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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  Aaaack!! - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Big Mamma - April 17 - 10:00 am

  Weve had the brakes repaced 4X in 48,000 mi. Also, replaced sensors 2X in the last 3 months. Drive belt tensioner is about to go. We had a Subaru for 7 years with 1/2 the problems of this van :(

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  Bad Quality - Nice Ride - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By nwdodgeguy - April 17 - 10:00 am

  Been in the shop twice so far at 24,000 miles. Worst problems: 2 oil leaks from the oil pan and rear main seal, and a tranny leak from the output shaft seal. Bad hub bearing replaced.

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  Brakes/Rotors - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By April C - April 17 - 12:46 am

  I brought my car brand spanking new 2 whole miles on it. This Dodge Journey has given me nothing but trouble, at 21,000 brakes and rotors are completely gone?! Now I am researching and many people have the same problems. The dealers state that it is normal, no that it is not. There is a defect somewhere and somebody needs to do something about it.

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  New vehicle - 2016 Dodge Durango
  By Sco Stu - April 15 - 9:32 am

  Purchased a "USED"... yes used 2016 Durango R/T with 65 miles on it (July 2016). With the addition of a second child (we opted for 2nd row captain chairs), our 2013 Audi Q5 3.0T Prem Plus, S-Line just did not have enough interior room. Durango is a nice vehicle for its size. The V8 is a must for the weight of this vehicle. Coming from a supercharged V6 german CUV, my wife could not stand the Dodge V6. The 8sp is smooth. We tested other American SUVs that had the quad captain chairs as options and the Durango ticked all our boxes for satisfaction. We liked the turbo-6 on the Ford explorer but not much else on that vehicle. U-Connect is intuitive, I just hope the touchscreen lasts. I will update later on longevity. Noted....our Audi had 60k miles when we traded and was absolutely flawless....NOT A SINGLE PROBLEM during the ownership.

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  Daytona R/T Rocks - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Rob - April 13 - 1:06 pm

  Handles well, very powerfull, roomy, comfortable w/ four hefty passengers, Have to remember to stop back about ten feet more than normal when at street lights - difficult to view light w/ angle of windshield, huge trunk w/fold down rear seats if needed, 18 inch wheels with all four anti lock brakes stops on a dime, I noticed after 4000 mile break in a little jiggly in the front end, rack and pinion steering.

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  Awesome - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By davecl - April 13 - 10:00 am

  I love driving this car more everyday! I needed something with lots of room to carry my gear, but still something sporty. One friend of mine says "This car reeks of German ingenuity" I feel like Im driving a Mercedes at a Dodge price.

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  SWEET - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By magnum33 - April 13 - 10:00 am

  I HAVE NEVER OWNED ANYTHING BUT A FORD. 3 EXPLORERS,AND 3 MUSTANGS LATER , IM NOW A HUGE MAGNUM FAN. THIS AUTO HAS SURPASSED ANYTHING I MAY HAVE THOUGHT. COMFORT,SPEED,ROOMY,AND COOL LOOKING. I HAVE LETERALLY SPENT MORE TIME SHOWNING THE CAR TO PEOPL THAN I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DRIVE IT. A BMW SUV ALMOST DROVE ME OFF THE ROAD TRYING TO GET A GLIMPSE,AND THEN YELLED OUT GREAT CAR. THIS CAR HAS IT ALL. WHAT A GREAT CONCEPT. GOOD JOB DODGE.

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  great vehicle - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By music man - April 13 - 10:00 am

  i have realy enjoyed this vehicle, the more we drive it the more we enjoy it.

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  Good to us. - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By KarenP - April 13 - 3:20 am

  I noticed that other reviewers had transmission problems. We had NO problems with anything on this van during the time we owned it. At 103,000 miles, our mechanic suggested trading in as he could tell it would need a valve job and possible motor overhaul in the next 6 months or so. Since the blue book was not worth a $3000 motor job, we traded for a 2005 GC SXT. If it had not been for a major overhaul pending I would have kept it much longer. We were extremely pleased with our overall experience with this van. Loved it.

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  Practical Vehicle - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By rau1997 - April 13 - 2:33 am

  We bought our 1997 Grand Caravan used with 26500 miles on it from a dealership. We also bought an extended warranty taking it to 6yrs/75k (only used it once for the starter but it was nice to have peace of mind). Overall its been a pretty good car with only three problems; starter went out at 50k; brakes; wiper goes on for no reason (not covered on extended warranty).