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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  Buyer beware - 2017 Jeep Renegade
  By Lonnie Mack Ratliff - May 26 - 8:33 am

  No support from manufacturer contacted Jeep twice about problem with tire blowout that caused several hundred dollars of out of pocket expense . possible buyers beware !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [contact info removed]

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  Jeep owner - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By jeep owner - May 25 - 11:13 pm

  Absolutely love the vehicle, so far. Bought it in July. The only thing that I havent really enjoyed is the fact that when I filled it the first time, and calculated the miles per gallon, it was at 15. I traded a Hyundai Elantra to get it, and I am used to about 25 mpg. It definitely does take a lot of gas, but if you dont drive a lot, its the perfect vehicle.

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  None better. - 2005 Jeep Wrangler
  By tyrus - May 25 - 7:13 pm

  The Jeep TJ is possibly the finest American vehicle ever produced. I will be a Jeep owner for life. I live in the city and have absolutely no problem fitting my Jeep into any parking situation. I also spend a great deal of time in the North Georgia mountains, where I would not want to have any other vehicle.

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  TIPM - 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By dapjeepgrand11 - May 24 - 4:13 pm

  This little problem could make your whole Jeep Grand Cherokee experience go very wrong. I have always loved the look for the JGC, but Chryslers Customer Service stinks!!!!! This TIPM problem has made owning my JGC a joke!

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  There is only one - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By John - May 24 - 9:56 am

  I bought a Rocky Mountain edition Jeep Liberty and I love it. I test drove the 2004 Grand Cherokee and I have to say the Liberty drove much better. The 3.7 V6 puts out excellent power and is very reliable. I would recommend this vehicle to anybody who wants to get a lot for their money. Power, versatility, and reliability cant be beat by the competitors.

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  This Jeep taught me everything I know about cars. - 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Jonnytoco@gmail - May 23 - 7:03 pm

  I bought this car in March of 2013 with 220,000 miles on it. This Jeep had alot of issues when I purchased it. The biggest problem was the stalling. After replacing the PCM computer this Jeep has served me a fantastic 33,000 miles. I am currently at 253,000 miles with this Jeep. I drive this 45 miles a day to Oceanside and it runs like a top. Of course with high milage vehicles comes issues every couple of months but that is what owning a Jeep is about. It is a learning experience. Because of these issues I grew, and thats why I love this Jeep. When its maintained and everything is working its a dream. when something goes out its just another thing to learn yea its stressful but im thankful. cheap, reliable, amazing first car.

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  Generally a Disappointment this Time Around - 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Andrew Hastings - May 23 - 2:22 pm

