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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  Intrepid rocks! - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By Doug95B - June 18 - 2:00 am

  Love it! great colour (Burgandy) tonnes of room! comfort, fun to drive, looks cool and its impossible to lock your doors with keys left in ignition!

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  fun to drive - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By TERRA - June 18 - 2:00 am

  I had a 1995 dodge neon and it had practically all new parts in it. I replaced the transmission twice and quite a few other things. I really didnt like that model. The new 2002 neon SXT that i have is so much fun to drive and it has a great warranty so if anything happens i guess they can pay to fix it.

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  really good buy - 1999 Dodge Neon
  By maidmarion - June 17 - 2:00 am

  we love our little "hi" car.

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  Bad Transmission - 1994 Dodge Caravan
  By dodgedupe - June 17 - 2:00 am

  Bought vehicle, had only 19,000 miles on it. Within 2,00 miles had to replace the torque converter. At 40,000 had to replace with a manufacture rebuild, the transmission w/torque converter. at 54,000 had to have the rebuild replaced. Now, only 24,000 miles from the original manufactures rebuild being installed I have to have it replaced again. Also note that this next replacement will only be warrantied from the original purchase of the rebuild, leaving me with only 12,000 miles of warranty on this transmission w/torque converter. Is this good old American built reliability or what?

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  perfect truck - 1992 Dodge Dakota
  By 92 Dak - June 17 - 2:00 am

  I bought my truck for the simple fact that it has a V8 in a little truck, I wanted a little hotrod and I got one. This truck runs great looks perfect and has never let me down! The only bad thing is it has a small gas tank so in town driving must be kept to a minimum!

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  get ride - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By dig dug - June 17 - 2:00 am

  havent had the car long enough to have any great times with it yet but i guess the best so far has been the abliatly to be able to have the power to get out of the way of the other drivers that cannt drive or just dont care about other drivers

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  My 2002 Dodge Intrepid - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By Rich L - June 17 - 2:00 am

  I have 28k miles. I get about 34 MPG on long trips and about 19 MPG in city with lots of lights w/2.7 liter/auto.and Amsoil. Windows stick and had a weak motor. Front end is stiff and has road noise. Drivers seat cover had to be restretched twice and same electric mechanism makes grinding noise. You cannot see the front clearance of the hood in front of you and there are huge blind spots.

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  Be Careful - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By Tigger - June 17 - 2:00 am

  I bought the Durango in February 2001 and traded it in September 2001. I got a horrible vehicle that was in the shop from June until August 2001 with A/C problems and then was not fixed correctly still! I dont know if it was the dealership or the vehicle, but my advice for $30,000 sticker price go buy a Tahoe or an Explorer and you will get better gas mileage and the insurance will not be as high! Good luck if you have one!

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  Third Time Around! - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By XCalifGal - June 17 - 2:00 am

  I should be a "poster child" for Dodge Grand Caravans. I just purchased a 2002 Grand Caravan SE Sport--my third Grand Caravan in 14 years! In search of a replacement after 9 years, I test drove SUVS, other vans, and station wagons for a year before deciding that I couldnt happily survive without the roon, comfort, drive, and dependability of a Grand Caravan. I must say that there have been strides made in the handling and ride of the Grand Caravan since 1994! Heres to another 145K miles!

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  Dakota Muscle - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By PatulDakota - June 17 - 2:00 am

  Absolutley the best vehicle Ive owned to date. Its my first truck, normally I drive small vehicles and dream about Firebirds and Camaros. But when you live in Central NY, the pony cars are useless. In 1999, I test drove my Dakota Sport 4x4 and owned it within 30 minutes. My first trip was from Utica to Buffalo for a Jets/Bills game (Jets won!!). I traveled in a blizzard with the 4x4 passing everyone on the NYS Thruway. I have 50,000 on it and it runs like it did on the first day!