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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  ok for in city - 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Sarah - August 6 - 9:10 am

  I bought my Grand Cherokee when I was in college and thought the world of it. It has gotten me through some big snow storms -- I live in Minnesota, land of the cold and snow. One good thing so far is that I have not had to replace the battery and the Jeep is 7 years old, but I also have a block heater in it. I have been in 2 accidents with the Jeep, one I just nipped a car trying to do a tight parking, good thing -- not a scratch on the jeep; bad thing -- it did a lot of damage to the other car. The second accident was on the highway; busy one at that. The whole front of the Jeep had to be replaced. It was hit from the side too but the side didnt have a scratch on it.

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  Stalling - 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By bigbearmo - July 31 - 7:23 am

  Have a strange problem with it, it occasionally stalls (engine shuts off) when coming to a full stop, its a 2007 GC Laredo with 4000 Miles on it. Took it to the dealership twice and they could not find anything wrong.

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  Never again - 2007 Jeep Liberty
  By monevasia - July 28 - 10:00 am

  Very uncomfortable ride..too harsh for day to day driving unless you are driving on freshly paved road. Window regulators have been a nightmare. Every time I took it in for a warranty repair they would just lubricate and adjust it. As soon as warranty ran out the only solution was full replacement at my cost. This is the main reason why I would not buy another Jeep or Chrysler product, crooks. BTW I did go to 3 different dealerships while under warranty, not one would replace these defective regulators. As you can see from this forum and many other Jeep sites, this has been a known defect for a long time.

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  Good for the winter...thats about it - 2007 Jeep Liberty
  By Ryan - July 24 - 9:33 am

  I received this car as a company fleet vehicle and I must say while it is great car to have in the winter, driving it the rest of the year is just horrid. The cars suspension is really awful. Even in freeway driving there is so much bounce in the car it literally hurts my head. The sound system is not great and Ive had some issues with the windows. On the positive side the power is respectable and its storage capability is nice.

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  Carrier and axle bearings - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By 99 Grand Cherokee - July 22 - 2:00 am

  I bought this vehicle used from dealership with 42000 mi, I noticed what appeared to me the tires singing very noisey. The salesman told me it was the tires. I put new tires on, still the noise was there. ICalled the dealership to find out the warranty was gone with the first owner. I took it to my mechanic, to find out the carrier and axle bearings were completely shot! One bearing was even warped. We were riding on a PRAYER with it being a 99 JGC & only 42000 miles with this kind of problem.Chrysler needs to be more responsible for its products they produce at such a high price.

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  Its been good to me - 2007 Jeep Compass
  By tinocco - July 21 - 2:00 am

  Ive had mine for more than 2 years, I got it when it had 21,000 mi. Now it has 55,000 mi. Ive had two problems so far a sway bar link no big deal. But I got a problem with the power steering is leaking and I havent fixed yet I just put some liquid sealer and I hasnt leaked since. I got around 24- 26 mpg on hwy 19-21 city not bad. Over all Im happy with it.

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  2010 Jeep Compass 4DR 4WD Sport - 2010 Jeep Compass
  By phzzzt - July 19 - 12:45 pm

  Great car for the money. We get 26 MPG on the Xway and 23 City. Only problem is the screws holding the roof rack have all rusted. Im talking about a 16 month old car with under 16,000 miles that is kept in a garage. Since we noticed the rusting we have looked at other Compass parked and noticed they all have rusted roof rack screws. Dealer will replace the screws but not with stainless steel as they should be. Suggest that if you own a Compass. you check for the same problem.

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  Would I do it again? No - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By Lildeb - July 17 - 10:16 pm

  Bought new and had problems with brakes from day one. Always told no prob with them even after did not stop me and rear ended someone. Good thing holds up well with very minor damage in crash. Caliper froze while driving had to replace. Prob with CD player skipping on new store bought Cds. AC not very cool takes long time to cool cabin down. It is great in snow and fun to drive. Had other minor issues with vehicle and spent quite a few times in the shop only to be told could not find the problems. Lots of rattles after 4 years. Maintenance on this vehicle very expensive in comparison to others. Also I agree with everyone these seats do stain very very easily. Plain water stains.

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  engine light - 2002 Jeep Liberty
  By oma31093 - July 9 - 6:50 pm

  I bought a 2002 Jeep liberty as a pre owned car. Older lady drove it. So far we had no major problem except the engine light stays on. Took it to auto parts store did test and it said fuel cap. replaced that 3 times. Nothing. took it to dealer same result,they checked the car and found nothing told me fuel cap again. Bought another cap from them and light is still on. At 114000 miles it seems to start taken more and more gas..wet roads are also not a good thing. other then that I like to drive it and its been a good car so far

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  Run Away from this vehicle - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By DG - July 2 - 1:30 am

  This is perhaps the worst vehicle Ive ever owned. The materials used in the interior of the car are almost laughable. The Hemi does not give any more performance than my older BMW X5 with a 3.0, excluding towing. I currently get 13.5 mpg. Ive had it in for repair 4 times for various fault codes. Traction control cuts power for a long period of time even when slowly crossing railroad tracks. I honestly cant think of anything good to say about the car. Im just glad its a company vehicle and it will get turned in shortly. Stay away from this vehicle at all costs. I wanted to buy American--but I should have bought an import made in America. Look at the Nissan Armada, BMW X5 as alternates.