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:

• 

  2000 4.7 Auto Quad Cab - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By ahasher - May 12 - 3:06 am

  Love this truck. The handling and power are well above what I expected for a "mid"sized truck. The 4.7 V8 accelerates flawlessly and has power on demand on the interstate. At 47500+ miles she still has NO rattles/noises inside the cab, very low wind. NO excessive tire wear for the mileage(with my regular rotations). Problems encountered: engine rough idle. Crank Shaft Position Sensor failed. The electric aux fan relay stuck on, damaging the fuse box, dealer replaced with a loaner Durango the whole wait. My brakes chirp constantly even with cleaning. Summary: QC still performs as good as the day I drove her home.

• 

  Best Overall Vehicle Ever Owned - 2016 Dodge Durango
  By Neil Reid - May 11 - 1:46 am

  This is a terrific machine. Looks great, has all the gadgets you want and enjoy, the 5.7 hemi with the 8 speed gearbox is a rocket. Super comfortable, excellent interior, super build quality, feels like a more expensive machine. This is my second Durango and Im very pleased with it. Not the cheapest sticker, but you get what you pay for. Strong recommend for this machine; I have the R/T.

• 

  Caliber love it - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By rt - May 8 - 9:10 pm

  Fun car. It is very good on gas mileage and it seats five well. It looks very sporty and it handles well. not a powerhouse but it gets you there

• 

  a nightmare - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By pcarrs - May 8 - 6:45 am

  i would not recommend this car to anyone i have owned this vehicle for 3 years i have over 200,000 miles on it i run it as a taxi and am familiar with all the problems others have written about it. brakes are the worst they designed them too small i have to replace pads every 3 months somtimes sooner if the calipers stick replaced calipers, and rotors. replaced heater hoses several times the plastic tee cracks which leads to leaks. radiator cracked. ac compressor hoses burst. motor mounts need constant replaceing. this car is a money pit. you can purchase a hummer for the price you spend on this van and the fuel economy is the same!!!!!!!

• 

  Pocket Rocket - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Matt - May 7 - 5:13 am

  Really fun to drive. Has the power of a V8 without the long nose or heavy feel, and the utility of 4 doors for those with a family. I still smile everytime it comes time to hop in it and go somewhere.

• 

  Great Car - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By bltkate - May 6 - 10:00 am

  We have two 2003 neons and even though we have had bigger and better vehicles the gas mileage and economy of these cars is better than any truck or suv. Fun to drive and you do not have to watch the fuel gauge go down rapidly after it reaches half full.

• 

  Whats wrong with american cars? - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Warren - May 6 - 10:00 am

  This car has major reliability problems, I have replaced the battery, the altenator, the water pump, the device that raises and lowers the driverside window, a starter, and now I need to fix head and valve gaskets, a 600.00 repair. we bought the vehicle new and I havent driven it for more then 6 months without having to do some sort of repair. A 7 year old vehicle with 65,000 miles on it shouldnt be costing me an average of 1,000 a year to maintain. American car companies better wake up or companies like honda, toyota, and new arrivals like kia, and hyundai are going to put them out of business.

• 

  Disgusted - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By michelle - May 4 - 9:30 am

  Bought this vehicle brand new. I have had A/C issues, latch issues and shift issues. Most of all, I have put $500 recently into rear brakes after having had my front brakes already replaced for the same reason, squealing. I complained about the three times I have had to return my van for problems, but have gotten nowhere. They need to recall the brakes! I have owned 2 other Caravans and enjoyed owning them but not this one.

• 

  500 miles in - 2016 Dodge Dart
  By Kaleb Mays - May 4 - 1:29 am

  I bought my 2016 dart SE Saturday afternoon. I had several errands to run this weekend with Christmas just around the corner. We left the lot with 16 miles and now have 486 on the odometer. Interior- most cars Ive owned in the past have had the cheap plastic coverings on the dash along with very uncomfortable armrests in the doors. This car has a nice plush almost pleathery feel in its place. The interior styling on the SE is not flashy but not dull. Performance- for a 2.0 with no turbo its decently quick enough for the driving I will be doing. I commute 700 miles a week for work and dont do many hard accelerations. That being said I was not at all disappointed when accelerating. I reset my mpg average when leaving yesterday for a 180 mile round trip. 75% highway I averaged 35.7 mpg over the trip and hit 45.7 on the average on the highway driving at 56 mph. Technology- I wasnt looking for the fanciest car and I sure didnt get it. Theres no remote start, no xm radio, no touchscreen display or anything most newer cars have. It doesnt even have automatic headlights. But I wasnt looking for all of this Summary- I was looking for a car big enough for me and my family that got good mileage. Thats exactly what I got. After a few thousand miles I will update my review.

• 

  R/T Road & Track - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By BLACK/HEMI - May 4 - 12:13 am

  Love the car. Great looks and performance. Fun to drive. The road and track package is a must. Great seats, love the air ride suspension, makes the car handle great and the ride smooth. The 350HP and 22MPH is very nice. The stereo sound system is awesome.