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 6th Jeep - 2010 Jeep Liberty
  By John - March 1 - 10:33 pm

  Drives me crazy when the "experts" keep comparing the Liberty to car based SUVs like CR-V or RAV4. Its a truck based vehicle. This is my 6th Jeep and 3rd Liberty. This model is by far the best of them all. Gas mileage is adequate for a truck, it looks great and is a solid ride. I dont know who writes in to these reviews but Ive never had quality issues with any of my Jeeps. I wouldnt drive anything else. You want church quiet, buy a car. A jeep is what it is and those of us that have owned them for years know that. Great vehicles.

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  I will never buy a Jeep again! - 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By BethAV - March 1 - 11:46 am

  I bought this car in 2004 and have already had to rebuild the engine (cost me $7500) and fix the heat. The heat was completely out and cost me $1500. Everytime something else goes wrong, it doesnt surprise me, I guess it is to be expected. I have a lot of other problems as well. So, I guess I have a brand new car, it only has about 3000 miles on it and I paid more for the repairs than the car was worth. I will NEVER buy a Jeep or a brand affiliated with Jeep again!!! I was informed by the mechanic that has done all my repairs (he used to work for Jeep) that Jeep Cherokees only have a life expectancy of 125K miles, thats crazy!

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  sweet car - 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By mister jeep - March 1 - 10:00 am

  I have had this car for almost two years now and have recently reached 111,000 miles. Within these past two years, I have put a little money into keeping this thing running smooth, but I understand its a jeep, and old jeep and these things will happen. Mine has the 318 V8 which makes this thing fast and makes towing heavy trailor loads a breeze. The spare tire in the back gives me more vertical space than if it were mounted under the car, and vertical space is what I need.

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  Save your rebate to pay your repair bill - 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By zman2 - March 1 - 10:00 am

  I am currently trying to figure out how to get rid of this vehicle. I have alot of time to do this since it is in the shop with transmission problems again. I have had the brakes redone 4 times in 53k miles, the transmission is currently out, and we have had various electrical problems along the way. It has been 8 times that I can think of in 53 k miles. I had a Honda and a Toyota before this with no problems. I will never buy a Chrysler product again. If you buy this vehicle, buy a good extended warranty (0 deductible), because even $100 deductible adds up. And save your rebates and incentives. Youll need them.

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  2008 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon (3.8L) - 2008 Jeep Wrangler
  By Eddie - March 1 - 12:26 am

  This is my first Jeep and I love it! I am pleasantly surprised with the handling and power because of all the articles I read which advocated the lack of power. Further, I was worried about fuel consumption; however, this jeep gets better mileage in both city and highway then my Toyota Tacoma, 4x4 TRD. I have a six speed which may negate a lot of the issues surfaced by other owners... The bottom line is that its an American made vehicle that looks and drives great!

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  Looks Nice, but Poor Quality - 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By izzy1483 - February 28 - 9:53 am

  The Jeep seemed great at first, but now at 800 miles the UConnect System is horrible. The screen often turns black or freezes. The GPS sometimes shows the Jeep several hundred miles from the actual location. The clock doesnt keep the correct time so we have to update the clock at least once a week. We have also started getting a red screen saying the phone needs service that flashes on the screen, but then disappears. If we knew what we know now, we would have never bought the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. We spent a lot of money on something that is now just a pain and already headed back to the dealership for service.

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  very nice vehicle - 1998 Jeep Wrangler
  By josh - February 28 - 7:06 am

  I love my Wrangler. It is very fun to drive year round. The gas and performance on mine is very low. I put a lift kit and big tires on mine. This caused the gas to drop to about 11mpg and the get up speed is slow (even though I have a six cylinder). Other than that it has been the best car I have ever owned. I would recommend this to people without children because of the lack of room in the back. Off-roading is where it does great. It climbs great and it goes through some serious mud/water. I have had many a truck that could not off-road as good as this. It looks great also. Top speed is LOW. Mine tops out at a whopping 84mph. It is also very easy to park.

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  Outstanding - 2004 Jeep Wrangler
  By Roger - February 27 - 1:50 pm

  The Wrangler is a great vehicle that can go places one never thought a vehicle could go. Up hill, over rocks and through rivers. Very tough and dependable.

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  The real deal - 2007 Jeep Wrangler
  By 20yrsinthedirt - February 27 - 11:00 am

  I have owned many off-road trucks including the original Willys "flatfender". I use my vehicle for off-raod use, and this is far and away the most capable stock vehicle I have ever driven, including Land rovers. It does lack refinement when compared to the typical "Suburban assUlt Vehicle" or Soccer Mom mini-van replacement, but if you really off-road, most of these refinements are meaningless when compared to the absolute utility of straight axles and 4:1 low range. "Only in a Jeep" is more than a pitchline

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  I Love this Jeep! Very pleased - 2003 Jeep Liberty
  By yvonne62 - February 26 - 3:36 pm

  I purchased this Jeep new in 2003 and its still going strong. I have not had to make any major repairs, just regular maintaince on it as anyone should. Gas mileage could be better, but its a Jeep SUV. I have never had a problem in any kind of weather, accept in a tornado once that blew the left front fender off. It doesnt cost an arm and a leg to maintain, as foreigns do. I have 138,000 miles on it. I put a great set of tires on it three times, replaced the struts etc, but thats normal for what I do with it. I have been on so many off road trails in Colorado and in the Smokey Mountains that it crazy. I trust my Jeep and its been really good to me all these years. Its a keeper!