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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  Surprised - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Edward Ebel - December 6 - 4:26 pm

  I was surprised at how well the car drove, handled, and the ride comfort. I had intended to buy another Honda Civic but saw this in a dealers lot and I noticed it had all wheel drive at a decent price. I like the CVT transmission. The quality surprised me as the last Chrysler product I had was poor. I think this is an excellent car for the money

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  2003 Neon SXT - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Asrock - December 6 - 10:00 am

  Inexpensive, sporty little sedan with ample trunk space.

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  Fun cheap car - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By pap - December 5 - 5:43 pm

  I have had this car for almost a year. I LOVE IT. Plenty of room for modifications if your into that type of thing (this car is made for it) The best bang for buck for a compact rocket ship.

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  I love my Red Caliber - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By LoveMyCaliber - December 5 - 2:00 pm

  I fell in love with this car the minute I saw it in a commercial. I bought a red one, sunroof, 17 inch Allumin rims, heated seats , fog lights for about 18500 listed for 19220. I am geting around 26 mpg as the car tells you mpg a great feature. I got 33MPG all highway. I love the blue lighted dash and cup holders, night dimming rear view mirror. I am getting a lot of turning heads and many people asking what kind of a car is that. I have 1000 miles on it now with thank god no issues to report not even the Caliber ding that some are talking about. The MP3 port is awesome and A/C is very cold. Bottom line is the look is awesome and different than anything out there.

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  08 caravan SXT No good - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Shann - December 4 - 10:00 am

  08 grand caravan sxt & in that time the automatic stow rear seats serviced every 3 months or at every oil change because they will not stow or they get stuck in stow mode. My sliding doors are ALWAYS broken, i.e. the button does not work them, or they start to up but slide back. Navigation system had to be replaced. Front brakes wore out at 13,000 miles (Pads and rotors). Rear brake pads and rotors wore out at 22,000 miles. Transmission got stuck in gear and would not go into manual mode. Dealership repaired-said it was a computer communication problem due to a "loose wire". Transmission problems again 3 days after 1st tranny repair! Do NOT BUY this VAN! Buyers BEWARE!

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  60 days and no answer. - 2018 Dodge Durango
  By Gary Stokes - December 3 - 8:23 am

  Glitch in the touchscreen/radio where it shuts down and restarts randomly and repeatedly. This also means you cant have a hands free phone call as it drops the call when the system restarts. Started on the drive home but here I am 60 days later and no repair date in sight. The dealership just keeps telling me that all the 2018s have this issue and it will be fixed next week but next week still hasnt come. I know new products can have issues but not getting the truth has me frustrated and unhappy with this purchase. If I could get my money back I would return the vehicle and not buy from this dealer nor Dodge again.

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  Its been a great car. - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By Tom Steele - November 28 - 10:00 am

  My girlfriend bought this car used, one year-old. It has been a great car with only one minor problem (an electric window that wont go down in back). The ride is good and the handling is very surprising for a four door sedan. I am impressed with the car.

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  This is an Excellent Mini Van - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By R. Gardner - November 26 - 10:00 am

  This is our second Dodge Grand Caravan and the 2005 model is better than ever. The ride and handling is superb. Its a great family vehicle!

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  Great improvement - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Ralph Baker - November 26 - 9:30 am

  Excellent improvement over previous Durango. I traded a 2003 R/T and there is no comparison. Smooth ride, good seat comfort, great power, great handling, has every feature I could want on a vehicle. Poor MPG, but this was expected and its no worse than comparable vehicles. The Hemi is worth the price. Still havent warmed up to the front end styling, but the comfort and features overshadow any negatives. The back seat (second row) should be roomier for this size vehicle. Great vehicle overall.

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  Wish I Never Traded - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Terry - November 26 - 1:46 am

  Steering pump went out very quickly. Had to stay with dealer 3 days no loaner. Dash has too much plastic, pops and cracks all the time. A/C acts crazy, makes funny air noises on take off and drain stopped up which flooded passenger floor on 6 hour trip. Transmission cannot find proper gear. 6 speed shifts up and down all the time, manual mode is a laugh. Tail pipe rubbing making funny noise. Dealer no help, service adviser had never been inside one. Worst new car I have owned. Have other issues but not enough space to tell them all. Think I got a Lemon.