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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  Horrible in almost every way - 2016 Jeep Wrangler
  By Michael Keating - December 7 - 1:35 pm

  I drove this for three days as a rental and it was by far the worst car of any type I have ever driven. Hard to handle. Incredibly poor interior layout. Uncomfortable to the max. Poor mileage. Difficult to get into and out of. Large and clunky size. No backup camera. No USB ports. Odd controls. Literally everything about this screamed "return me early".

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  Be ready to acquaint yourself with the Lemon Law - 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By carlton765 - November 3 - 8:57 pm

  Loved this car for its fir 1k miles. Great MPG, great value, good looks. Then it all started. In the shop 11x for various issues, poor fit/finish, including 7x for the check engine light. The service manger was ultra-apologetic and said they hadnt been adequately trained and encouraged me to escalate within Chrysler. Living in California made this a no brainer to claim Lemon Law protection. Ahead of even doing that however Jeep bought the vehicle back, compensated me for the literally 30hrs of time Ive spent either at the dealer, on the phone, or dealing otherwise with this disaster of an American car. Yes it was ultimately handled, but avoid at ALL costs.

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  Dont buy - 2008 Jeep Wrangler
  By erik - October 9 - 3:13 pm

  Bought new in 2008. Gets me cool points ( I was driving a Ford escape.) lets me go anywhere off road and in bad conditions ice, high water etc. I like the stereo. Overall though the driving comfort the underpowered engine the "death wobble" the leaks the poor storage room inside make this vehicle one I will never buy again. What is wrong with Jeep? Why would they make such a large vehicle so underpowered? Who ever designed it should be fired along with the jerks who okayed the design, along with me for being stupid enough to buy it. It looks great when you first start looking but after a few months of driving you find out its a very bad choice

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  DONT EVER BUY ONE!!! - 2007 Jeep Liberty
  By kandi wollenzein - September 7 - 5:42 am

  i bought this car for my son it seemed to be perfect but once i got it off the dealer it started going down hill quickly. first it was the gas cap ok no problem than not more than a month the water pump went out now wait for this....... brakes, battery, window repairs, re wiring the whole car, brake lights new tires and having to replace engine that only had 137,000 on it! replace the engine and two weeks later we find out the car came out of the factory bad!!! this new engine is already giving us problems!! stalls and dies and it takes two to three times to get it started again!! this is unacceptable!!! so for the love of god do not purchase a 2007 jeep liberty sport!! now i have to pay 150.00 a month for an extended warranty so my son is safe!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  Wrost car I have ever had in my life - 2016 Jeep Cherokee
  By janis.thompson@comcast.net - August 20 - 1:38 am

  Do not buy this car. It will not start, the door will come down on you head and knock you out, the tire pressure gauge alternates between okay and low, and the dealer will flash the computer about fifteen to twenty times and the car will still not work. I will never , never, never, buy another Jeep. Also I had the worst dealership. When I called about my car during the 6 weeks they kept the car during the first 3 months of ownership I was told that nobody in the shop know anything. I had to take off work to talk to the shop about the status of my car. they thought is was okay to sell me that loaner car at the same price of my Jeep which was about $10,000 less than my Jeep. Usually drive about 20,000 per year but I am afraid to drive this car! Plan to sell as soon as possible! Paid much more than it was worth.

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  ** Beware** Don t Not purchase yet, trust me!! - 2018 Jeep Compass
  By L Renea - August 10 - 6:05 am

  I was happy with the 2018 Jeep Compass for the 1st 2 weeks of having the vehicle. The 1st issue was that the radio display was HOT to touch. It startled me terribly. Just to make sure, I went to touch it again, but that wasnt necessary because I could feel the heat radiating from it. 2nd issue was that the language kept changing from English to french on its own (odd I know). I thought I might of touch something and changed it but no that wasnt the case. 3rd issue is the auto/stop function symbol kept coming up on the dashboard. When I first called the dealership (Garden City Jeep in NY) with these issues , I was told to refer to the owners manual...really?? I brought the vehicle in to the service department and they had to order a new radio from the manufacturer and they were not sure why the auto/stop signal was on and they did not know how to resolve the issue (that sure is reassuring). As of this review I have brought that vehicle to be serviced 2x and I have only had it for a month. In addition, the car does not have a smooth acceleration (feels like it pulling or working overtime) and the auto/stop function is pretty abrupt and loud. I know this is not a luxury vehicle but it could be a little less obvious. The joke is when I brought the vehicle in for service their was a new owner there with the same vehicle and the Auto/Stop function stopped working completely on their vehicle, and they had it for only 2 weeks. Pros: its a pretty vehicle and the interior is roomy for a smaller SUV. I am requesting a new lease vehicle because I refuse to keep wasting mileage, time and mental space on a vehicle that is suppose to be issue free, I mean come on its a 2018 model. I highly suggest waiting until Fiat/Chrysler/Jeep iron out the kinks before leasing/selling any more. Specs: 2018 Jeep Compass Limited.

