The Jeep is an iconic brand, well known around the globe. This groundbreaking brand has become a household name, a legend of sorts. The Jeep has had a long and storied history as well, having changed ownership numerous times over the course of its existence, so much so that it really is a marvel to think that it has survived. It just proves that the Jeep is such a useful invention that it's the people that have kept it around, not the ownership.
Jeep started in war times, with the origin of the name a big mystery. The most widely held explanation is that it's slang from the designation "G.P" which stood for "General Purpose" Truck. There are numerous other theories as well.
It wasn't long before AMC bought the company from Willys-Overland, and started making civilian Jeeps (CJ models) along with many of the best Jeeps this world has seen. It wasn't until 1987 that Chrysler acquired Jeep, and in fact, all of AMC.
Chrysler has taken the Jeep and made it even more palatable for an even broader audience, and that has meant sacrificing many of the things that Jeep used to be all about. Yes, indeed, over the course of their ownership, it would be easy to say that Chrysler has released more Jeep models that fall way short of the mark than it has made good ones. With that in mind, let's take a look at 10 Chrysler Jeeps that fell way short of the mark, and 10 that are pretty good.
20 Way Short: Patriot
One of the worst things that Chrysler has done for Jeep is to eliminate the off-road worthiness from many of their models, even the ones that are supposed to be off-road capable. Although, the Jeep Patriot was never marketed as an off-roader, or really anything besides a wheezy, ugly, entirely mediocre Chrysler SUV. Seems a bit of a shame, considering the virtually royal blood that Jeeps descend from, and the things that their ancestors were capable of. They even say that the original Willy's was what inspired Land Rover. Can you imagine? It's hard to imagine considering the sad state of the car in the above picture.
19 Amazing: Grand Cherokee SRT
The newest Grand Cherokee SRT is a spectacular, top of the line luxury SUV offered by Chrysler. There is a picture of a jet in the photo because this beast of a machine raced it. That's right, a 6.4 Liter Hemi V8 cranking out 461 horsepower against an agile airborne racer, head to head in a speedy lap. Who won? Well, it is a high powered and incredibly fast aeronautic marvel of engineering that it's up against, and at the end of the day it really is just a Chrysler, but, surprisingly, it won the race by a very narrow margin. Pretty dope.
18 Way Short: Compass
Perhaps the most unacceptable of all the Chrysler Jeeps, this is the ugly impostor crossover otherwise known as the Jeep Compass. With dismal styling, a less-than-appealing front end, absolutely no ground clearance or off-road capability, and weak power & performance specs, there really is no excusing this Jeep for anything other than what it is: a sad attempt by Chrysler to normalize the Jeep. Jeeps should never be anything but the unforgiving, unapologetic 4x4 machines that they were designed and loved to be. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but the Compass really is one of the worst Jeeps ever made.
17 Amazing: Grand Wagoneer
As we mentioned, Jeep virtually created the SUV as we know it today. And they did it with this: The Grand Wagoneer. In my mind, this is one of the greatest Jeeps of all time. Chrysler did something right here. The Wagoneer married luxury with an SUV in a way that had never been done before, and soon after this gained popularity, so did the concept that a rugged capable vehicle could also be comfortable, practical, and even luxurious like Land Rover has very aptly proven. The best part is that this thing does pretty well off-road, too.
16 Way Short: Wrangler JK
The Wrangler JK is essentially a Wrangler with a short bed. While many people seemed to like the idea of once again having a Jeep pickup, the fact is that this one is just plain ugly. It's not easy to look at, and the JK designation calls to mind the colloquial meaning: "Just Kidding." If only Chrysler was kidding when they released this ugly Wrangler with missing seats. They're making a new truck, too, the 2020 Gladiator. Except it kind of just looks like a disproportionate Wrangler. Some of us wish that Chrysler would ante up and just make the pickup concept they released at the Easter Jeep Safari .
