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 :( - 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By carguru12 - December 5 - 11:17 pm

  We have owned this Jeep since it was brand new. The performance is great on the V8, as is the features we have (leather, navigation, DVD, satellite radio) but we take great care of our vehicles, and unfortunately this generation of Grand Cherokee has held up the worst of all of the ones weve owned (weve owned three out of the four generations of Grand Cherokee). The center console lid is worn, the rear DVD headphones broke, etc. They claim it is "quieter than a Jaguar S-Type 3.0", but the transmission is quite noisy. I dont recommend this generation of Grand Cherokee.

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  Mediocre at Best - 2001 Jeep Cherokee
  By jc - December 4 - 7:16 am

  I had to have the transmission replaced after 6 years. Of course, I could be dealing with a dishonest repair shop. Chronic problem with number 3 misfire, rattling, drive train seems to clunk in rear and under shifter. I am not rough on the car, I do not off road, but I do use the car off road occasionally for hunting, fishing, or snowy conditions.

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  2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee - Laredo Sport - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By jdp - November 28 - 2:43 pm

  I bought this vehicle for my college age son who drove it to school. The transmission went out at 75K miles Recently, he has had problems with the starter (intermittent starting problems). I was hesitant to buy a Chrysler product due to known quality and reliabilty issues but decided to take a chance on Jeep because he liked it. Never again! Once everything is corrected, I will sell the vehicle and buy a Honda.

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  FAILS OFF ROAD - 2008 Jeep Liberty
  By Jack Kavanaugh - November 28 - 3:53 am

  The "Trail Rated" designation for this vehicle is a joke. This vehicle is fine; in fact very good, on pavement but a complete dud off road. The Sky Slider roof is noisy at highway speeds but the dealer tells me that that can be fixed. There is no way to fix the off road performance even with lifters. The ground clearance is just inadequate; a moderate two track ranch road results in intolerable high centering. Jeep trails are out of the question.

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  Chris from Philadelphia - 1998 Jeep Wrangler
  By Chris from Phila. - November 27 - 9:40 am

  Bought this Jeep from a private sale. It was a completely base model when bought except for A/C. Put new top, tinted windows, "Canyon" wheels, fog lights to pep it up a little bit. I replaced the radiator at 115,000 miles, power steering pump blew at 133,000 miles, replaced muffler 4 times and cat. converter 3 times. Chrysler had a recall on it but I was out of warranty and over the mileage.

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  Love my Jeep! - 1998 Jeep Wrangler
  By jeeper - November 27 - 2:00 am

  I bought the Jeep to drive to my office daily (1 mile) and for weekends off the beaten path. The Jeep has done these things without problem. I bought the Jeep knowing full well its strengths and weaknesses and have not been disapointed. The Wrangler is not a highway cruiser, but I have driven it on several long road trips and can only complain about the road noise and lack of power. Gas mileage is poor for a 4 cyl. Off road it cant be beat.

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  I could have done better - 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By gamma500 - November 26 - 12:33 am

  Leased this Limited 4.7 AWD..at 1,600 miles had catastrophic transmission failure not uncommon with the Daimler 300 series auto tranny. Opted for new Jeep replacement after they wanted to give back original with drivetrain removed and replaced. 2nd vehicle had a locked rear caliper so I got new rear brakes after a few miles. So-so gas mileage and typical V-8 (USA style) performance, i.e. mediocre which WOT producing a lot of engine thrashing noise but little acceleration. Large A pillars and bulky rear view mirror setup makes for large forward, lt/rt. blind spots. Interior plastic soft and easily scratched, like "soft" exterior paint. Comfortable seating, moderate rear leg room,

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  Dont buy this vehicle! - 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Jim - November 24 - 4:10 am

  I purchased my Jeep with 20K miles and at the time thought it was a good investment. Ive owned it for 4 years now and its been in the shop at least a half dozen times for electrical related problems. First the lights wouldnt work, then the automatic windows, then the bucking and stalling, now its the directionals. These are cheap fixes either. Each trip to the shop seems to cost $400. This is the least reliable vehicle Ive ever owned. Ill never buy another Chrysler product and neither should anyone else.

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  [non-permissible content removed] - 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By johnoyed - November 20 - 5:41 am

  5 time jeep owner, Lease 2011 jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. Warning lights start blinking , Hard time starting, rear cam doesnt work. They say its the mother board. Under warranty- Great!!. BUTTTTTTT it will take 2 weeks to get it and they will not give me a free rental. Im paying lease, insurance, garage on a car that is out of commission for 2 weeks because of warrantied parts and they want me to pay for rental car. So i guess a warranty doesnt mean anything. Last time having a jeep.

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  Appalled... - 2008 Jeep Wrangler
  By jrut1 - November 16 - 7:56 pm

  I bought a used Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited with 45k miles. By 65,000 Im totally disgusted. I had planned to drive this thing until it was dead. No idea it would happen so soon. Its a jeep, with the looks and the fun to drive aspect. And thats where it ends. Ive had: - cracked exhaust manifold - o2sensors go out - catalytic converter go out (thank g-d a federal warranty makes these guys fix it!) - radio (xm/Sirius) go out - repeated "hot oil" (transmission) warnings during MILD 4WD - roof leaks I bought this vehicle thinking it would be a rugged, reliable vehicle that would last as long as I kept fluids clean. Whoops. One time buyer...