Overview & Reviews

One of America's most storied automotive brands, Dodge has been around since the early days of the auto industry. In the past couple of decades, it has revitalized itself to be a producer of aggressively styled and performance-oriented vehicles.

Two brothers, Horace and John Dodge, began the Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicle company in 1914, after having worked as manufacturers of bicycles and automotive parts. Their first vehicle was a touring car that proved a fast favorite with car buyers; it was soon joined by a roadster and a four-door sedan. By 1917, the company's model line had grown to include trucks. Dodge cars and trucks were used as staff vehicles and ambulances in World War I.

Dodge was briefly owned by a banking firm and subsequently sold by its new owner to the Chrysler Corporation in 1928. From there, the brand slowly evolved into the division responsible for trucks and performance-oriented cars. Post WWII, Dodge introduced vehicles like the military-inspired Power Wagon truck, Hemi-powered Coronet and the Royal Lancer; in addition, the manufacturer began offering dealer-installed air-conditioning.

Vehicles like the Dodge Dart and the Coronet kept the manufacturer in American driveways throughout the 1960s. That decade also saw the launch of one of Dodge's most iconic vehicles, the Charger. Dodge's muscle car was based on the Coronet platform, and featured a fastback roof line, hidden headlamps and a full-width taillamp panel. Best of all, the Charger could pack one heck of a wallop under the hood. A 318-cubic-inch V8 was standard, but buyers seeking maximum brawn could upgrade to a 426-cubic-inch, 425-hp Hemi V8. The company also introduced a Mustang-fighting pony car, called the Challenger, in 1970.

As with other American auto manufacturers, Dodge's fortunes started to slip in the '70s due to changing tastes and increased competition. The company was saved from extinction in the early '80s thanks to government loans and the sales success of its Omni and Aries economy cars (the former an attempted copy of the VW Rabbit). But 1984 was when Dodge made its mark in the history books with the introduction of the wildly popular Caravan. Ideal for families and able to seat up to seven, the space-efficient Caravan started a whole new vehicle segment -- the minivan.

The early '90s saw the company wow the public with the V10-powered Viper roadster and an all-new Ram pickup that set a new standard for big-rig-like styling. A few years later, Dodge came to be part of DaimlerChrysler, a result of the merger of the German company Daimler (owner of Mercedes-Benz) and Chrysler.

The merger never really worked, however, and Daimler sold Chrysler and Dodge to a private equity firm in 2007. Soon after, America's economy slid into recession. Due to poor sales and debt, Chrysler had to declare bankruptcy. The federal government intervened and eventually Dodge came under control of Fiat, a European automaker known for its small cars, an area where Dodge's entries had been roundly criticized for mediocre build quality and unrefined performance.

More recent years have seen Dodge concentrate on the more practical vehicles in its lineup, making notable improvements to the performance and overall quality of its midsize Avenger sedan and Journey SUV entries. Dodge also spun off its truck line, making it a separate Ram brand. But make no mistake; Dodge is still considered Chrysler's performance division thanks to cars like the Challenger and Charger. Time will tell how successful Dodge's latest makeover is.

User Reviews:

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  Service & Maintain daily or DIE - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By Dale Clark - January 3 - 5:03 pm

  If your not a ocd car person get your wallet out. Its down hill quick once something goes wrong. Its like everything relys on everything. Condition is everything. If its been beat it falls apart litteraly ! 2.7 is a pocket rocket . mine is at 200000k and the water pump has given up. Putting it together now. Be warned repair here $585. Not cheap.

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  Very dependable - 2008 Dodge Nitro
  By Jackie - January 2 - 8:28 am

  I have had my Nitro for 8 years. Replaced front brakes once and water pump once . Other than regular oil changes no problems. Good investment. Paid for for several years. Think Ill keep it. Life time warranty.

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  To Durango or not to Durango? - 2015 Dodge Durango
  By Audra - December 21 - 8:06 pm

  My husband and I have expanded our family with a new baby so it was time to upgrade our vehicle. We looked at several SUV’s from Chevy to Toyota, crossing Buicks and Fords, we even visited the jeep. The Durango was the very first vehicle I drove (test) and none of the other really gave us what all we wanted not only in space and safety but also price and comfort. We also have a 21 foot camper we haul therefore whichever vehicle we bought would need appropriate towing capabilities. Our dealership really hooked us up with some awesome warranties and life time powertrain coverage (with stipulations). Thus our buying experience was very pleasing after 10 days of running around everywhere comparing. Now I have owned my new Durango for almost a month. My review…I love how it drives and hugs the road. My children have their own separate seats and there is no issue with crossing each other’s paths. I am pleased that if one of them turns on the lights in the back, it does not cause any distractions with my driving I do not even know it’s on actually. Most of the extras like heated seats and multi adjusting seats are nice to have for convince and comfort. My husband is 6”6 and husky. I am 5”9 and a lil fluffy and we have plenty of room together no matter who’s driving. I can also sit in the back seat and tend to my newborn comfortably. Third row seats, my four year old love them. The GPS is a pain is the bottom though. It is one that I am working on figuring out. The voice recognition is not exactly my cup of tea. It’s like asking for a representative when you call the IRS… I do have a slight accent so I am not sure if this is the issue. Works good for making phone calls but if I want to go somewhere new I have to add 5 minutes to my itinerary to mess with it and pray I don’t hit it with a hammer. The Automatic high beams are not as punctual as I would like them to be. I feel I blind a quarter of the other drivers and another quarter thinks I am a vixen because the high beams flash on and off at times making it seem as though I am asking them to dim their light…thus I get flashed back. And last the rear hatch door does not seem to have a safety sensor for object in the way while it automatically shuts. So push the button and shuffle quickly out of the way. The good thing is, is that all my issues can be resolved by disabling them through the vehicles settings. I hope this helps anyone looking into this vehicle, as for me I will be keeping mine for a while!

