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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  BEST CAR EVER - 1995 Dodge Stealth
  By ult guy - March 12 - 5:30 am

  Extremly nice ride, Its AWD destroys all cars, i whoop Supra Twin Turbos in my Stealth RT.. i suggest this car 100%

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  intrepid98 - 1998 Dodge Intrepid
  By randyc - March 11 - 11:15 pm

  good pickup, good gas milage.fun to drive

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  Great Vechicle - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By rcr - March 11 - 2:38 pm

  Best Buy for your money plus 1.9% financing for 5 years.

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  dodge durango limited 5.7l hemi - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By john tse - March 11 - 1:53 pm

  Love it, very quiet interior. Engine has very good range at any rpm. Very, very comfortable interior, excellent stere, needs more storage space, however. I have had owned Dodge vehicles for a long time, quality has improved on each vehicle.

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  Problems - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By erasure - March 11 - 2:47 am

  After having the car for 10 months and taking it to another place to have the oil changed, they found that the antifreeze color was brown, with sludge in it. Lazares didnt want to flush it for me. But after complaining some more they did. Also when I got the oil changed they said I have an oil leak. I found out that they are known to have the rear main seal leak. The car only has 46,000 miles on it. Also alot of road noise

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  Happy with my Neon - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By Happy-Neon - March 10 - 11:11 pm

  I purchased my neon new, Ive had it 7 years and it has 115,000+ miles. Ive changed to oil religiously and only last year I had to replace the breaks, and head gasket. Hey, what the heck the car has been very good to me, gets great gas mileage, rides smoothly, and it is fun. I have a 4 door, with sunroof and spoiler on the back so it looks sporty. I have been very happy with my NEON!

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  grat car - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By david/greenberg - March 10 - 5:03 pm

  we love our neon. it has a great cd player. the feachers are easy to use. i love my neon.

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  So far So Good! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By OUWxGuesser - March 9 - 12:26 am

  Wonderful car thus far. Love how it is a crossover between a sedan (fuel economy/driving performance) vs. SUV(utility/seats higher up)

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  So disappointed... - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By nocallady - March 8 - 4:58 pm

  I am sad to say I am selling my Durango. When I bought it, it was love at first sight, but that has now faded after a series of problems. Brakes & tires needed replacing after 30K,the rear differential at 50K, and now, due to a slovenly oil change shop,just replaced the transfer case because they left the plug off. After a month,the chain had overheated and was rattling around loose tearing up everything inside. For a vehicle that had such a butch appearance, it really is a sickly 90lb weakling.

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  Got the Wobbles - 2013 Dodge Avenger
  By Jon - March 8 - 4:18 am

  Okay. So I have had my 2013 Avenger for about a year and a half. Im sitting at 68,700 miles. A few months ago my brakes completely locked up and I couldnt even move my car. Cost my almost $1,000 to get it fixed. Now not even 3 months later my brakes are squeaking again. Terrible on brakes! Also a current issue.. I dont know if its the transmission or what, but the entire car feels like its vibrating and the steering wheel is especially wobbley. I hate it. Its so annoying! I will be trading this car in as soon as I can afford to and I will advise everyone who is looking for a new car not to purchase a Dodge Avenger. Terrible car!