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, good & bad - 1994 Dodge Intrepid
  By big al - April 22 - 2:00 am

  Intrepid looks great, comfort excellent, performance very good, space very generous, but, on going problems with a/c needed major expensive repairs 7 years out of 8, brakes 4 sets of rotors and pads for 80,000 miles, plastic trim on roofline peeled.

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  intrepid, good & bad - 1994 Dodge Intrepid
  By Big Al - April 22 - 2:00 am

  Intrepid looks great, comfort excellent, performance very good, space very generous, but, on going problems with a/c needed major expensive repairs 7 years out of 8, brakes 4 sets of rotors and pads for 80,000 miles, plastic trim on roofline peeled.

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  Best Car on Earth - 1993 Dodge Intrepid
  By Cardoso - April 22 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car to drive, also easy hands on to engine, looks great, drives great, even smells greeat. I recomend it to anyone.

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  2001 Dodge Neon - commuters-only car - 2001 Dodge Neon
  By Kensey - April 22 - 2:00 am

  Overall, this is a decent car, but a bit expensive for its type ($600 for a three-speed automatic? Come on, Dodge). This model has had at least one recall, on the brakes, so be *sure* yours has had the recall work done (the recall issue can lead to total brake failure while stopping). It gets good city fuel economy, not-so-good (but still OK) highway, and the cabin is a bit cramped if youre taller than 58". This is a car for the commute to work, not the road trip to Washington. Very distinctive style, youll either love the look or hate it.

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  what a sorry car, regret!!! - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By Night_Vision - April 22 - 2:00 am

  I just bought the car in late March, 02. The car is not even 1.5 month old, but it was in Dodge Service Department for more 2.5 weeks. There are 5 problems The problems: defective steering pump, Leak gas tank, first gear lagging/weird noise, no grease in my left CV boot which cause damages to my front axle (they replaced the axle), and weird brake noise. This is my first and will be last American car. I bought it because 911 incident and poor American economy, I wanted to support Americans by buying American made stuffs.

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  An older one - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By Ed1999 - April 22 - 2:00 am

  This is to give you some idea of living with one of these for awhile. This has been a very comfortable car, with great features and good looks. Handles well, looks sporty for a sedan and has plenty of room. Problems have been two: 1. Transmission speed sensor went out at 33,000 miles, had to be towed to dealer. Warranty covered it. 2. AC compressor went out at 42,000 miles, Warranty expired.

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  solid, but.... - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By babs johnson - April 22 - 2:00 am

  i just purchased the club cab sport a week ago. great comfort, doesnt have that overwhelming truck feeling inside. good get up and go,however it seems to lose torque when the AC is on but ive heard this about most vehicles. great solid all around build yet a cool sporty look. but it is a gas pig!!!! and i only have the 6 cyl. otherwise good tough truck that handles the pot hole filled new orleans streets wonderfully.

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  2001 Dodge Durango SLT - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By dwoodca - April 21 - 2:00 am

  We use this vehicle for everything and love it in every situation. Its my daily driver for commuting to/from work, we tow the boat with it, camp with it and use it for outings with family and friends.

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  Great Performance - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Ed - April 20 - 1:30 pm

  I am very happy with this vehicle so far. The performance is great and its a blast to drive. It should also include the stage one kit for 240 horsepower and WOT boost hold standard. I think a variable intake/exhaust timing and lift would help a lot. The worst feature is horrid fuel economy. I have averaged as bad as 20 mpg on pure highway driving and it has a rating of 30 mpg highway. My Sentra Spec V had a 28 mpg rating and I was getting 35mpg. Very disappointing

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  Get one while you can! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By debebert - April 20 - 2:13 am

  So far I love this car. It is so roomy. This is no Neon. People need to stop comparing it to the Neon. It drives great and it is so fun. Love the interior with the cooler and tons of extras. Very happy so far. Only had it 2 days but very surprised. Its a blast. Dont rule it out if you have a family. I have a 10 year old and 13 year old and they are very comfortable. Plenty of space. So glad I test drove this one. The orange is gorgeous in person, we went with the silver, a little more "mom like" !! People are amazed, this car is turning heads like crazy!! Its a winner.