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  Best of the best - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By Russell Galloway - December 21 - 12:17 pm

  My 03 Durango is the best suv I have ever owned. I have owned 03 for Ford Escape poor mileage, oil leaks 3 alternators The list goes on and on. My Durango is the best car I have ever owned. In fact I want another one this time a 4 x4. All these reviews talk about bad gas mileage, I get 18 plus around town, if I turn off the AC I get in the low 20s. It is the best value for a used auto you can buy. My Escape was stolen which now was actually a blessing since I got my Durango. I havent had this much fun driving with so much power ( 4.7 ) since my 1968 Camaro SS. The guy I bought it from purchased it from a buddy who had it sitting in a barn for a year. The lady that owned it didnt check the oil. Well after some partial rebuild this thing screams. I love this auto my only regret is I wish it was a 4x4 but I know with the correct tires and a lift kit you can go anywhere. I hope this helps you in your decision to purchase a Durango. One thing to to consider is the 03s are part of Mercedes partnership with Dodge

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  A great basic car - 1992 Dodge Spirit
  By Lubener - December 21 - 9:48 am

  The best car I have owned. I do the maitenance myself and has been extremely reliable( 2.5 engine w/ 3spd auto).. It is easy and cheap to work on. Unfortunately, having been through 24 winters, the underside is starting to fall apart but the sheet metal above still looks good. I have no complaints with my Spirit.

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  Solid Vehicle - Plan to keep for 10+ years - 2015 Dodge Durango
  By Gary Hackett - December 16 - 12:31 pm

  Purchase experience was excellent - Dealer experience was the best. Great looking vehicle that drives and runs well. Well built, quality SUV that I plan to keep and drive for many years

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  Highly Impressed - 2015 Dodge Charger
  By NOMJR - December 11 - 10:53 pm

  I didnt know what to expect, but my time and money was well spent. I highly recommend this vehicle for your next purchase.

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  Jazz Blue Beast - 2014 Dodge Challenger
  By Jason - December 10 - 6:59 pm

  I love my Challenger! I special ordered a R/T base with some options (HID Headlights, Sound Group II, Sunroof). Power from the 5.7 is adequate, but it isnt exactly fast considering how heavy the car is. I solved that little problem with a ProCharger, now it moves with authority like an SRT8 (490 wheel horsepower), but without the insurance costs. Its big, roomy, and for the most part, comfortable. Enormous trunk. I do have a hard time finding a comfortable driving position for long drives though. The car would benefit greatly from either more telescoping in the steering column, power adjustable pedals, or moving the shifter (6spd) back farther toward the driver. The car rides like a Cadillac. Optional HID headlights work very well, and are bi-xenon, so you get both low & high beams in HID. Optional mid-level stereo (Sound Group II) is absolutely amazing. You can crank any type of music up to full volume with no distortion. The first thing youll want to do is toss the 18" "green" low rolling resistance Michelins in the garbage, and get a set of proper tires to keep from roasting rubber. Then, youll need to get a Barton shifter to keep from constantly missing 3rd, and to eliminate the ridiculous throw from 4-5. A skip shift eliminator or programmer is also mandatory. I didnt buy a manual transmission to be forced to shift from 1 to 4!!!!!!! Bluetooth "works", but takes quite some time to pair. And quite some time again when it un-pairs right after you get out on the road! And dont bother turning off the incoming SMS message alert... no matter how many times you turn this confounded feature OFF, it still breaks into the music for EVERY single text message. A new aftermarket head unit is in my near future. The voice recognition sucks. If you need to call "home", good luck. Im not sure how the engineers who designed the voice recognition system talk, but I have tried every conceivable way of saying "home", and the car simply refuses to call home. There is an option that allows the car to learn your voice. Its a joke, dont bother wasting your time. I love the retro styling, but it does make for some LOUSY outward visibility to the sides. Lane changes are basically floor it and pray you can get ahead of whoever may happen to be in that ENROMOUS blind spot. If blind spot detection had been available in 2014, Id have ordered it for sure. If you get the 6spd (of course you did, who buys an automatic muscle car?!) do yourself a favor and get the resonators removed right away. It makes the car sound like it should have from the factory. There is no drone on the 6spd (autos drone and sound like crap when MDS kicks in, youre better off leaving the stock exhaust in place)

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  Overall great car - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By orangehogger2005@live.com - December 8 - 9:03 pm

  I bought my Nitro off the lot brand new. It now has 103,000 miles and still running strong. Radio quit working at around 30,000 miles and the entire thing quit working around 50,000 miles. Sound does sound good, though. In about a year the plastic at leading edge of the roof rack rail lifted up due to ice expansion . Right after 100,000 miles the throttle control module and map sensor went out and cost around 800 dollars to repair. I find this to be a normal wear and tear issue. The exterior paint looks brand new. Reliable and good in the snow and ice here in Chicago. Interior spacious and I find it comfortable. Ive had it for 9 years now and NEVER regretted buying this product, which is the first Dodge Ive bought. Overall I LOVE this vehicle.

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  Love my Avenger! - 2012 Dodge Avenger
  By Brenda Coleman - December 6 - 9:13 pm