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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  Why Why would you buy this? - 2008 Jeep Compass
  By Center - November 4 - 3:43 am

  My father just bought this car. We both thought that for the price it was a good buy. How disappointed we both were. In fact so disappointed that after exactly 9 days we returned the car. The interior is horrible. Looks like a cheap fake toy car. Buttons are poorly built. No interesting options (i.e. USB connections etc nothing) Though the car has only 4 cylinders it consumes way more than the design info states. The fact that for this price it 4 wheel drive is not standard is shocking especially when compared to others like the Grand Vitara (for 2 k more than the compass) or the Tuscon (or less or the same price as the compass)

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  worst vehicle owned.... - 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Mikew_98 - November 2 - 10:00 am

  In the year and a half I have owned the vehicle, I have spent in excess of $2600 in repairs on it. Drivetrain is great and very reliable. Do not get one with and bells and whistles, it will only frustrate you to have to try and deal with Chrysler to get anything on it fixed =/

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  Great Utility Vehicle - 2001 Jeep Cherokee
  By autoengineer - October 29 - 6:26 pm

  Jeep defined the SUV with the Cherokee. This is my second one (first was a 1996, same color - black; I drove to 185k miles). They did a nice job refinishing the interior. Jeeps can do anything - I pull a 5000lb boat, haul carpentry tools and materials and drive through 3 feet of fresh snow (before the plows clear).

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  Bad brakes - 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By mas - October 28 - 10:00 am

  Expect that every 12,000 miles you will have to replace the rotors. And our dealer even told us that Chrysler was of no help. Now, at 36 K , shocks need to be replaced. 99.99 % suburban driving !! Never again.

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  Worst Thing thats ever Happened To Me! - 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By omarus - October 27 - 3:38 pm

  I bought the Laredo X 4x4 about 6 month ago, You would think built for resistance.... WRONG.... First 2 Months The passenger door didnt close, about 2 weeks in the shop, second 2 months, the keyless entry stopped being keyless... as a matter of fact it didnt even Start... about to weeks more in the shop, third 2 months, the alternator stopped working... it has been two weeks and its still in the shop... the most fun part of this junk its the international warranty policy: NONE!!!!!!!! but hey, this aint america wright? i hope this post help somebody to make the right choice and NOT buy this crappy metal ensemble. Im going back to Japan... At least you know what you are paying for...

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  think about another brand - 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By tmarmo - October 19 - 10:00 am

  This was my first and last mopar product. The jeep definitely needs more Benz influence to improve the product. Good thing that my local servicing dealer takes very good care of me. The transfer case leaked, the electric fan was replaced, the engine stalls and restarts when it feels like it. The brake rotors are too flimsy, I have replaced 2 sets of rotors already. 4 wheel drive works intermittently, has let me down a few times when needed. Not a real bad vehicle, but Im going back to A GM product, which had much better quality.

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  Fun in the summer.............. - 2000 Jeep Wrangler
  By DAKOTA - October 15 - 2:00 am

  This jepp was bought almost a year ago. Immediately got rid of the woosie tires...then the transmission fell apart.After 6 visits to the dealer they put a new drop in and it now works perfect. Gas mileage is poor, yeah thats a good word for it..Have had fun driving in the summer but the winter its a little scary in the snow.

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  Its average - 2009 Jeep Liberty
  By adrian - September 26 - 10:00 am

  I have owned it for more than a year and no problems with the powertrain. Little things break all the time, door molding fell off and roof molding which was held on by double stick tape.The truck squeaks like its 20 years old and the dealer cant fix it been there 4 times for that and it wont start sometimes have to keep playing with key in the ignition.

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  ALMOST SATISFIED - 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By HKAY - September 22 - 2:00 am

  First year I had the car about 6 times back to the dealer. Changed shocks, alternator, battery, squeeky window, rear gear with a loud bang changed parts still scares my kids sometimes

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  STAY AWAY - 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By SEVE - September 20 - 2:00 am

  5 TIMES BACK TO THE DEALER ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,ROLLER COASTER OFFERS A BETTER RIDE,STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!