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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  If you like it, just wait and you wont!! - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By virginiamother - April 21 - 12:56 am

  May looks nice, but the car wasnt built to last. Got it almost new & noticed the blind spots after a week. If u are tall, dont get the sunroof. My husband HATES this car,his head hits the roof. Dont scratch it, even gently, it leaves a mark on the plastic interior. 4 days after my 36K mile point, it really fall apart. Some engine light came on and the Dodge people will not even look at it without $$89 dollars, took it to someone else & already hundreds of dollars to fix it. The window literally fell into the door after the regulator broke, $$200 bucks. One light has a short. The left front brake is gone & needs resurfacing, $$ hundreds. The leather on the driver seat is crumbling off!!!!!

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  Surprisingly Reliable! Sporty and roomy - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By kristinholmes - April 20 - 9:19 pm

  I had not ever owned an American car (and Im 48 years old) because I thought they were not reliable. so when we bought this one used with 37,000 miles from a dealership we also bought the biggest maintenance warranty available for $2500.00. Turned out the only repair ever needed in the last 3 years only cost about $360. It was for a broken motor mount and some kind of a gasket on the exhaust system. It has been very reliable and I would recommend it. Ours now has about $80,000 on it and still going strong.

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  Dodge sucks! or atleast the avenger does - 1998 Dodge Avenger
  By dodgesuck - April 18 - 3:07 pm

  This car is what made me decide to never buy a dodge again. Im amazed if a month goes by and I dont have an expensive repair bill waiting for me. Cons: Steering problems are my biggest complaint- I had to replace front ball bearings after just 35,000 miles, lower control arms had to be replace on driver side, and now both front struts need to be replaced. Also it has a poor turning radius. The distributor cap and rotor needed replacing (car stopped starting). Rotors also warped on me, but I know that isnt dodges fault, just basic maintenance. Poor handling in snow, hard to see out of rear window, and I would go on but Im running out of characters remaining. Owned for 2 years 20k miles

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  Amazing Durango!! - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By rms2011 - April 17 - 7:33 pm

  I bought my 2003 Durango new and have been driving it ever since. I drive alot and have put 240k miles on this SUV. It has been a great car! Great for pulling our horse trailer, hauling kids and as day to day work vehicle. I change the oil every 3k miles or so and other than normal maintenance I have had NO problems. Prior to the Durango I usually did not buy American cars...but the Durango changed my mind! I just bought a new car and bought another American made car. (smaller car, better gas mileage than the SUV) Im keeping the Durango around too...how many miles can you go Durango!! Love our Durango...thanks Dodge!

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  A blast to drive - 2011 Dodge Avenger
  By krs4 - April 16 - 6:43 am

  3.6L Penstar V6 LUX Model MSRP $27805 Fully loaded I researched this car for weeks. Looked at the Ford Fusion, Nissan Altima and Honda Accord. I have had it less than a week and everyone who sees it says, "wow", nice car." This car is a blast to drive, is stunning to behold compared to its rivals. It has ever bell and whistle I wanted. Any of the others were less well equipped for the money. This is a sports car at heart. It will get up and go if you want it to. The interior is awesome. Comfortable, well laid out and stylish. Be different and buy this car.

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  Starting Problems w/ 2011 Journey - 2011 Dodge Journey
  By jjm001 - April 14 - 7:27 pm

  Bought new on Feb 28th 2011, had problems with the battery being dead most mornings within 2 weeks. 1st trip to garage-said it was defective battery & replaced. Then a week later, same thing again. Information screen will start flashing, lights flash, wont start, and loud pulsating noises from battery area. In the garage for a week and a half, cant find any problem. Then today, battery not dead but vehicle will not start again. It attempts to but wont. Had it towed to dealer for 3rd service trip. Dodge says this is our problem not theirs. Dealer refuses to give us any loaner vehicle. Have been treated poorly by everyone! Have owned many Dodge vehicles & this is the last!

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  What a Great Buy! - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By moprhead1 - April 13 - 10:27 am

  Just took Delivery this month, what a great buy!. Citidal with v-6, loaded with everything under the sun. Looked at BMW, Merc, Audi, and you just cant beat what you get for the money. Love the way the car handles, very nimble for such a large SUV. Blackberry pearl/Tan interior combo is just outstanding. Quality is every bit as good as the others I looked at. Getting 25 HWY...all this and it seats 7.

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  Great! but do not buy it, please read. - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By diego_cid - April 6 - 4:12 pm

  the car was great, until 100K miles. It first started as slightly rough idle, and then it got worse. I had it check and it was determined that a valve was leaking and therefore it would misfire. It failed the wet compression test and the computer code backed the mechanics claim. Miss fire cylinder # 2. The repairs would cost me 1.5K on a 3K car, it was not worth it so I traded the car still owning like 2K, I got 800 for it in the trade it since it was broken, the check engine light would flash during idle so there was no hiding it. The car was fun to drive and very very practical, gas mileage was about 28 hwy and 23 city. It could be a lot better for an engine that small.

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  NEW TIE RODS @ 40,000 miles - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By jaci3 - April 5 - 6:12 pm

  go have your tie rod end replaced as soon as possible we were on the road doing 55 when the tie rod broke we are so lucky to be alive. My charger everyone is a 2008 with 40,000 miles on it it is time we do something about this issue. I will be going public everywhere about this till Dodge recalls them.

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  Well Worth A Look!! - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By westys_4_ever - April 1 - 11:04 am

  I have had this car now for 9 months and 14k miles. It is amazing!! I can drive this car all day long and arrive at my destination fresh. Roadtrips, the miles woosh by silently as the V6 purrs along. That 75 mph, it spins along under 2,000 rpm. It returns mpg at that speed 27-28. The interior does have a lot of hard resting spots but is so full of cubbies and storage bins, who cares, really? Two bins under the floor in back, another huge bin in the cargo area under the floor, another bin under the front passenger seat cushion. Cupholders everywhere, door and console. The rear seats recline and move back and forth for legroom. The third row is just for kids though.