15 Amazing: Comanche
The Jeep Comanche is a great example of exactly how to make a successful Jeep pickup. The Jeep Comanche was based off the wildly successful Jeep Cherokee made at the same time, and it proved to be, like its parent car, a great success. Unlike the new JK, the very, very ugly new Comanche, or perhaps even the newest Gladiator, this truck has timeless styling and the ability to find it's way into the hearts of every owner, due to the fact that it didn't at any point sacrifice brutal practicality and capability for anything.
14 Way Short: Wrangler Call Of Duty Black Ops Edition
Over the course of Chrysler ownership, there has been a selection of poor Jeep models that had to be stuck with a pop-culture reference that at one time was vogue but quickly became outdated. There was the Lara Croft edition, in lieu of the particularly unwatchable movie featuring Angelina Jolie, and then there was this: The Call of Duty Black Ops edition. If there was ever a more tacky and pointless Jeep model, this one is almost all the way up there. There wasn't anything special about this special edition, either, just blacked out trim and decals. Marketing gimmick, anyone?
13 Amazing: 2007 SRT8
In more recent times Chrysler has taken a hankering to making Jeeps that aren't really about being off-roaders but instead being very powerful beasts. The SRT8 is a big mark in that era, proving to be a pretty awesome SUV, despite its branching away from the main vein of what Jeeps were once all about. With a 6.1 Liter 420 horsepower Hemi engine underneath the hood, this Jeep was messing with some power figures reserved once only for the likes of sports cars and luxury European coupes. The end result was an astounding hit.
12 Way Short: Liberty
The Jeep Liberty marks the beginning of a really big slump for Chrysler Jeep, and we will be featuring a couple of the models from the same era. The Liberty, like the Compass, gave no pretenses of being able to handle itself off the pavement, and it was a cheap car with bad design in almost every way. Inexcusable ride height, atrociously incapable suspension, cheap interior, bad gearing, and even worse gas mileage all added up to the kind of car that found itself firmly parked outside high schools and colleges all over the nation, hardly worthy of the Jeep name.
11 Cherokee Trackhawk
The Jeep Cherokee Trackhawk is the latest incarnation of the wickedly powerful, luxury super SUV. Where the SRT was never lacking, the Trackhawk compensates. It really is a pointless display of the engine capacity that Chrysler has available as a mega-corporation. Taking the same engine found in the Hellcat Challenger and a few other Chrysler models, they stuff it inside a Grand Cherokee and this is the result. While it's not a feat of specialized engineering by a long shot, the end result is still pretty cool, considering it puts out 707 horsepower.
10 Way Short: Commander
The Jeep Commander is one giant box with four wheels. There's nothing remarkable about the Jeep Commander, save its absolutely massive size. It had three rows of seating, instead of the typical two, and it really served no purpose except to cater to families who didn't want to buy a minivan. That, in many people's minds, is not what a Jeep should stand for, especially considering its inability to off-road. NY Daily News puts it quite aptly: "The Commander was only 2 inches longer than the Jeep Grand Cherokee, but about 400 pounds heavier. If ever there was a car that needed a diet and a treadmill, the Commander was it."
9 Amazing: Wrangler Rubicon
The Wrangler Rubicon is, essentially, a four-door version of the standard Wrangler. When it was first debuted, it had mixed reception. People didn't like the idea of adding doors to an already perfect formula. But, as time went on, it has proven to become a much more practical and useful incarnation of the Wrangler, while still remaining just as incredibly capable off-road. Why not be able to bring your friends four wheeling when you go up the mountain? More people almost always means more fun to be had. The Wrangler Rubicon allows just that to be possible.
8 Way Short: 1993 Grand Wagoneer
NY Daily News tells us about just how bad this model of the Wagoneer was, mostly because it was brought back by Chrysler as nothing more than a revival of a brand name:: "When an automaker “brings back” a nameplate, they’re usually on the prowl for quick sales at the expense of brand legacy – legacy built off the memories of a formerly great vehicle. . . Jeep ends the Grand Wagoneer SJ in 1991. But wait! There’s more! They bring back the name two years later and slap it on the top trim of the Grand Cherokee ZJ." It didn't work very well, hence why this Chrysler Jeep falls way short.
