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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  Doors opened while driving! - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By madincali - January 23 - 11:36 am

  Bought this van brand new, traded in my Dodge Durango (which I loved!) Never wanted a van. Van has been great, has been driven cross country a few times. Yes I had to have the brakes replaced but I havent experienced the other issues. Now the doors are a NIGHTMARE! They started with the reopening when being shut. It has moved on pretty quickly to the electrical issues, when in park the dash, windshield wipers, blinkers, dash/dome lights.. ALL STARTED BLINKING. Dealership cant fix it, called it a minor annoyance. While driving with my 11mo old daughter the van started to sputter, all the components started to blink and the doors opened and shut. Going to dealership tmrw, getting rid of asap!

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  Neon, Americas Little Car - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By abcubbie - January 21 - 4:43 pm

  Great car. It handles like its on rails, and is much better than that Toyota I had. Very smooth automatic transmission, not clunky and slow to shift like European cars.

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  My new car - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Dave H-Albany, NY - January 21 - 11:16 am

  Have only owned my Caliber a short time, but it seems like it will be a great car. Had an Accord for many years, and decided to try American. Keep up the good work, Dodge!

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  I love my Grand Caravan - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Bob - January 20 - 7:53 pm

  I have had 3 Windstars and a Honda Minivan. The Dodge Grand Caravan is by far the best of the 4. The stow and go seating is absolutely wonderful (and thats why I bought it). I have had no problems whatsoever in 10K miles and year and half of ownership. It rides like a dream, handles great, (could use a little more pep, Quiet interior, but its OK) Gas mileage around town about 18, on the road 23 both with AC on. No problems folks and thats the truth! Im so happy with it, Chrysler sure has changed since Mercedes took them over- I feel like Im driving a Mercedes. Ill buy another in a heartbeat. Just love it!

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  Where is the HEMI?? - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By The Dude - January 20 - 7:16 pm

  wooooh! excellent vehicle, I have my caliber since april 2007, and Ive been able to do everything with her. Her gas mileage is awesome, performance is great when you want it thanks to the CVT if you press and depress the pedal quickly the car changes from economy to max performance and believe me it turns out to be a "little monster". Traction, brake force, and cornering is awesome with her. Interiors are great, I dont have the musicgate sound system, just stick with the four speaker system that sounds better than any car in its category, with an extremely deep bass, and high treble there is no need for an upgrade. Cooler works out perfectly, roomy and quiet

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  SRT-4 - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Jewell - January 17 - 7:26 am

  I didnt like the look of the SRT-4 and wasnt very into driving a Neon. However I decided to take it for a test drive because it was the fastest vehicle for the price I wanted to pay. Wow! This car is very fun to drive! Its fast and it does not drive the way you think a Neon does. It handles much sturdier than you think possible and can provide thrilling acceleration. I have owned a 2003 Ford Lightning and a 1996 Mustang GT. It is as quick, if not quicker, than both.

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  Its a keeper - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By 2sapoton - January 16 - 11:13 am

  Weve been very happy with the van and Dodge service. Some early problems (ABS/traction control packed up at 350 miles, small head leak detected at 18K, both fixed under warranty), otherwise troublefree. Excels at long trips: very comfortable for four adults and two small kids, not fatiguing to drive. Leather interior is definitely worth it with kids. City gas mileage has been 17-20 mpg, on long trips from 22.5 to 24.5 mpg. At the time purchased, the only other van we found competitive was Hondas Oddysey, with a 3-month wait to get one from dealer allocation (and we checked with every dealer within 100 miles) for $3K higher street price. We intend on keeping it for at least 120K miles.

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  Great Van! - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Mike in PA - January 14 - 4:13 pm

  We moved into this van from a 200 Chevy Venture WB Edition. This is by far a better van. It is ultra-roomy and the seats are very comfortable. The new options for 2006 are a big plus. I love the Stow n Go seating, and the tailgateing seat feature of the third row will make drives ins a comfortable experience. I highly recommend this van. We drove the Freestar and Sienna and this van was better in size, and overall drive quality.

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  Best choice for our family - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By seveninavan - January 12 - 7:03 pm

  Overall, we have had a fantastic experience with our Journey. One minor trim problem that was corrected quickly. Love the seating configuration for our five children. Easy access to back row. Comfortable ride. Plenty of power. Traded in my Grand Caravan for this. With luggage rack and lots of neat storage, we love it! The seats fold down easily for hauling all kinds of stuff. Be careful of 90° opening rear doors...tend to bang other cars in garage or parking lot. Love the Sirius radio and climate control! So much better than our Honda Odyssey (yes, I know...but we NEEDED one 8- passenger vehicle and the domestic options are so limited). LOVE this car! And out the door for $19000.

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  dodge - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By ericbehrend - January 11 - 11:50 pm

  just got the car...love it