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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  My First - 2004 Jeep Wrangler
  By Kerns6 - July 7 - 10:00 am

  Ive only had it for about three weeks and love it. I took it on a 1,000 mile round trip to the beach and it was great. Very quiet with the top and windows up. Great ride. Love the cruise control. The sunrider roof is the best. I get the open air feeling with out taking the whole thing off. Its great for the surprise thunderstorm. I would definitely recommend it as a first Jeep. My only complaint was that at highway speeds with just the drivers window cracked, the top rattled pretty loudly. I am hoping that some wind guards will help that.

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  Top of SUVs for its class - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Mayor - July 7 - 10:00 am

  Drove sedans for 8 years, then bought my Jeep. A great upgrade. Fuel not great, but extremely comfortable on road trips. Handles great, comfortable steering, standard options were the selling point. Suspension is awesome. Four-wheel drives works great in the mountains on muddy roads as well as snow covered roads. All in all, went in with high expectations, and I was not at all dissappointed. Definitely will strongly consider buying again

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  Love it so far - 2006 Jeep Liberty
  By mmaggs9187 - July 5 - 6:26 pm

  Granted that I only got it several days ago, I so far love the jeep. I have not had any issue with the windows...yet but all these reviews scare me haha... I went from a 2 door sunfire and loved it but wanted one of these jeeps since they came out! the gas mileage is what i expected, the 4x4 is a bear in the snow. the four doors is what i missed the most. so far i enjoy the jeep and hope it keeps up.

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  Night and Day - 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By ratchet1 - July 5 - 7:14 am

  Traded 2009 Grand Cherokee with LUX Pkg, 3.7 Ltr eng for 2011 Laredo E w/tow pkg and 3.6 ltr eng. More equipment now is standard and the eng blows away the 3.7 noisey, slow, fuel thirsty engine. The ride is night and day different with the fully independent rear suspension. The quietness of driving 80 MPH down an interstate and hear yourself THINKING is unbelievable for an off road type vehicle. Dealer gave good discount upon purchase. Drove Ford Edge Limited and did not like the fact of FWD versus RWD when needing tow power. Edge is limited to 3500 lbs,Jeep tows 5000lbs. Ford would not budge on price either!

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  Fed Up and frustrated - 2009 Jeep Liberty
  By Joy - July 4 - 6:13 pm

  Seven months after I Purchased my Jeep Liberty Limited, I started and could not get out of park. The wipers kept going and would not turn off, no lights and nothing on the dash worked.Anyhow I had it towed to the dealer who couldnt pin point the actual problem. I got it back five days after. Now the problem reoccurred for the second time, had to get it towed because Im stuck in P again and again they cant pinpoint the problem. Im afraid to drive it and I am ready to get rid of it. I really liked the Jeep and my other concern is that I still cant find a comfortable seat position to drive. When I use the 4wd on R it wouldnt go anywhere. I wondering if this is an isolated case

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  I love it - 2011 Jeep Compass
  By larabeelw - July 4 - 4:09 pm

  I would like to say I am Very Happy with my Purchase. I bought the 2wd 2.0 5Spd Manual. I have been through 3 tanks of gas. I do not count the 1st one because I do not know if the dealership actually fill it all the way. But on the 2nd and 3rd tanks I got 30.1MPG and 30.9mpg (done with manual calculations miles/gallons). I love it. Hope it just keeps getting better. I drive about 90% highway, 65MPH or less. I also have a ScanGaugeII That helps in Drive technique. So I will probably improve the MPG some. I chose this because of the bang for the buck. Compared to others you get a lot for your money.

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  Its not perfect, but its good. - 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By CanonGuy - July 3 - 3:30 pm

  Purchased because a previous Grand Cherokee had over 300,000 miles before it was wrecked. Few problems. Brakes need to be replaced, passenger side heater failed and was expensive to fix. The holders for the hood dont work. Blew both front speakers in the dash. Dont like the fact that the cd changer is in the back. Door seals dont fit correctly. There is an issue with the oil pressure sensor. On rare occasions it says it drops to 0, then the car shuts off, but nothing is wrong with it; if you rev the engine it keeps the pressure up. The gas mileage stinks, but its a V8 so its expected.

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  love my 65th edition - 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By lo123 - July 3 - 12:36 pm

  I bought my 65th edition back in Sept. 2006. I absolutely love it. The only thing I dont love is the gas mileage especially with gas at $4 a gallon. I dont plan on getting rid of it anytime soon though. I only need to fill up every 2 weeks since most of my driving is local. I dont mind the plastic interior. I actually like it because it makes it easier to clean. I had a 2001 Jeep Cherokee which I also really enjoyed. I love having the extra features on the Laredo that are included with the 65th edition. I really enjoy driving my jeep!

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  No complaints - 2011 Jeep Patriot
  By beagleman - July 3 - 5:23 am

  Traded in my 12mpg truck for the patriot. Miss the v8 power but love the improved mpg. Averaging about 25-26 with 75/25 split highway/city. I suspect the city mpg may be lower than its rated. There seems to be ample power for the hills here in Pennsylvania. Im looking forward to see how it handles the snow in the winter. Overall It handles great..but I think braking performance could be better. You get a lot of features for the $.

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  2008 Jeep Patriot 4WD 2.4 Engine CVT - 2008 Jeep Patriot
  By gbrehmer - July 2 - 8:43 pm

  I have had my Pat 2 1/2 years and have been very satisfied. I have since reached 40K miles with out any issues worth mentioning (with exception of sqeaky brakes for the first couple of brake applications, and this should be considered a minor issue). True Cost of Ownership for buying anything is very important to me and anyone on a tight budget would probably feel likewise. For all those on board since 2008 Edmunds has listed this vehicle for the least expensive SUV to own when considering Depreciation, Taxes & Fees, Financing, Fuel costs, Insurance, and associated Maintenance expenses. For those in question please go to http://www.edmunds.com/tco.html and see for you self. Please note thos