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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  Uses oil - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By 4white - March 30 - 6:14 pm

  About 32,000 miles started using oil. Contacted dealer done oil consumption tests proved that it used 1 quart of oil in 1,000 miles they contacted Chrysler. Per an agent at Chrysler industry standard is 1 quart every 1,000 miles under 50,000 and 1 quart every 750 miles over 50,000 miles. My advice....do not buy any chrysler products!!! They think it is normal for a new vechile to use oil.

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  Excellent Value - 2008 Dodge Durango
  By austinp - March 27 - 4:14 pm

  Our Durango SLT has been absolutely flawless. When the salesman pulled it up for us to see we instantly hated it. We would NEVER own a white car. We however got an excellent price on it. We did not know when we bought it how commited it was. It just hit 65000 miles on the odometer and still looks new! The Engine has always started first try and it has never failed us. The 4.7 has been a pleasure to drive, its very fuel efficient and is very powerful. It will haul 7 People with ease. It runs real quite until you step on it then you get a powerful growl. We have had absolutely no issues with it. We expect great things from Chrysler and will continue to buy from them.

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  Run! Dont Buy the Caliber! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By prozelle5 - March 24 - 1:50 pm

  I bought the 2007 Dodge Caliber brand new off the dealer lot. At 13,000 miles the oil control valve and the cv joint in the rear had to be replaced. At 19000 miles the outter tie rod was replaced. At 50000 miles, I now have a leak in the oil pan the same outter tie rod has to be replaced again, the lower control arm and struts are leaking. The car will not pass inspection. Thankfully I took out the extended warranty and some of it is still covered. I am a grandmother and dont drive out of control or crazy. I traded in a perfectly good 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee for this car. Wish I still had it. Cant wait to unload this car. It sucks! Dont buy one!

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  Thank you Dodge! LUX - 2011 Dodge Journey
  By workshop - March 24 - 9:14 am

  I will start of with the negative. I dont like where the front cup holders are located. I dont think I can fairly comment on Build Quality and Reliability because I just started driving the car. So far so good. BTW. I could afford any SUV, wagon, etc. I wanted. Tried the Benz-seat sides hard.Ouch. Plus there are silly bars in the middle. BMW-yes its great, but mmmm is it worth the price? I literally got every lux item in this car accept the name. Journey is a great design and price.

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  Best Car Ever - 2011 Dodge Charger
  By paulnn - March 22 - 10:45 am

  I have the 2011 R/T Road and Track special. It is the closest thing I could get to the SRT for 2011.(SRT returns in 2012) It has all available options including the Redline 3 paint. The car holds the road like it it glued to it. The redesign is near perfect. It turns heads everywhere I go. Overall the car is so much more than I expected. I bought this car while it was leaving the factory, sight unseen. I am still excited just to look at it, driving it is an absolute pleasure. Nice ride for cruising, raw rubber burning power for showing off. The legendary HEMI lives and breaths anew in this classic redesign that actually made the car much better.

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  Useful and Reliable - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By mrish - March 21 - 8:28 pm

  I bought my 00 Dakota SLT 4.7 v8 4x4 brand new in 2000. It currently has 195k miles on it and runs great. Doesnt burn oil, doesnt smoke, and doesnt even have an oil leak. The only problems I ve had is 2x freeze plugs, 2x speed sensors, and one oxygen sensor. Ive pulled a Kubota 4wd tractor, a Massey Ferguson, and pulled a fullsize truck on a trailer 300 miles. The 4WD has worked great and the limited slip rear diff. has got me out places that other 4x4s couldnt. Ive taken care of it mechanically and used semi-synthetic oil every 5k miles. I would buy this truck all over again with question.

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  2009 Dodge journey - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By jimiheadtone1 - March 21 - 8:01 pm

  I have a 2009 journey with the v6 2wd It would help if others indicate the drive trains on their cars. Front brakes were a problem after 29000 miles. They were making a grinding noise... and the brake peddle was pulsing and wheels were wobbling. brought it to the dealer they told me all was ok. After I left it Was still making the noise - I checked the brakes myself and discovered the pads were cracked. i brought it back. They fixed the car. Demand the dealer inspect the brake pads (if they say they see no problem) Door Wire harnes is a serious problem they have issued a recall for this. Lastly has anyone have a calipar pin fall out from the rear brakes? mine did

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  RT Fuel Mileage better than expected - 2011 Dodge Charger
  By jowica - March 21 - 12:37 pm

  Dont let the V8 Hemi tag scare you off. The V8 has a fuel management system that shuts 4 cylinders down when not needed. On one open stretch of I-95 I bumped it down to 65mph and averaged between 31 and 33mpg. The system also kicks in while driving city roads around 30mph. The car has averaged about 21mpg in the city, just as good as many V6 models out there without the fuel management system. The car itself is great to drive. Fit and finish are excellent. The RT base package is all ones really needs- remote start, 8.4" Uconnect w/bluetooth, 18" alloy wheels, spoiler. A similarly equipped V6 will save you a few thousand dollars, but youll get the value back with the RT at trade.

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  My First Car... - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By jayjayfrmny - March 21 - 1:03 am

  I bought it 2 months ago used with about 85000 miles on it but it pushed as if it had none. When I first saw it, I fell in love with the body style. I felt like it was calling me and when I took it for a test drive, I was completely sold. I only encountered one problem during my ownership and that was the distributor cap (its used, so I expected a few problems) but thats it. I take incredible care of it and it runs even stronger than it did when I bought it considering Ive already put about 2000 miles on it. This car has a lot of potential style and power wise.

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  New Owner - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By fds1961 - March 19 - 6:10 pm

  I drove a Dodge Charger last year and like the ride, so when it was time for a new car I went for the Magnum. I like to be able to load stuff the flea market and go fishing so I went with the wagon. It was like driving a SUV, and the speed!!! I had to check myself a few times, but this is the most powerful car I ever had. I drove a Nissan Altima for 2 years and this is a whole new class of car. Stylish, fast, a real head turner. It had over 80,000 miles, but you cant tell by the way it rides and excels on the road. So far so good, it seem to be a well build wagon with AWD for the snow, glad that I got this....