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Jeepology 101: The Essence of Jeep*
*Jeep is a registered trademark of the DaimlerChrysler Corporation.
So what the heck is up with this Jeep thing, anyway? A valid question uttered by many an uninitiated
soul when exposed to the Jeep phenomenon. Well, for those of you on the outside looking in, you've come to the right
place. Jeepology 101 will attempt to shed some light on our love of and devotion to these rugged machines. But be forewarned,
there are those who get it, and those who don't. Read on to find out which camp you reside in...
History, Heritage, and the Building of an American Icon
The cornerstone of its uniqueness, what sets the Jeep apart from common vehicles, is its place in American history.
Answering the invitation from the U.S. Army to provide proposals for a quarter-ton reconnaissance vehicle, American Bantam
designed and developed an early prototype that would evolve into the WWII Jeep. The Army had given specific instructions
as to the vehicle's specifications and capabilities. Ultimately, the initial contract to build the military Jeep (based
on the American Bantam design) was awarded to Willys-Overland, based on its strong "Go-Devil" 4-cylinder engine and the
company's larger production capacity. And so the Willys MB and its counterpart, the Ford GPW, were produced by
the hundreds of thousands as the WWII Jeep.
The importance of the Jeep to America and the Allies during WWII cannot be overstated. War correspondent Ernie
Pyle once commented on the Jeep's performance in combat: "It does everything. It goes everywhere. It's as
faithful as a dog, as strong as a mule, and as agile as a goat. It constantly carries twice what it was designed for,
and still keeps on going. It doesn't even ride so badly after you get used to it." The Jeep was put to a myriad
of uses; reconnaissance and troop transport, combat machine gun mount, field ambulance, and mobile communications platform.
Without the speed, capability, and dependability of the Jeep to fulfill its many military roles, it may not have been possible
for the Allies to win the war.
The Jeep received a hero's welcome after the war, and civilian versions of the WWII Jeep began production. Willys-Overland
expanded the Jeep line to include closed-cab utility models and pickup trucks. Built on rugged platforms with similar
off-road capabilities, these vehicles enjoyed tremendous success. Military Jeeps continued to serve the Armed Forces
through Korea, Vietnam, and the Cold War. Jeep became the most recognizable vehicle brand in the world. The word
Jeep became synonymous with off-road capability, ruggedness, reliability, and utility. Jeep vehicles would forever be
associated with the military workhorse that helped win WWII. Few vehicles can claim a history so rich in heritage and
so tightly woven into our American culture. Which is one of the reasons Jeep owners are so fiercely proud of their vehicles.
The Jeep brand has been owned by numerous companies since its inception in 1941. Originally designed and developed
by American Bantam, the first production model Jeeps were built by Willys-Overland and Ford, as noted above (although Ford
Motor Company built Jeeps under contract during WWII, the rights to the brand were owned by Willys-Overland). In 1953
Willys was purchased Kaiser-Frazer, and the company produced Kaiser Jeeps until 1969. At that time, Kaiser sold the
Jeep line to American Motors Corporation (AMC), who continued to produce Jeep vehicles until AMC was purchased by Chrysler
Corporation in 1987.
Under Chrysler's control, the Jeep brand flourished due to continuous product improvement, a successful marketing strategy,
and the introduction of what would become the best selling of all Jeep vehicles: the Grand Cherokee. The success of
the Jeep line in the 1990's led to a complete redesign of the Wrangler ('97), a mild redesign of the venerable Cherokee ('97),
and a completely new Grand Cherokee ('99). Careful managment of the Jeep brand resulted in vehicles that were even more
capable off-road, with more power, better fuel economy, and increased durability to boot. At the same time, Jeep vehicles
were made more comfortable, with additional comfort and convenience features never before available. These truly were
the "golden years" for Jeep, the entire product line enjoying significant improvements overall, while embracing its heritage
and furthering the very characteristics that make Jeep unique.
What's in a name?
From the original WWII military Jeeps to the latest Grand Cherokee, each vehicle in the line was referred to internally via
an alpha or alpha-numeric designation. The earliest post-war Jeeps were dubbed the CJ, for Civilian Jeep.
There were a number of variations on the CJ theme (they were also known as the "Universal" Jeeps), and the CJ title endured
from 1945 through 1986. Since you'll often hear die-hard jeepers use this designation when referring to their vehicles,
below is a reference guide detailing the model designations.
