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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  Business traveler loves the grave digger - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Alan - December 30 - 9:53 pm

  I travel 50,000 miles a year. I have driven many different kinds of cars and find that the looks are great, ride is fun, everyone gives you the look and the kids want to race with you. 2.7l is small but accelerates well in traffic. I carry samples and displays and can fit just enough. Even my kids think that the car is cool. Sometimes nice to be the cool dad!

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  Quality Car - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Ivan Ardan - December 30 - 7:20 am

  Ok, prior to my SRT4 I owned a WRX. I miss my WRX alot, mainly because of the AWD and respect that car has on the road. However, the SRT4 has done nothing but impress me. It has much better top end power than a WRX. I am interested in seing what a stage 2 mopar package is going to do for me. Since I live in CO, Im dreading the winter w/o AWD. However, when you let the horses loose on the 2.4L turbod engine from the on-ramp of I-25 (which is 75MPH) there is no differance of feeling from an SRT4 and an STI. the regular WRX actually feels slower!

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  SRT-4 Review - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Vooduguru - December 30 - 3:00 am

  Ive had this car for a little over a year and I must say its a hoot. The only thing I would have changed from the factory is a 1 inch wider wheel. If you want stellar fuel economy, buy a Honda. Interior is on par with others in the class regardless of what other publications tell you. The seats are amazing, and your body has no idea the car is cornering hard other than the visual references that are coming through the windscreen. Dodge has definitely hit a home run with this compact beast. No one can compete stock for stock in the price range even for a few grand more. Youll enjoy this car even if you have an abusive history with your vehicles.

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  Not Too Pleased - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By JAWPAW - December 28 - 3:56 pm

  Replaced our previous 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan with the 2006 model and have had several problems. Sun Roof had issues after using 3 times, rear sliding door broke at 24K miles, tires are already bald with only 40K miles, rack and pinion went at 36K and now the air conditioning just starting blowing warm air. Dont think I would buy another one. I hardly had any issues at all with my 1996 Caravan and that had over 100K miles on it. Very Disappointed with the quality. Unfortunately this is the first vehicle that I bought and did not buy an extended warranty. It figures.

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  Drive and Grin - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Jack - December 28 - 2:36 am

  I recieved delivery on the 2005 RT Magnum in early January and have put a couple of thousand miles on the car. The GRIN comes when you step on the accelerater and the 345 horses come alive. What a pleasure being able to pass, enter X-ways, without effort. The suspension and ride qualities of the car make it truly a bankers sports car. The 18" sticky Continental tires and the ESP feature gives me confidence in handling high speed curves. Another GRIN feature is the number of people who comment on the looks of the car. Stop at a light and you will be looked at and probably get a thumbs-up and grin.

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  Fleet manager says no more - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Brian - December 28 - 1:30 am

  Managing a fleet of 500 vehicles and have about 100 Grand Caravans. Good practical vehicles but mechanical nightmares. Replaced 10 rack and pinion units in the last 2 years and many, many tie rods. Electrical issues are common as well. Primarily in the column and the multi-function switches. Beware, the new models (2008 or newer) use a new key system that will set you back over $100 to replace.

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  Not Enough Stow N Go or Milage - 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Lawrence Peters - December 26 - 3:47 am

  I was asked why we decided not to purchase the 2017 Dodge Caravan (Base Model). While the wife loved it, I found fault with the mid-row seats that did NOT Stow N Go (a feature that drew us to look at Caravans. We actually looked at and drove a new 2016 that was priced around 20K out the door.I also found the gas mileage a bit disappointing - apparently these minivans are larger and heavier than I thought. Replacing our Hyundai sedan would have significantly increased our operating costs. And, of course, you never get the the mileage shown on the stickers!

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  Coming from a 4runner - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Now we have a car! - December 25 - 4:03 am

  Averaging 19 mpg. Not bad for the fun Ive had in it. The power is great. Too much plastic in the build. Grill is plastic, fenders are plastic and the dash is made out of something that sinks under any weight at all. But these are asthetic issues. If it was made like a Lexus, it would be priced like a Lexus and I wouldnt be driving it. Compared to a 99 4runner, it drives like a dream. My wife drives a 98 4runner, and when we switch cars, I feel like Im trying to run in iron boots. The Magnum flies.

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  brakes and dust on beautiful wheel cover - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By john myers - December 24 - 2:30 pm

  We like our vehicle and it handles well. Hosweer, we have contacted several dealers in our area regarding the brakes catching and the brake dust on our wheel covers. We were told that this is normal. Why would you put beauktiful wheel ocers if they are covered with black dust all thetime. We also purchsed a extended warranty and not one dealer is will to fix this problem. We had an intriped some time ago and got the same runn around. We are very sorry we purchased this car. We thought Chrysler had improved its service. We were wrong.

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  Fun to drive - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By dakar711 - December 24 - 11:33 am

  I got my Caliber in April of 06 with 3 miles on it now I have 26,582. I have found no major problems with it. The bigest complant is with the tire air pressure display. It gives 3-5 psi difference. I have the yellow R/T