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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  Your personal "rental car" - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Blue One in Jersey - July 5 - 11:46 pm

  Waited almost 3 months for delivery. Nice exterior styling, looks like a poor-mans X3. Interior styling is generally good too but quality of plastic is visibly poor. Does not have a lockable compartment to keep personal belongings. Ride is generally good, even at 80 mph on Jersey turnpikes. Acceleration is quite sluggish, probably due to CVT. Very easy to bump transmission into semi-manual mode accidentally. Visibility front and back is rather poor. Have to sit high to get good view in front which leads to reduced headroom. UConnect and trip computer both work quite well. Feels like driving a rental (based on years of biz travel experience) but great for daily commute, especially in bad weather.

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  A decent minivan - 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By dman76 - July 5 - 1:40 pm

  Currently drive a stripped down version of the 2011 Grand Caravan for my vanpool. I commute/drive 80 miles a day, and have sat in all seating positions. Performance: 3.6L is fairly peppy, transmission could be programmed better to be more responsive and less jerky. Average 23 to 24 mpg. (70% hwy) Comfort: Front seats are good. Middle seats are OK, granted you can slide it all the way back. Third row is tight on leg-room, even with middle seats all the way forward. (Stow n go design leaves little to no leg-room.) Anchor points for the middle seats seat belts hinder 3rd row passengers from straddling their legs forward. Quiet interior. Overall, a good value, but not perfect.

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  Good for what it is - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By bigdan - July 2 - 10:46 pm

  Bought this vehicle to replace a guzzling ram. My price out the door with tax was $14,700 plus $2.99 gas offer. Although only a $750 rebate is mentioned, the dealer magically pulled an additional $1000 worth of bonus cash out of the air. I am an employee, so I know they were just knocking this off of MSRP. I am not sure why the vehicle gets such nasty reviews. PROS: Roomy, looks ok, good value (read: cheap), more cargo space than I thought. Rides and handles nice. CONS: The 1.8 L is a little weak and the manual is a little stiff. I am not sure why a vehicle this size and with this engine gets only 28 mpg.. should get 35 mpg! Chill zone is kinda lame, doesnt really work.

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  Good first - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By Evan V - July 1 - 9:41 pm

  We got this with 29k miles for $7700 because it had blemishes in the hood paint from overwaxing and engine heat, and had a crappy bed cover. The computer that ran the lighting system broke the day we got it, and the passengers window button didnt work. But those were easily replaced. This is my first vehicle, I like it because it is as big as the car I trained in, and has a bed for my fishing stuff. I had to buy new tailgate cables, as someone cut them. I also bought a locking gas cap for $15 and it fits, never too careful with gas at 4$ a gallon.

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  call me an srt4 addict - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By srt4 addict - June 30 - 9:45 pm

  I just traded in my 04 neon srt4 for the 08 caliber srt4. I loved my neon, did plenty of work to it, but it had to finally go. Lots of mileage and much needed extra room for a new baby made me do it. To me and most owners, the srt4 neon is an icon and I did not think srt could do the same for the caliber. I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, Im not going to take the new car road-racing or autocrossing like I did with the neon because of its size. But Im looking forward to surprising the same owners of $30,000+ cars while the stare at my rear end, as they did with my neon while at the strip.

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  Still happy after 7 years - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By bluedak - June 29 - 12:33 pm

  Bought truck new in sept. 2001, at current have 61k on it. Love the looks, comfort, and power of the truck. It has had a small share of problems: currently on its third set of rotors for warping and corrosion, also has had its share of electrical glitches and a power steering leak etc, but has never left me stranded. Current issues occurring now are: vib/ noise from pass front wheel, and a sticky caliper. Just problems develop as a a vehicle ages. Still love the truck, and would keep it indefinitely but I need the passenger space of a crew cab.

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  Thank God for the 30 day guarantee - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Jules - June 28 - 1:46 pm

  This car was horrible. I had to look over the scooped hood just to see the hood. Very uncomfortable even with leather. Awfully cheap feeling and looking interior. Sorry for ever buying it, but thank God for the guarantee. The only thing good was the power. For riding on a Mercedes platform, it was horrible.

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  For just having it 2 weeks its okay - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By kimalli - June 28 - 10:00 am

  I think that overall the 2004 stratus is a nice car. We owned a 2000 stratus prior to this one and although it had its moments where I wanted to drive it into the river it was a really good car. We travel a lot so I would have to say it is great for travel. The radio is a plus. I think that if you are wanting a good car for a low price a stratus would be a good car. We have not ran into any real big problems with our stratus, other than the break dust on the front tires. That drives me nuts.

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  My first of three - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Deere1939B - June 26 - 11:53 pm

  I also needed a larger vehicle for a growing family. Looked at Ford and Mopar, and went with this because of recommendations. Has been a very good vehicle for 4 years. Bought it with 56K, and now have 165K on it. Had some normal mech maintenance, including valve job, gas tank fuel pump, serpentine idler bracket, etc. It is still fairly easy to work on, but then I got the Dodge shop manual. The book is worth its weight in gold. Only thing I really dont like is the headlights. They become opaque and crystalized with age. $200 for a new one? I think not. It does everything. I havent used my pickup for three years because I pull a trailer with the van, with loads of room inside.

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  Fast and fun - 1995 Dodge Stealth
  By yamaha1269 - June 26 - 5:00 pm

  I own five of these cars from the base model to the twin turbo from each year so I feel Im well qualified to make an accurate judgment of this car to start this car is highly underrated and I wish they would get more recognition for the Design and engineering. Car is fairly comfortable driving long distance. My six speed turbo was great on gas for a sports car and went 450 miles if not more on a full 17 gallon tank. Oh man does this car sound good with an after market sound system with little or no effort although the head units angle does create a problem with a flip up screen if installed so using and double din unit is better.