Military Models
- MA - The original prototype Jeep submitted by Willys-Overland for the military contract
in 1940; "M" stood for "military", "A" for the first model
- MB - The revised model first mass-produced by Willys-Overland for the military in
'40-'45; "B" stood for the second model
- GP - The original prototype Jeep submitted by Ford for the military contract in 1940;
"G" indicated government issue, "P" indicated an 80" wheelbase reconnaissance vehicle
- GPW - The revised model first mass-produced by Ford for the military in '40-'45;
it is virtually identical to the MB (the "W" stood for "Willys' design")
- M38 - aka MC - The next generation military Jeep produced by Willys ('50-52), similar
to the civilian CJ-3A; like all of the above models, it utilized a "flat-fender" design
- M38A1 - aka MD - Basically the military version of the CJ-5 ('52-'71); unlike
the CJ-5, it had the front shackles behind the springs instead of up front
- M-170 - A military version of the CJ-6 that shared the extended
wheelbase; 4155 of them were made in the mid-50's and early-60's
- M-715 - A 5/4-ton military pickup built '67-'69; it somewhat resembles a J-Truck
(SJ), only it's bigger and beefier; the M-725 was the ambulance version of the M-715
Civilian Models
- CJ - The first civilian version of the military-inspired short-wheelbase Jeep, produced
from '45-'86; encompasses everything from flat-fenders to Scramblers; like many other early Jeep designations, "CJ" actually
stands for something: Civilian Jeep; various numbers followed the CJ designation, indicating different body styles and wheelbases
within the CJ line:
- CJ-2A - The original civilian flat-fender model ('45-'49) , very similar
to the military MB except that the headlights bulge out of the grill instead of being inset
- CJ-3A - The second civilian flat-fender
model ('48-'53), very similar to the military M38; it was distinguished from the CJ-2A by its one-piece windshield
- CJ-3B - The final flat-fender model ('52-'68), the top of its hood
sits 4" higher above the fenders than the 3A to clear the new F-head engine
- CJ-4 - Only one prototype is known to exist, discovered in 1997(?); still in the
hands of its second owner, it looks like a 50/50 mix of a CJ-3A and a CJ-5, with only slightly-rounded fenders
- CJ-5 - The civilian version of the M38A1, but with the front shackles leading
the axle like most other models; 81" ('55-'71) or 83" ('72-'83) wheelbases were produced, with slightly rounded front
fenders like all subsequent short-wheelbase Jeeps; easily distinguished from the CJ-7 by a small doorway with a rounded,
sloping rear edge
- CJ-6 - Essentially a CJ-5 that was stretched 20" ('58-'75)
- CJ-7 - A compromise between the CJ-5 and CJ-6, having a 93.4" wheelbase (like
the later YJ and TJ); the body tub and dimensions are very similar to the YJ and TJ, but the rear wheel wells
are round instead of angular ('76-'86)
- CJ-8 - Also called a Scrambler, it was similar to a CJ-7, but with an extra
10" of wheelbase and a longer rear overhang; it was intended as a small pickup, but never really found its niche, with
only 27,000 produced from '81-'86; commonly seen with half-cab tops that surround only the front seats
- CJ-10 - A more truck-like Jeep built almost exclusively for export from '81-'85,
with a small number sold to the US Air Force for use in pulling aircraft around runways; these Jeeps had very stout drivetrains
compared with their smaller brethren, and are easily distinguished by the square headlights in the fenders and the 10-slat
grille
- Utility Models - A series of Jeep vehicles, known as the Utility Models, shared
a single basic platform and were produced from '46-'65; these included a station wagon, a panel delivery, and a number
of truck models
- VJ - The Jeepster ('48-'50) was an attempt by Willys to spice up their
vehicle lineup. 2WD, 72hp, and poor marketing doomed it to be discontinued after less than three years
- FC - Forward Control pickups, with the cab directly
above the engine ('57-'63)
- C-101 - The Jeepster Commando ('66-'73) was an attempt
by Kaiser to compete with with the Bronco and Toyota Land Cruiser; the C-101 was part CJ and part Wagoneer, advertised as
a "happy combo, racy and rugged"; this time around it had 4WD, and came in convertible, hardtop wagon, and half-cab pickup
configurations
- DJ-3A - Dispatcher (postal) version of the CJ-3A,
made '56-'65; only 2-wheel drive versions were produced
- DJ-5 - Dispatcher (postal) version of the CJ-5,
made '65-'86(?) by Jeep and then AM General; only 2-wheel drive versions were produced
- DJ-6 - (long, like the CJ-6) was also made from
'65-'68
- SJ - The full-size Cherokee ('74-'83), Wagoneer
('63-'83), Grand Wagoneer ('84-'91), and J-Truck; in '84, Jeep introduced the down-sized XJ, calling them Cherokees and Wagoneers,
leaving only the Grand Wagoneer in the SJ lineup until its demise in '91
- MJ - The Comanche pickup ('84-'91) shares much in
common with the XJ of the era, including its unibody chassis; it replaced the full-size J-Truck pickups of the SJ era
- YJ - The original Wrangler, produced '87-'95 (though
production actually continued into March of '96) used rectangular headlights for the first time in a short-wheelbase model;
rear wheel wells are larger and more angled than the CJ-7, but otherwise the two are visually quite similar
