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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  1999 Still running - 1999 Dodge Caravan
  By northern375 - August 22 - 5:55 pm

  I bought a used 1999 Dodge Caravan. It has 167,000 miles on it, a V-6 3.0 I payed $ 2405.00 out the door. I have spent around $600, but that was for 2 tires, a tune up the normal stuff. Past that I like it. Seats 7.

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  50k miles of awesome - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By 50 k miles SE - August 21 - 8:09 am

  1 year ago when I first bought my 2007 Charger SE, used with 18k miles on it, I was driving 100 miles a day. Now its been 50k miles. I have loved driving it for every minute. My one complaint: I think Ive started to hear a tiny squeak in the passenger compartment. Its the bare-bones model with the 2.7 L engine, so I get fantastic gas mileage. The only repairs have been the front wheels and suspension after a blow-out.

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  2008 STX dodge Caliber 2.0L 4door - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By william - August 21 - 7:59 am

  This car is most impressive, I mean the most impressive from all the others I/we have driven. Toyota yaris/Ford Focus/Chevy hhr thing/and what I had owned the Chevy aveo. Overall driving experience exceeds what one would expect from a car of this size (pleasure) simply put. Heres what to expect, a little less mpg. This is reality because the calibers overall body design and weight. (this is not a bean wagon folks), its quiet comfort ready to explore. The 2.0 L 4 cyl dual vvt has no apparent concerns if you have to rely on the old lead foot to get where you need. I am also impressed with the transmission design and functions. Over- all "very pleased"!

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  The size is right - 2006 Dodge Dakota
  By Gregg - August 20 - 8:22 pm

  I like the size of the Dakota. Full size trucks are too large for what I need and compact trucks are just too small. Good power from the 4.7 L V8. Knew better than to get the V6, little if any better fuel economy with no power. Back seats are OK for the little kids but should have gotten quad cab for more room. Had problems with vibrations at 50-65 mph. Dealer finally found & replaced 3 defective tires (Goodyears). Only real gripe is the extremely soft front suspension. Dips and bumps in the road make for a bouncy white knuckle ride. Very unnerving when the front end is bouncing up & down & up & down nearly bottoming out over a small dip on the highway.

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  the best first truck - 1996 Dodge Dakota
  By james tucker - August 19 - 2:36 pm

  I enjoyed my dodge Dakota truck and driving it where every I need to go. It has been dedicated to me and my family for 12 years. I want to restore it back to first look and more. Thank dodge for making a great truck.

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  Engine noise requires ear plugs - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Bob - August 19 - 12:58 pm

  I own an SLT with the 4.0 engine. It emits tremendous engine noise (sounds like piston slap) under light to heavy loads. Per dealer and factory this is normal for this engine. It is totally not acceptable for comfortable driving. In June the factory rep. stated there would be a fix by way of a service bulletin but this has never occurred. All other facets of the vehicle have been very acceptable.

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  great car for money - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By scott - August 18 - 9:05 pm

  This is one great car for the money! Rides and drives great with comfortable seating. I had read these reviews before purchasing and having driven and owning this vehicle, I agree that there is a good bit of road noise, but all of the small cars in this price range did as well. Real world driving all around has resulted in 26 MPG with straight HWY MPG at 28 which could be better. Another thing about some of the reviews at this site state that this car doesnt ride, drive, and handle as well as their Accord or one are Camry, nor is as quiet, the last time I checked, these cars are thousands more in price than the Caliber but none have a higher safety rating. Apples to Apples this is a great c

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  enjoy but be aware of potential prblems - 2003 Dodge Intrepid
  By ray - August 18 - 4:03 pm

  Ive had this car for over 4 years and have put on 85,000 miles. The engine is quiet & without problems primarily because I have used mobil 1 since new. The 2.7 engine has a history of sludging and failing by 100k (many times earlier) if you do normal oil changes with regular oil. I.e., the oil cooks in the engine. However, if you can find a low mileage version (2.7 L) or one with 3.5 L engine, you should be okay AS LONG AS YOU USE MOBIL ONE. (if you dont believe me ask any mechanic with real experience with the 2.7 L engine. YOU SHOULD BE REALLY SUSPCIOUS OF A HIGH ENGINE 2.7 L (definitely have mechanic check one of these).

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  Work vehicle - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Kevin - August 16 - 1:15 pm

  My company bought a Nitro SXT 4x4 as a work vehicle for me that had a decent amount of cargo space, easily parked in NYC, had 4 wheel drive, and was relatively inexpensive. The lifetime powertrain warranty was another big plus. Ive had a few minor problems with it including a collapsed drivers seat and cracked roof rail, but aside from that and taking care of the recalls, its been 17 relatively trouble free months and 35,000 miles. Despite handling thats not so confidence inspiring, its comfortable, does extremely well in the snow, looks great, and performs well for the money.

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  Value Magnum - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By R. Guimond - August 15 - 11:20 am

  We bought the base Magnum back in July 05 when my wife totaled her PT Cruiser. This car is a great driving car and we get 24MPG overall with the 2.7 liter engine. Mileage is very comparable to the many small SUVs we were looking at before we decided to buy our Magnum. The 2.7L engine is lively and responsive and weve experienced no problems mechanically.