Motor Trend compares 2012 Jeep Wrangler with its 1945 CJ forebearer

It has been over 70 years since the first Jeep rolled off the assembly line. The legendary off-road machine was instrumental to the Allied victory in World War II, and it became such a big hit with servicemen that the CJ was built for civilians after the war.

More than 65 years after that first commercial CJ hit the streets, the Jeep name is still going strong. But how much different is the 1945 CJ than the current Wrangler? Motor Trend looked into the transformation of the Jeep, and it translated its findings into an informative video.

Hit the jump to watch the video for yourself. The latest Wrangler may be two feet longer, nearly twice as heavy and feature almost five times more power than the original CJ, but the functionality that makes the Jeep a big hit with off-road enthusiast remains intact.