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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  Great car - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By robert tousignant - June 4 - 5:00 am

  I have owned this vehicle for about 6 months and I love it. Thank you Chrysler, you hit another homer. This is the fourth chrysler product in a row and I am not dissapointed yet.

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  Think before you buy... - 1995 Dodge Stratus
  By Pam - June 4 - 2:00 am

  This car has had its share of time in the shop. I have replaced the head gasket twice and am working on a third time, and this time someone else can pay for it. I have found no easy fixes to this car as every little thing is part of a bigger package. You cant buy little parts as they are all part of a bigger part that cant be broken down. This vehicle leaks oil constantly.

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  Dodge Neon: Good Car at a Good Price - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By K-man - June 4 - 2:00 am

  I have owned my used 1998 Dodge Neon Sport(highline) since I bought it in Feb. of 2002, and have been happy with it since. I bought the car as a replacement for my 1992 Geo Tracker that was totaled in a side impact crash in Dec. 2001. So far, I have been very happy with my Dodge Neon. It runs good, it is comfortable, gets fairly good gas mileage, and is fun to drive. It also looks good (big plus to me and one of the reasons that I bought a US car insted of a import) and has a great accelartion great handling, and a great stereo!

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  Intrepid-Good - 1995 Dodge Intrepid
  By wino77 - June 4 - 2:00 am

  This car is extremely well designed and engineered. The reliability suffers from American workmanship, but major items were repaired under warrenty. It is an extremely comfortable and well handling car. It looks great for a sedan.

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  Awesome - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By kiphart - June 4 - 2:00 am

  I am a Former Ford Truck guy to staart with. This truck does everthing my full size Ford did, with more style and versatility. It performs more like a car in the ride but works like a full size truck. This dakota is just Awesome.

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  Good (North)American Value - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By R. E. Moore - June 3 - 1:16 pm

  Have owned since new, going on 7 years and have 135,000 miles. Overall 22-23 mpg. Out of warranty after 18 months (36,000 miles). Very comfortable ride, sits 6 adults or 7 if 3 kids. Seats come out in halves, easier than older Chryslers. Paid $21,500 new. Power doors expensive ($400)repair , paid for 3 now. Mostly highway miles, keep the oil changed, been very reliable. Goes through brakes. Automatic Transmission shifts rough, all my Chrysler minivans have. Anti-lock brakes awesome, thought Id nailed someone last week, stopped quickly with no loss of control.

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  A great sedan - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By Tim Walters - June 3 - 2:00 am

  I have 101,000 miles on my 1998 Stratus ES. I bought it as a program car and have put many miles on it. I havent had any mechanical problems at all. All Ive had done to it, besides routine maintenance, is a replaced windshield (rock from road), New trans. gasket that was leaking (it was due for service anyway).

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  Me and my neon - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By User1 - June 3 - 2:00 am

  I got my neon on 96 and sice then I have put a lot of miles on it Ill said about 185000 .didnt have a problem until last year when little by little the card has began to nighmare of asking from smothing every month.1 like everyone else the head gasked started to leak oil, then about3 moths ago my water pum, and timing belt when out and finally last week my gas pump when out.To tell you the true I feel satisfied even though i had to fix it so many times lately because before that it never gave me a problem and believe me I have really abuse my car.

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  A love-hate relationship - 1995 Dodge Intrepid
  By Susky - June 3 - 2:00 am

  I have the 3.5 liter with the larger wheels. Almos the ES, without the nameplate. Plenty of power, and not bad to drive. BUT...I had to REPLACE the tranny at 80,000 miles, my paint is peeling (the dreaded de-lamination problem), and the AC compressor is dead. Im afraid to shell out for a compressor, for fear that something else will die. This car is a potential money pit. When it works, its great. But the problems have turned this Mopar fan into a Mopar hater.

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  Could be better but... - 1998 Dodge Caravan
  By Texas Mama - June 3 - 2:00 am

  Thought I would offer my experience...For the first 2 years we had no trouble, just regular maintenance. When we hit 45K the trouble started. We had a leak in the radiator core which cause the floor to rot, found out from the dealer it was a common problem - would have been nice to know. We also had problems with gaskets, which caused a major oil leak. Transmission went at 70K, Air conditioning at 79K. Brakes have always been loose. Had a problem with tires as well – once they were replaced, they have been OK