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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  Good with looks but thats it! - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Yolanda Rodriguez - June 16 - 6:30 pm

  I bought my Nitro in 12/07 and its a head turner and I was exited but not for too long. It is up to the second recall. The first was for the brakes and the second for engine stalling. I do not feel safe after these recalls. The engine makes a noise that the service dept. does not know what to do, I have to attempt to buckle my seatbelt several times before it locks, the stain guard on the seats do not work because Ive tried to remove stains that do not come off. All the service lights have come on twice so I need to get that checked. I also think that it has poor quality paint because a pigeon pooped on the hood and I didnt wash the car right away and It ruined the paint in that area.

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  98 Avenger review - 1998 Dodge Avenger
  By Rebecca Poynter - June 16 - 2:00 am

  Great car! Havent had any problems, except for normal wear and tear(brakes, etc). Its fun to drive! I would recommend the car to a buyer.

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  Great Family Vehicle/Sporty Sedan - 1998 Dodge Intrepid
  By Jo & Mel - June 15 - 2:00 am

  Vehcle is very fun to drive - ES has a lot of power. Great gas mileage for size of vehicle. Lots of head room in front & back seats for your 6ft+ passengers. Trunk space can fit 2 adult mountain bikes, stroller and lots of camping gear w/o putting the back seats down. Comfortable for long road trips (Es has auto seats that recline almost flat).

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  Great Care - 1997 Dodge Avenger
  By jamesbond - June 15 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car that is fun to drive, yet it lacks in performance under the hood. Handleing is tight and it rides smooth. Got 55K and running good!

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  Intrepid ESs with leather are the best! - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By Gladys Fir - June 15 - 2:00 am

  The Intrepid ES with leather and 4-disc- in-dash cd changer and moonroof has plenty of comfort and room.

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  sollar yellow - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By dak - June 15 - 2:00 am

  overall this is a good truck for the exeption of the auto trany that sleeps all the time when passing.

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  Cant get fixed - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By RonLiv - June 14 - 2:00 pm

  Decent car but cant get fixed. Dealer says cant get parts due to Dodge bankruptcy. Car in shop almost 3 weeks. Wont give loaner. Contacted Dodge and they will get back to me in 3 or 4 days. This is my first Dodge and it will be my last.

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  e-ticket fun - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By kws103 - June 14 - 10:00 am

  Looked at a bunch of cars in this size range. All of them that had any fun factor wound up to be at least $20K, and none of them even came close to the ride of the SRT-4 (I swear it would accelerate going straight up). Ive had a number of sports cars in the past; this blows them away in terms of acceleration and handling both. And everyone who knows anything about sports cars literally drools over it (Ive had people chase me down on the interstate just to take a gander at it). The only drawback is that I now have to drive everywhere. Everyone and his brother (and my kids and all my kids friends and ...) wants to ride in it!

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  Dodge Caliber R/T AWD - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Steve - June 14 - 3:33 am

  I factory ordered this and it took 7 weeks. When I showed up to pick it up 13 offers had been made on the vehicle. It is a real looker with the 18 inch tires, wheels and sports seating package. Have owned it for 2 weeks. I get a lot of looks from other drivers. The Pearl Coat Orange is very snappy. My first two fill-ups were 16.9 mpg and then 18.9 mpg. All driving has been city so far.

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  Great car - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By rktwgn - June 14 - 2:33 am

  I wanted this car from the first time I saw it during the Super Bowl ad in 2004. I had to wait 6 months to order it to get AWD, and when I got it, I couldnt believe the performance. This thing runs great. This car has it all, performance, looks, and quality. I havent had it back to the dealer since I got it. No problems at all.