 - 10:00 am

  After 10k miles started having front brake pulsations. Took to dealer for repair. They turned the rotors. After 5k miles same problem. DIDO. Mechanic said that rotor was at tolerence limit and could not be turned again. I asked to replace the rotors. Chrysler would not authorize that. On 5/13/02 Chrysler service bulletin #0500302 says that for this problem, replace rotors, calipers and pads on all 1999-2002 GCs. It took Chrysler 3 years to admit they had bad parts and would not replace them. I called Chrysler to have the repair done. They said--sorry Charlie, that is a ware part and nothing can be done. THEY NEVER FIXED IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!