7 Amazing: 1993 Grand Cherokee
A classic, the first Jeep Grand Cherokee is perhaps the best Jeep Cherokee. When it first came out it was a smashing hit, too. It was originally designed to replace the already existing (and already fabulous) Jeep Cherokee. Alas, the Cherokee was just too good of an SUV, so they decided to just sell both of them, according to Automobile Magazine. They sold side by side for many years, and in fact, are still sold as parts of the current Jeep lineup. Though there is a reason the newer models aren't featured as good Jeeps.
6 Way Short: 2016 Cherokee
The 2016 Jeep Cherokee is perhaps the ugliest car to come out of the 21st century. That may sound like an overstatement, but no one can deny just how, ahem, difficult it is to look at. It really should be classified as a road hazard. In fact, that is much more accurate than it should be, because Chrysler had to do a massive recall, due to the fact that it was possible for someone to hack into any Cherokee and control virtually every part of it, the gas pedal, brakes, engine, you name it. According to wired.com, this recall affected over 1.4 million vehicles. Talk about letting down the brand name.
5 Amazing: Wrangler TJ
There's not much that can be said about the Wrangler TJ beyond just how iconic, rugged, capable, well received and universally love this little SUV has proved to be. The Wrangler, at its most basic model, is a marvelous wonder of engineering, a little off-roader that can take on anything. It's rampant popularity has led to entire communities and sub-cultures being formed around them, and a huge aftermarket has grown, with parts and accessories, most centered around making these capable SUVs even more capable. The world would be a much different place without the production of the Chrysler Wrangler TJ.
4 Way Short: 2007 Wrangler
While the Wrangler itself is a pretty legendary creation that can honestly be attributed, at least in major part, to Chrysler (though AMC had already created the YJ when bought out) the company went through quite the slump, according to nydailynews.com, throughout the mid-2000s. The Jeep Wrangler was not immune to this slump, where Chrysler seemed to be floundering as to what to do with the brand name and struggling with how to make a car that would actually, you know, work. Best to just buy a newer model of Wrangler. Or just go for a classic AMC CJ-5, 7, or even 8.
3 Amazing: Wrangler Unlimited
The Wrangler Unlimited is the top of the line model you can buy of the Jeep Wrangler, and it is likely worth it to get this model because apart from the extra trim, it has a lot of extra beef. This model is kind of like the ultimate assimilation of everything that Chrysler was/is trying to go for with their goal of making the off-road SUV more on-road friendly. While many will agree that has been taken too far, it can't be said of the Wrangler Unlimited, which marries simple comfort and luxury with some incredible off-road capabilities, making it one amazing Chrysler Jeep.
2 Way Short: 2007 Grand Cherokee
The Grand Cherokee from 2007 was pretty not grand indeed, falling way short of the mark. Which mark? Well, any mark, really. Especially the benchmark of the Jeep name, what it stands for, and what it created. Then there's the benchmark that is merely an adequate SUV, which this one really wasn't. Not for the price, not for what you got. Cheap interior, bad gas mileage, rife with reliability problems, especially transmission (it is a Chrysler, after all) all make this Grand Cherokee the antithesis of its very name. The irony here is that technically Jeep created the SUV as we know it today.
1 Amazing: 1995 Jeep Cherokee
The Jeep Cherokee remains to this day as one of the most iconic SUVs produced. There was just something that was so perfect about its styling, despite its rugged and no frills boxiness, that just worked. Even today, the older Jeep Cherokees don't look out of touch at all, unlike, for example, our entry feature of the Jeep Compass, yet they were made over twenty years ago. What the Cherokee has become, of course, is an entirely different subject, but these classic Cherokee's are timeless. newcartestdrive.com says "the Cherokee’s basic story is competent affordability. And that’s what it delivers." Written in 1999, that statement still holds true.
Sources: Jeep Blog, Car and Driver & Jalopnik