  In the Fall of 2014 we purchased a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit and our purchase decision was based primarily on the high level of satisfaction we had from purchasing a 2012 Grand Cherokee Summit in the Fall of 2011. Simply put, we were very satisfied Jeep customers as the 2012 had exceeded all of our expectations at that time. It was a stunningly beautiful vehicle, well designed and performed flawlessly over the first three years of ownership. The 2012 had experienced only two service required issues. One to replace a prematurely wearing seat bottom (warranty at 20,000 miles) and the second a failed heat diverter (owner cost, out of warranty). Other than that it was gas, oil and go for over 100,000 miles in a little under 3 years. At this point (Fall of 2015) we decided to replace my wifes 2013 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab 4x4 with a second Summit and became the proud owners of a new Grey one but this time equipped with the Hemi V8. This upgrade in power really changed the performance of the Grand Cherokee positively and surprisingly only resulted in around a 2 mpg loss in fuel economy which was quite amazing. Most of our driving with both Jeeps is purely highway and the V6 averages around 24.5 while the V8 comes in at around 22.5 with both running at around 70 mph on relatively flat terrain. This sadly is where the good news ends. It is hard to believe that these two vehicles were built in the same factory. The difference in quality is immediately quite evident. Paint quality on the 2015 is quite frankly "poor". Botchy and thin paint gives the vehicle a mottled look...as a matter of fact the factories inability to produce a quality paint finish caused them to cease production on several colors during the 2015 model year. This vehicle came new from the factory with more squeaks, rattles and strange noises than our 2012 had after 100,000 miles of driving. After a couple of months ownership the navigation system began giving false readings and this defect spread into all functions within the radio, navigation, heater A/C screen finally culminating in all functions in-operative and a pure black screen. It took numerous "Updates", trips to 4 different dealers and finally a complete radio/nav, heater A/C module and screen replacement authorized by Jeep Engineering in Detroit to remedy. During one service attempt the Jeep was in a dealership out of service for almost 2 weeks...not a ringing endorsement for an almost $60,000 vehicle....!!!!! Moving on, the 8 speed transmission exhibits a nasty habit of refusing to upshift through the gears from a dead stop. Upon accelerating it stays firmly in 1st gear and will only come out after pulling over, putting the vehicle into park and then attempting to drive forward through the gears again. Updates to this point have failed to cure the issue. This leads into the electronic gear shift itself. Quite frankly, it is a very dangerous feature of this generation Jeep Grand Cherokee and has been changed completely for the 2016 model year. The chances of a failed complete move to park has resulted in injuries to Jeep owners exiting their vehicle thinking it is park when it is in fact in reverse. A very poor design since eliminated by Jeep. Summing up the 2015 Summit I can only say it is an enigma for sure. We want very much to love it especially with the performance of the Hemi V8 which makes it a really fun SUV to drive. Additionally the size and configuration of a SUV and in particular this SUV is perfect for our use. But, the issues we have had with the vehicle are not what we expected from a highly awarded and expensive vehicle. If I may, I would like to shift gears (pardon the pun) back to the 2012 Summit. Shortly after buying the 2015 the "engine warning light" on the dash of the 2012 came on and a distinct engine misfire became evident. A trip to the Jeep dealer netted a diagnosis of a failed cylinder head which was a defect in the early V6 Pentastar engines and which is covered by a Jeep/Chrysler extended warranty (150,000 miles). All costs involved in replacing the left side cylinder head are covered by this extended warranty but this dealership added additional repairs (which I agreed to) and which added an "out of pocket" expense of over $600.00 to the engine repair. Also the 2012 GC had developed an annoying rattle in the rear end which they diagnosed as worn and loose shock absorbers that they replaced at a cost of $700.00 (again authorized my myself). Now if the cost of shock replacement wasnt bad enough, when the vehicle was picked up the rattle was still there. Not to mention that when I checked part pricing for the shock absorbers themselves, the OEM shocks they installed cost $138.00 each while a neighboring Jeep dealer quoted them at $96.00 They claim their dealership has its own part pricing matrix. Simply put, the poor quality was bad enough but the recent servicing we experienced cost Jeep a customer...we have purchased our last Jeep product.

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  Lexus LS owner Lovin the SRT-8 - 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Joe - May 23 - 1:56 pm

  Bought my 2006 Jeep SRT-8 2 months ago used with 19,000 miles on it. I am in love with Japanese cars and have owned Mazda RX-7s, Toyotas, Hondas and currently drive a Lexus LS. I wanted a fun car to drive around daily, however could not afford the newest high performance Nissan GT-R or Lexus IS-F. I am amazed at this Jeep. Not sure how well it will do in the long term, however this car puts smiles on my face that I have never experienced before. If you need it for a daily driver - I can not say how good it will be. If you need a second car that will make you grin from light to light and may break down once in a while (or not????) this will not let you down!

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  Better than the others - 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By jack Derry - May 22 - 2:53 pm

  I looked at the other offerings an could not find anything that could come close in quality and price. Try it and you will buy it.

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  American All Star - 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Russ Blondec - May 22 - 11:50 am

  After coming from a 09 Grand Cherokee it is clear that it has improved in almost all categories. Off-Road capability, second row room, cargo space, ride quality, and almost everything else is better by leaps and bounds. Test drove the Nissan Murano, Ford Edge, and Toyota Venza. Almost purchased the Venza but the ability to go-off road was more important the car- like ride. i have yet to go off- roading but did traverse some steep snowy gravel mtn. roads in NC and it gave no drama. Would not think twice about buying another one.