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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  Not Recommended - 2007 Jeep Compass
  By ScMotoz - April 23 - 10:30 pm

  We bought this with 0 miles on it. Have driven it for more than a year now and have had more problems than any other vehicle than I have ever seen. Bought for 19000 now I cant even get a dealer to offer more than 7000 for it. Not reliable. Have had 3 Trans, and a motor already. I get 18 MPG in city and 12 or so on Highway. I have 5- SPD and pull 4000-4500 RPM at highway speeds. Suspension is already shot in rear. Good thing for warranty. I recommend Do NOT buy this vehicle. And I really hope someone reads this review and changes their mind. I wouldnt wish this car upon my worst enemy. Oh yeah even the "Stain resistant" seats leave spots from anything. This car is bull.

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  Do not purchase the V6 - 2008 Jeep Commander
  By Johnathon Green - April 23 - 4:25 pm

  I cannot even begin to explain the amount of repairs this car has required. We have had the transmission replaced and it still slips. We had the air conditioning fixed, twice, and yet the average human being could blow air harder than the air conditioning that came with the car. Lastly we have had the radiator replaced, and then the hose bursted. We replaced it, it just bursted again today. I do not drive my car like a hooligan, or stomp on the gas everywhere I go in a hurry, yet this vehicle breaks on is, every step of the way, and it only has around 80,000 miles on it. With the gas mileage it makes you might as well buy a hummer that comes with a much stronger V8 over this Jeep. I made this review not because I think Jeeps suck, but because there is definitely an obvious reason why they stopped making this model.

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  Hinges rust - 2008 Jeep Wrangler
  By Dave - April 23 - 2:26 pm

  My hinges and black bolts/washers have rusted after 4500 miles. My Jeep is 100% garage kept. My local dealership cannot figure out how to fix and is not willing to. I am very disappointed and frustrated. This should not happen on any new vehicle. I have contacted my local dealer 9 times now without any luck. I have just filed a complaint with Chrysler which I hope will bring results. The workmanship is poor as well as their service apparently.

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  Neat Jeep - 2008 Jeep Patriot
  By VOR - April 23 - 7:20 am

  Bought this after checking out the Escape and Outback. The Patriot is a much better value and a much better off road and winter vehicle. I special ordered the Sport 4x4 with a manual shift and have been driving in snow pretty much since I got it. The combination of 4WD, stick-shift, and anti-skid mechanism is great - especially for the price I paid. It also has a quiet smooth ride with comfortable front seats. The reason I sold my truck for it though was because I needed better gas mileage. Its great.

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  She loves her Jeep - 2011 Jeep Compass
  By joplinjeep - April 23 - 4:11 am

  After much looking we found the car my wife loves. She likes the styling, exterior looks and and the interior and the way it feels to drive. She did not like her previous car because she felt it just seemed cheaply made even though it only had less than 7000 miles on it. Saw the Jeep accident and right away she loved the styling and the feel and quality of interior.

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  Its been a great car for 9 years - 1995 Jeep Cherokee
  By kacy - April 22 - 8:03 pm

  I was 20 years old when I bought my Cherokee brand new. It has been a wonderful car. It has been all over California on all kinds of road trips. I am now 29 years old and it has 165,000 miles I am selling it, not because I am tired of it or have had any problems, but it is just time for a new car. I will probably get emotional when I see it go. My dad was worried when I bought it that it would not be dependable but he has loved it and doesnt want to see me let it go either. Thanks Jeep, its been wonderful!!!!

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  LOVE the Jeep .. love MY price .. a LITTLE nervous - 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By B Rich - April 22 - 7:44 pm

  Please take my review as a super-initial one, as I just purchased my Jeep yesterday as a surprise for my wife. Im always on Edmunds reading up on cars so i wanted to write one after reading other reviews on the GC. First, at first glance, this SUV is absolutely awesome. I got a silver Limited with the Luxury II package, black interior for less than 40k (last one on the lot, theyre trying to get rid of them before the 16s, I was already pre-approved, etc). The stance and LED run lamps really set this vehicle off. Not a huge fan of the plastic molding along the bottom (wouldnt look as bad if I had a black one) or the single exhaust pipe but theyre not dealbreakers obviously. Love the brake lights as well. The interior is pretty plush. Few " cheap bits" here and there but not really noticeable if youre not a car person or have owned higher end cars. This is my first time owning a vehicle with ventilated seats or paddle shifters so Im anxious to try those out. The panoramic roof is an option I never really considered before but it definitely wowed my wife when she realized it was there. It was fun going through all the display configurations both directly in front and on the 8.4" screen. We wont be getting used to EVERYTHING it can do for a good while I think. One thing that absolutely cracked me up was no CD player. I guess from having Bluetooth, an SD card slot, integrated music apps, aux ports, etc, they figure no one really wants CD players. But we do! Both me and my wife laughed about it after looking in every logical place for it. Reminds me of when we started seeing less and less cars with cassette decks. I saw someone mention not having a liftgate button on their key fob, but mine does so Im not sure if thats just an option/package thing. Glad the liftgate also goes back up if theres an obstruction (read: kids). The Uconnect seems to be a GREAT investment if you can get it. That would be a long paragraph in itself so definitely research it. All in all, just great looking, great feeling car. Could have got a Limited without the Luxury package or even a Laredo and probably been satisfied. The additional options just take it over the top and this is a vehicle we plan to have for a long while so why not. I can only imagine how the Overland and Summit folks feel about theirs. I just personally feel like, at the price I got it for, this vehicle cannot be beat. Im VERY nervous about the reliability and transmission issues Ive heard about (when we parked it for the night, it had 19 miles on the dash). I hope to report back that Im one of the lucky ones with no issues. I heard the same thing about Dodge Chargers in 2011, but I bought one new and didnt have anything major go wrong. Just a few little gremlins the dealership took care of no sweat. If I can say the same or better about this vehicle then its absolutely a hit.

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  Jeeps are Junk - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By CS - April 22 - 10:00 am

  Too many problems, in six times for warranty work...as soon as out of warranty, transmission problems. Power window problems, sensor problems, tires wore out very fast..this car will not last to 100K miles. Will never buy another Daimler-Chrysler product in this lifetime.

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  1999 Grand Cherokee is OK - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By mike c - April 22 - 10:00 am

  I bought this Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo used when it was 6 months old with 17,000 miles. Other than replacement of a leaky right headlight assembly, and upgrade of front brake pads and rotors, this vehicle has been very good and completely reliable. It has negotiated very steep inclines in excess of 45 degrees; it is comfortable on and off road; it pulls a 4500 lb. trailer with no problems. I would trust this vehicle to go anywhere. The gas mileage is 18 mpg/city. As a suggestion, purchase an extended warranty from warranty direct (7-year, 100,000 mile plan for $1,350), just in case I trashed the transfer case. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone.

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  Cant be Fixed! - 1998 Jeep Wrangler
  By pwayne1 - April 20 - 10:53 am

  In 2010 I purchased a beautiful 98 Wrangler Sport,from an elderly lady that had only 51k miles.It had a 4.0 with air and auto transmission.Within a week,the jeep would for no apparent reason,begin to stall and miss.This episode would last anywhere from 45 to 60 seconds,and by stomping on the gas,it would backfire,and then smooth out.In the last 10k miles,I have spent approx. 2500.00$ trying to resolve this problem,including 1300.00$ and 18 weeks at the Dealership.After 4 and 1/2 months,I brought it home today,same problem.After owning four Jeeps, this is my last.