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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  Good Van - 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Happy Family - February 21 - 10:00 am

  Were a family of 4 and have not had any problems with our van (Ive been shocked at what Ive been reading in this comment area). Weve put 95K miles on it, and have just started noticing a small oil leak. Cant say weve taken the best care of it either. Overall, this has been a very reliable car; I would purchase another one!

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  After 40,000 miles we still love it! - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Alan_D - February 21 - 10:00 am

  Our Grand Caravan has 40,000 miles on it after 2 years. It has performed very well over that period with only routine maintenance. For a largeish van it handles very well and has decent acceleration (we have the 3.8L). Ive been generally pleased with the gas mileage. Weve averaged 19.5 mpg around town and 25 mpg on trips - and that is with an average of 5 to 6 people in it.

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  Transmissions and A/C are expensive! - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By IWantAHonda - February 18 - 10:00 am

  I love the ride...but WOW the Transmissions and A/C and random electrical gremlins are killing my bank account. Dodge cant be making money on the Transimissions because they cant seem to make them last through the 2nd and 3rd transmission warranty unless the Dealer tries to say you "abused" the car...

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  Awsome 2004 SRT-4 - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By big worm - February 18 - 10:00 am

  i have had the car since jan 13Th it has ben awsome!no problems.runs like hell on wheels.the gas milage is getting better as i go i am up to 27MPG average.if you want more smiles per mile you must drive one to belive it.

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  To good to be true - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By mflava - February 18 - 10:00 am

  A lesson learned, never buy a redesign vehicle within its first year of production. It has not even been 30 days of ownership and the vehicle has been in the shop three times. First, the radio went out, then it had electrical failure twice. Lets not talk about the gas, I purchased one with the Hemi @ 14MPG(sticker indicates)or more like 10MPG. Dont drive around town with a/c, you will need to refill. I will not have this one for long, I am going back to Chevy/GMC.

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  Has been pretty good to me, considering - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By MDGUY - February 17 - 4:53 pm

  I purchased the van at 40k miles after my ex totaled the 99 GC. It came from Canada (bad thing) originally and had 6k miles rolled off when brought into US. I now have 170k miles on it. In all, typical minor repairs with brakes and such. Trans done at 160k - not too bad really. Engine is a 3.8 and runs great - lots more power than the 3.3 I had before. Replaced the radiator - had a hole not due to defect, replaced the water pump at 120k or so - typical. It is getting to the point where more repairs need done - struts, front end work, tires, etc so I am dumping it. Bought a Nissan Sentra. Dont need a van any more. Considering I am not easy on cars, this one has held up pretty good!

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  An Acceptable Vehicle - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By Aries - February 17 - 11:03 am

  I had my Durango for sometime now had only 1 problem. The rear leaf springs. It was replaced and was under warrenty. Gas milage is poor. I thought with the 4.7 engine gas would be better then the 5.9. But I was wrong. Wish they could improve gas milage. But other then that the Durango is a great SUV.

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  all around functional vehicle - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By pc074 - February 17 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle is the commute Ive been looking for. I am not spenting 35 bucks a pop to fill-it. It gets me to and from where I want to go. It feels good to keep it simple. My SUV was driving me to the poor house! Instead I bought a townhouse in Florida with my gas and car savings.

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  Best Bang For The Buck - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By BigPimpin - February 17 - 2:00 am

  I just bought this car a few days ago. I had to wait like 3 weeks cuz it was incomming. I put a 500 deposit on it so know one could touch it. Well i got a stage 1 kit, got it lowered and got a BOV all by Mopar! They also put 18 inch SSR Comps on it for me. I just bought a Borla exhaust system and AEM intake. This car really blows my mind, its oh so fast and oh so fun.Gas mileage is good for me, cuz my other car is a 5.9 litre Dakota RT.

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  Durango Limited Hemi - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By Ryan in Spring TX - February 17 - 2:00 am

  I have only owned this vehicle for a couple of weeks, but it is far superior to my previous SUV, a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Tons of power, Quiet, and comfortable. Everyone that has been inside it has made numerous comments about how awesome it is. A little better gas mileage would be good though. 12mpg right now. As long as it is dependable I think we will be very happy with it.