- XJ - The down-sized Cherokee ('84-'01) and Wagoneer ('84-'89) was the first
Jeep platform to use a unibody chassis rather than body on frame construction
- TJ - The second generation Wrangler, made '97-present (actually began shipping
May of '96); a return to round headlights and the first four-coil suspension on a short-wheelbase Jeep distinguish
it from the YJ
- KJ - The Liberty ('02-present), which replaced the XJ in Jeep's product lineup,
is easily distinguished by its round headlights and independent front suspension
- ZJ - The Grand Cherokee ('93-'98), which replaced the Grand Wagoneer (SJ) as
Jeep's luxury cruiser after a 1-year hiatus; smaller than the SJ, it was the first Jeep to utilize a four-coil suspension
- WJ - The second generation Grand Cherokee, this model was produced
with an optional 4-wheel drive system called Quadra-Drive which utilizes gerotor pump hydraulic technology in the
axles and transfer-case ('99-present)
The Swiss Army-Knife Factor
One of the most endearing characteristics of any Jeep vehicle is its split personality. Engineered into the Jeep
brand is the ability to fulfill many roles successfully - not unlike a multipurpose tool. Take, for instance, the
XJ Cherokee ('84-'01). Fairly inexpensive in any form, relative to other SUV's in its class, the XJ Cherokee was produced
with only minor changes to its platform throughout its 17-year production cycle. Yet it remained a top seller, right
through its last year of production. It offers several drivetrain choices, including part-time and full-time four-wheel
drive systems. It provides ample seating for five adults, along with a large rear cargo area. The rear seat can
be folded forward or removed altogether for more cargo room. It can tow up to 5000 pounds when properly equipped.
Its unibody construction makes it light and stiff, allowing for good gas mileage and a well-tuned suspension that is both
sporty and comfortable. It can be optioned with all the creature comforts of an upscale sedan. Yet off the showroom
floor it's capable of traversing terrain that only a handful of stock vehicles can conquer.
I own a '96 Cherokee Sport, and it is without a doubt the most flexible, fun, reliable, and versatile vehicle I've ever
owned. It serves as a comfortable, economical daily driver that is great in inclement weather. Fold down the rear seat
and it will swallow 15 bags of mulch. It's a great vacation vehicle, providing enough room for all of our clothes and
camping stuff, two disassembled dog crates, and a couple of four-legged family members. I've used it to flat-tow a Wrangler
from Ohio to Denver and through the Blue Ridge Mountains in the middle of summer. It has routinely pulled our 25-foot
travel trailer on vacation getaways. And it makes a fantastic off-road vehicle with just a few minor modifications.
Top it off with its reliability record at 135,000 miles, and you can see why Jeep is the Swiss Army-Knife of SUV's.
There's nothing like spending the day in 4-wheel drive low-range, challenging tough trails of dirt, rock, and mud, then hitting
the road in the comfort of an air-conditioned cabin for the ride home. That's utility!
The Adventure Factor
The SUV "image" sells a lot of vehicles. People want to drive vehicles that reflect their active lifestyles and
portray a rugged image, even if "active" and "rugged" apply more to their movie preferences than their lives. As Americans,
our cars, trucks, and SUV's say a lot about who we are - they're a statement of expression. Manufacturers are flooding
the market with rugged-looking (and some not-so-rugged looking) crossover vehicles and car-based SUV's in an attempt to capitalize
on this trend. Manufacturers know that, for most drivers, the image and utility of just about any SUV will satisfy them,
as proven by the large number of 2-wheel drive Ford Escapes, Honda CRV's, and RAV-4's sold each year.
Then there are a few manufacturers that still produce vehicles that can deliver the capability promised by their looks,
and that means true off-road capability. Jeep has always been at the forefront of this pack. Jeep vehicles instill their
owners with a sense of confidence and control, and they have the goods to back it up. Hop behind the wheel of a topless
CJ, YJ, or TJ and you'll immediately get it. Or you won't, in which case, you never will.
For those who do, there's no feeling like it. Just cruising along with the wind in your hair, the sun on your face,
and the open road in front of you, you'll begin to hear the call of the wild. You'll want to escape the congestion and
noise of the city for the solitude of a quiet forest, the majesty of mountain sunset, or the serenity of a desert evening
spent by a campfire. And once you give in, you're hooked. You'll begin to associate your most memorable outings
with your Jeep. You'll get a charge out of pitting yourself and your Jeep against tough trail obstacles, testing the
limits of both, honing your driving skills and your nerve all at once. You'll begin to develop a bond with your vehicle
that you can't get from a trip to the mall. And when you pass another Jeep owner, you'll wave and smile because you
both know that you share a secret that others don't understand.
That's the essence of the Jeep "thing". Either you get it, or you never will.
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