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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  Read This IF YOU WANT A CHARGER - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By james1969 - May 18 - 5:58 pm

  The Charger is an absolutely fantastic car but it not worth getting if its not the R/T. People who say the charger is an unreliable car all purchased the models below the R/T which are absolute crap. The 5.6 v8 HEMI is a beast of an engine and it gets my car beast of a car moving faster then anyone can image. The exhaust doesnt make the sound you would want a charger to make when the car isnt movie but one you push on the gas it truly sounds like a muscle car. The Charger R/T has amazing room for taller folks in the front and bad even with the seats moved back all the way, a superb audio system, and a wonderfully designed interior, and it handles just like an E class mercedes.

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  No Issues... - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By jimbodean - May 17 - 10:54 am

  We traded in a 2005 Chevy Equinox with 53,000 miles for this Journey and have not looked back one time. The leather seats are comfy and clean. The DVD system and Satellite radio are great. I keep reading about brake issues but we have 21,000 miles and the rotors are original and in great shape, we are not seeing any of the steering wheel shaking at all. Lots of room, lots of storage, 3rd row seating is for kids only but convenient if needed. We will be taking this car on a 2500 mile round trip from Nebraska to South Carolina in July and I have no trepidations at this point on reliability or comfort. The wife loves the back up camera and all the other R/T amenities.

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  Love my new R/T - 2011 Dodge Charger
  By rangedev - May 16 - 5:57 pm

  Love this car to the point I had to write about. I am a tall and wide guy (63 250) so I need some head and shoulder room. Car shopping left me sick of small "economical" cars with road noise problems or big plush SUVs with wimpy engines. After that I had been eyeballing the Challengers with the 2011 Charger as a close second. Side by side with the new Charger: its killer new interior, the updated scooped doors, and tail lights put me over the edge. The R/T plus RWD fulfilled all gadget-lust needs (heated/cooled cup warmers, etc...) plus thick leather, killer dash... purchased. So far commuting 280 with cc on at 77mph, and mashing pedals all around town I am holding at 18mpg combined.

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  No better value - 2011 Dodge Avenger
  By dodgefan7 - May 16 - 5:43 pm

  No other car has horse power in the ball park of this car for less than 28 grand. The V6 is awesome. Also, the interior is packed with stuff. No other car can beat the Avenger price wise.

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  Do not buy this POG - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By mikoboy - May 16 - 6:28 am

  I bought mine on early 2009 and I was back and forth to the dealership to fix rotors, brakes, entertainment unit, and my satellite receiver right after a week I was driving this. Brake pads worn out at 23,000 kilometers. They said this crossover has "good fuel economy" is all lies. I spend $80 to $90 full tank almost each week just about 100 km of traveling a week. This because of the problem with the rotors. To end my torture, the last problem showed up that I finally told to myself to get rid of this, was the vibration on the axles that causing my engine light indicator to pop up.

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  Avenger HEAT V6 - 2011 Dodge Avenger
  By sandyman1 - May 16 - 1:12 am

  I waited a couple of weeks to write a review on my Avenger Heat. Its so new, its not even listed in the models. Fully loaded. This car is awesome! Pentastar V6 3.6 liter monster. Smooth, and just a beast wen you get on it. Same motor going into the Challenger and Charger. The interior is sick! Everyone loves the red seat/door inserts and red stitching. The quality of the interior is way high this year, impressive. Media center 430 is awesome. Great sound, dvd movies, thunder bass and detail. Blue tooth, voice command. Black Berry Pearl paint, 18 inch alloys, multi-link suspension front and back, 6 speed auto/manual shift. Great sound from the dual exhaust. Test drive it now!!!

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  I LOVE THIS CAR - 1998 Dodge Intrepid
  By bsten - May 14 - 10:20 pm

  I love this car, correction.. I loved her. She was by far the hardest car I have to replace. She kept running way past 255,000 miles. But sadly, she was rear ended and considered totaled. Its been so hard to find a vehicle with all these options she had, such as the overhead console that told me my mpg and temp outside, I loved the leather seats and how big she was. The gas mileage was actually really great, the acceleration was nice and everything worked really well! I barely had any issues with her, maybe put $300 in her with the three years I had her (my parents owned her prior to me). The looks of this car was nice, sleek and clean. (: (: (: (: (: (: (: (: (: (: (: (: (: (: (: (: (: (:

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  Awesome Drive!!! - 2011 Dodge Charger
  By ea2011 - May 13 - 3:10 pm

  I love the drive on this car. It drives so smooth and its so spacious. I have test drove so many cars and when I drove the car I fell in love at first drive. I bought the car in 04/2011 and I have not had a problem with it. My son loves the car inside as well.

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  Looks will last, not performance - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By ifilmlife - May 10 - 8:31 pm

  This car was bought new in 99 by my mother. The car was passed to me in 2006. Since then, every little thing went wrong. First, the car started burning oil too fast. I was putting about 3 quarts of oil in it every 2 weeks. Then the cam sensor and starter went bad, causing the car to stall. They were replaced but 5 months later the same problem arose. Soon after I was putting 3 quarts of oil every 3 days. It could not survive trips longer than 2 hrs. Tire rod problems caused tires to wear down quickly. Finally the cover to the part you put oil exploded while driving. It died at 160k miles, I will admit it was poorly maintained but still lasted 12 years.

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  2009 Caliber - 2009 Dodge Caliber
  By sm3230 - May 10 - 5:50 pm

  I bought this car with 27000 miles on it and now I have just under 52000, and the transmission went. The warranty expired at 36000, so if you are going to buy one of these cars, beware ! How dare they charge you for an extended warranty, when they know that the product they are selling is crap....