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  Very Disappointed. Last Jeep Ill Buy. - 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Stuart - August 7 - 5:06 am

  I bought based on styling and perceived luxury car at affordable price point. Should have known you get what you pay for! Leather dash bubbled up although always garaged at work and home. Interior trim pealing off. Both A/C vent control actuators broken. Hydraulic engine mounts leaked (Jeep mechanic told me they were terrible). Car wont start due to faulty TIPM controller which thankfully is now a recall. UConnect system faulty where it resets when I back up losing rear camera. Door lock motor replaced. Leak in motor replaces on warranty. I will not buy a Jeep again and very likely go with imports from now on. If you buy one get the best warranty they have or as I told my friend but a spare car for when its in the shop! Disappointed and embarrassed that a US company can build such junk and charge so much.

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  Buyer BEWARE - 2001 Jeep Cherokee
  By daveandJan - July 31 - 2:00 am

  Purchased new in 2001. Vehicle has been back to dealer five (5) times for brake noise. Roters and Pads replaces at 11000 miles. Dealer said "Its normal for jeep", "Expect brakes and roters every 9 to 12k". Road noise is terrible, have to yell at passenger, there is no head room, and seat travel is minimal. Just traded it with 22K for Honda CR-V. Will never buy Jeep again!!

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  By far the worst Jeep ever. - 2016 Jeep Cherokee
  By Kendall Smith - July 22 - 3:19 am

  So we had to rent this car while our X5 was getting fixed. First I want to say that this car is not good looking at ALL. First i will start with the quality of the interior . The front seat comfort was OK, but the rear seat comfort was awful. Now the engine. I am blown away by how horrible this engine is. I tried to accelerate and I seriously had to wait a solid 2 seconds to go any farther . AND yes I know cars have lag , but this was a lack of a good engine. I hate this so called SUV.

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  Transmission Stalled and other issues - 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Lisa - June 10 - 4:20 am

  I purchased my Jeep GC Limited on 9/5/2015. The engine light came on at 250 miles in the first week. The evaporation canister gasket was bad and needed to be replaced. Dealer was able to fix within 1 day. At 1,600 miles while driving in city traffic slowing down for a traffic light the vehicle jumped forward twice like I had been rear-ended. This was caused by the transmission shifting down from 3 to 2 and 2 to 1. The vehicle then went into to "limp" mode and I could not go over 5MPH and the transmission was stuck in 1st gear. I managed to get out of traffic and into a parking lot. Had this happened in a busy intersection or while merging into busy, fast moving highway it could have been deadly. I called roadside assistance and the JGC had to be towed to the nearest dealer. They have had the vehicle for 4 days and now have told me they will have to "tear down" the transmission to try to figure out what is wrong. When the cause is determined Chrysler will determine if the transmission will be fixed or replaced based on their "70% rule". The first time we put the back seat down the headrest fell off of the passenger-side rear seat and could not be put back in place. The dealer had to fix this because a clip was missing. Again, could have been dangerous if the headrest had fallen off in an accident and your head was whiplashed against against the two metal rod mounts. My family has been loyal to Chrysler and have owned nothing but Dodges since 2000. We have owned 2 Ram 1500s, a Durango, and an Avenger. All were great vehicle. Chrysler and Jeep you missed the level of expected quality and reliability with the new Jeep Grand Cherokee models! When you pay upwards of $40,000 for a high-end vehicle you expect better quality, reliability and service than this. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is promoted as the "Most Awarded SUV" ever. Jeep has been long known for it quality and great products however, it seems Chrysler and Jeep are being very silent regarding all of the recent transmission issues. Perhaps the transmission issues are going to be ignored and swept under the rug to avoid bad publicity. Come on Chrysler and Jeep your loyal customers deserve better than this!!! Check out the reviews for the 2014s and the 2014 and 2015 Dodge Durango, these vehicles have the same transmissions. The electronic transmissions are shifting from park to reverse on their own, not staying in gear, getting stuck in gear, and shifting roughly. Also check out the Jeep Cherokee which also has many reports of transmission problems. The NHTSB also has many transmission issues reported and is contemplating a class-action lawsuit regarding the number of injuries and safety issues that surround the transmission coming out of park and rolling away causing injury to people and damage to the vehicle and surrounding property.