The Jeep is the No. 1 choice when in comes to off-roading.
The Jeep is a specialty automotive manufacturer with a long chronicle of producing trucks and SUVs capable of off-highway adventures. This is why the term “jeep” is used by many to refer all SUVs, whether the vehicle is a true Jeep or not.
Jeep initially came from the name of the now-iconic four-wheel-drive military vehicle produced by Willys-Overland and Ford for the U.S. Army in WWII. The name’s origin seems a mystery. A popular belief is that it transformed from "GP," or "general purpose”. But others have claimed it was a nickname got from a character featured in the Popeye comic strip during that time.
The first civilian Jeep, the CJ-2A, was introduced in the mid-1940s. This was probably the time when Jeep hard top hoist was first improved. The CJ-2A had several features, like a tailgate, an external fuel cap and a side-mounted spare tire, unavailable on military versions and was mainly for farmers and construction workers.
Civilian Jeeps were welcomed by the public. New models like the CJ-3B and the CJ-5 had been introduced in the 1950s. Among Jeep vehicles, the CJ-5 had the longest production run, continuing for 3 decades after its introduction in the early '50s. At that time, the company changed owners as Willys-Overland was sold to Kaiser in 1953.
In the 1960s, Jeep started production with the debut of its Wagoneer. Intended for active families, this early SUV was the first four-wheel-drive vehicle with an automatic transmission. In 1965, a new "Dauntless" V6 became optionally available on the CJ-5 and CJ-6. That was the first time that a Jeep CJ could be run with a V6. Having 155 horses, the engine's horsepower almost doubled that offer by the standard four-cylinder.
Jeep had changed ownership in 1970s but again with the acquisition of Kaiser-Jeep by American Motors Corporation. The CJ-7, Scrambler, and other new models were rolled out. Moreover, with the introduction of the world's first automatic full-time four-wheel-drive system, the company exposed some new technologies. Named Quadra-Trac, it was available in the CJ-7 and also in full-size Jeep trucks and wagons. During this decade, Jeep's fortunes largely escalated as four-wheel-drive vehicles became increasingly famous with large sections of American buyers.
The Cherokee and Wrangler were introduced in the 1980s. The former was one of the first of the new breed of SUVs — midsize wagons that soared like skyrockets in popularity as the decade progressed; the latter replaced the CJ series in 1987 and offered the raw functionality of the CJ alongside more features designed to further add comfort to the rugged ute. In the same year, Chrysler purchased American Motors, thereby making the jeep brand part of Chrysler's Jeep/Eagle division.
The merging of Chrysler and Daimler-Benz made Jeep a part of the DaimlerChrysler lineup. Though always a relatively low-volume manufacturer, Jeep still has maintained a loyal group of customers; and that is because of its focused mission of building fearless, go-anywhere vehicles.
Tags: popular belief, spare tire, u s army, jeep vehicles