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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  Bad Motor - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By Joe - June 26 - 3:41 am

  Well the car broke in the middle of the highway and It didnt turn on again so call a tow truck ($80) to take it to the mechanic just to check it ($60)/ He told me that the oil pump went bad and it basically burned the motor so he told me that he can get me an used one for $1500 or a new one for $3000 and he also told me that those cars are very bad cars to get rid of it and I will as soon as I get more money.

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  Muscle truck - 2008 Dodge Dakota
  By Jason - June 25 - 5:18 am

  Originally was going to get the 07 at the end of the year. But after hearing about the new V8 I waited. I was not disappointed, power is very good. MPG could be better but is OK at about 16.5 average. I like all the storage, but dash looks and feels like cheap hard plastic. Cab has a lot of wind noise, but with stereo on it is not noticeable. Ride is stiff and bouncy, very noticeable while going around a turn with bumps, feels like the back end is going to lose traction. I have the Sport and it should have been set up to look sportier like the Colorado with a lowered stance. Front seat only holds 2 people while my older model holds 3, 3 would be better. Stock rear tinted windows are dark.

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  Its the best vehicle - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By Christopher Harringt - June 24 - 7:32 pm

  and a pleasure driving. The performance and power are great. However it uses too much fuel.

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  Just like a 7 year married couple - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By niTroSSo - June 23 - 7:40 pm

  Just like a marriage after 7 years, it was love at first sight, she was beautiful, had a great body, gave your a rush when you came close to her, but she became fat and heavy and wasted all your dough and didnt do it for you anymore. Poor handling (sways side to side when going over small bumps), poorer gas mileage, interior has too much plastic. I. E. doors, dash, center console. Large blind spots invest in blind spot mirrors. Everything got a strange little delay to it, from honking the horn to acceleration/braking. Brake light burn out often. After two months the window switches stopped working. No power on flat out acceleration (dont try to jump in on the highway if you dont have room.

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  My new caliber - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By ray darcusio - June 22 - 4:33 pm

  I have only had my caliber a short time (1 week) but i love it. Driving it is great.

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  Amazing vehicle! - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By devoe6xo - June 22 - 11:37 am

  I bought mine in December of 2008 with 107,000 miles on it, and for the money I paid it was a great deal! This thing runs like a champ. I take it everywhere that my friends take there more expensive 4x4 trucks and get through everything with ease. Mine had the 5.9 L V-8 in it so it had plenty of power, with some to spare. I absolutely loved this s.u.v and would have never gotten rid of it if gas hadnt gotten to 4 bucks a gallon.

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  Peppy - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By billy - June 22 - 10:56 am

  Makes getting on a crowded highway feel safe. Great acceleration, but as you might expect, you can watch the fuel gage go down. Also, as a city resident, this mid size, narrow SUV is great for squeezing down narrow streets and parking. Spent about $300 over 2 years above routine maintenance which is not bad. Bought truck with 30,000 and now have 50,000. Overall like the dodge (this is my 3rd) and I think dodge gets a bad rap most prof. reviewers (consumer ratings are always higher).

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  2006 Charger RT Great Ride - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Peter - June 21 - 4:16 pm

  The new Charger really delivers the performance and comfort. All my friends happily jump in all 4 doors when we go for a ride. The car looks very serious from the outside and inviting on the inside.

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  Great car on the road - best looking mid - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By pat - June 21 - 4:10 pm

  Ive had the car for abut 2 months now. Its great. A good priced head- turner... maybe even more than a Mustang. (you know its stylish when the guy driving a Mustang takes a long jealous look at your ride. Interior might be cheap, but it is still somewhat in style.

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  Could - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By burntfrank - June 19 - 4:16 pm

  Downgraded from A4 looking for more room and better gas mileage for under $20k. Definitely a nice amount of room to work with considering the overall size of the package. Gas mileage doesnt impress, but solid mid-to-high 20s in mostly highway driving. Ive put almost 8k miles in about 4 months and havent had a problem. I do miss the AWD, though.