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 brake design - 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By alflaggs - March 21 - 5:05 am

  The rear brakes on my 2010 Caravan do not release properly and the brakes wear down in less than 25,000 miles. It is in need of a second set of rotors, pads, and calipers on the rear AGAIN. Looking online, I find this a very common problem...I think because of the poor design. On almost all cars, the braking force goes 70% to the front, 30% to the rear. The 2010 Caravan is designed for 50/50 braking and that seems to be too much to the rear brakes. In addition, the rear calipers do not seem to release fully when the brakes are let off. Chrysler really needs to address this problem since it is causing premature brake failure.

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  The worst vehicle ever! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Cheryl - March 18 - 2:23 pm

  I have owned my vehicle for approximately 11 months and my car has been in the shop more days than I can count. Everything that has been mentioned in the other negative reviews has happened to my vehicle. My car acts like it is going to die on a regular basis and the dealership cant find the problem. My radio decides to stop working for no reason. My strut tower was not bolted in. Nice workmanship!! My door locks decide when they will work. Some days the locks will work and some days they wont. I have nothing nice to say about the vehicle or the dealership!!! I do not feel safe driving this vehicle!! Stay away from the dodge product!

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  Its Worth It ! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By gthorn - March 18 - 1:50 pm

  I wasnt planning on even buying a car, but I test drove the new Charger, just to check it out, and after 5 minutes, I was sold. This car is unbelievable. It has unlimited acceleration and can turn on a dime. This is a great car!

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  2005 DGC SXT - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Terri S. - March 18 - 1:30 pm

  We now have close to 70,000 miles on our SXT. We have had some small eletrical problems (always on the passenger side) like the passenger side window not working, but it goes away. The sliding doors tend to pop off the track if they are opened too fast. (we have only seen this happen twice.)Overall we get around 18 MPG in town and about 25MPG highway. We have taken many trips in our SXT without any mishaps. The waterpump has been changed. But that was the only part that has had to be replaced. We have a had a check engine light on for several months now, it doesnt interfere with performance, so weve ignored it until we can afford to take it in. Its a great family vehicle.

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  minivan - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By bobpaul - March 18 - 10:00 am

  This has been a great vehicle for our family. We have 4 captain chairs and a back bench seat, with rear heat/air. We have taken some great family trips in this vehicle. Also, I like driving sitting up in the captain chairs.

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  What i like---what i dont - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By blueclan - March 18 - 10:00 am

  Quiet ride at all speeds and on road had best brakes of all I tested (all disks)with load,seven passengers.side and rear doors power work great are a plus.Only problem for me(70+)is seats are heavy to remove but very comfortable.mileage on highway steady 23 at 70 mph

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  Awesome affordable buy!!! - 2016 Dodge Journey
  By Lissa - March 17 - 11:29 pm

  Went from a 2004 Toyota Sienna to this. Was amazed at the space and storage areas. Especially having 3 ypung kids. I needed a decent amount of space! Mileage has been great! I went with the crossroad edition. 4 cylinder instead of the 6 cylinder. Awesome features. With rebates I saved a ton of money. Started out at $27,000 and got down to $19900. Absolutely love it!!!

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  Still goin! - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By autoitking - March 16 - 11:58 am

  My family has had this car for 10 years now, and its still going strong. Original engine and transmission are rock solid and perform well. Only problems we ever had was a leaky radiator hose, a bad spark plug wire, and a bad idler. Once the idler and spark plug wires were replaced, it ran like new again! The power steering is very powerful and has a lot of boost. Very easy to steer, and handles well considering its size. The leaf springs in the rear make loading over a ton no problem, and the engine can haul it adequately. We fit all of my college stuff in there with room for three adults left. And the engine made it 350 miles to my dorm and back. Also a few very long trips (over 600 miles)

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  Ride of our LIFE - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Ride of our LIFE - March 14 - 6:46 pm

  My family and I think it is an awesome vehicle. Wasnt too sure at first but I really like it now. Glad we bought it now.I really like the quiet smooth ride. My husband loves the sunroof and the fog lights. I think overall it is a great start to what could be an awesome vehicle if they just make a few changes.

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  Great Family Car - 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By firstvan - March 12 - 6:40 pm

  This is an exceptional car. We bought the van to replace a Durango. The van has significantly more room inside, and is easier to get in and out of, especially to the 3rd row. The DVD system is great! For people with young kids this is well worth the price.The stow and go is very nice. I was very surprised how big the storage area is. So far I am a little disapointed in the fuel economy, but it will probably get better after it is broken in. The van is very comfortable to drive, and all of the controls are laid out very logical. My only regret so far is not buying it sooner!