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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  Very Disappointed - 2008 Dodge Charger
  By Unhappycamper - June 19 - 8:45 am

  It sounds like I am the only one but I am so disappointed with my new car. I have wanted a Charger since they hit the ground. After all the waiting until I could afford one, I ended up buying the lemon from the lot. My car has 850 miles on it and has been in the shop 5 times for the transmission. When the transmissions shifts between 1st & 2nd gear it feels like I am driving over railroad tracks & it does this every time I stop & take off. The dealership says this is normal and it should work itself out after I have drove it 3000 miles or more. They also say that 1/2 of them do this & 1/2 of them dont. I dont even want to drive it. The excitement is gone.

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  Beast - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By jordan_sterba - June 18 - 12:29 am

  This is a very reliable little car, unfortunately stuff from mopar is real expensive so they are easy to total. But other than that i give the car a 2 thumbs up all around

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  2008 SXT 2.0 CVT Compared to what? - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By LacPac - June 17 - 4:03 pm

  If youre like me, you may have dumped your gas guzzler, and find 24-30+ mpg a breath of fresh air. Dropping 1700 lbs comes at a price, I. E. Hard plastic interior, less room, but, compared to other compacts (Versa, Civic), it feels big. How many 6,3" guys can fit in a compact car with a moonroof? Bigger car feel, very comfortable seats, and doesnt look like an "economy" car. Zipping around town, the CVT is very accommodating and with a lifetime powertrain warranty, its a no-brainer. 700 miles on the car and getting 24.5 city/30 highway (real #s), driving the speed limit, with k&n air filter. CVT trans actually slows you down more with your foot off the gas, almost like a manual trans.

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  It stinks - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By tom - June 17 - 3:03 am

  Well first of all the sunroof leaks. The right side back glass leaks. The luggage rack is coming apart. It shakes real bad when idling at a stop. Sunroof was fixed but still leaking. Does not pull for crap. Im gonna get rid of it as soon as possible.

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  Dont pass the gas station - 2008 Dodge Charger
  By mattmac53 - June 16 - 3:39 pm

  Traded in a 05 Nissan Maxima GL for my 2008 Charger R/T. Looking at it was love at first sight. Love everything about it except for the gas mileage. Great road car and cruiser. Very comfortable and has THE power when you punch it. Got almost all the bells and whistles on it to which makes it a fun piece of "American Iron." Easy to see why it is the new "Cop Car".

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  Not a bad low end car, better than used! - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By mkammer - June 15 - 3:00 pm

  This is the first new car that I have owned. With the current interest rates and promotions at the time, it simply made sense for the first time to buy new. Yes it is true that this is not a "Luxury" car. (Compared to our 1998 Buick LeSabre, many features are lacking). However the 5 speed stick is very responsive. The sound system is quite good, mileage very good. The only negative that I have seen is the clutch seems to "flutter" a bit in 2nd gear (sort of like a bungie cord). Overall I am very happy with the purchase. I have 13k miles with absolutely no maintenance issues whatsoever. (Also the 5mph rear bumpers really do work!) I was even complimented on my "Parking Style".

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  Reliable, decent mileage - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By Gregg - June 12 - 9:05 pm

  I bought my Dakota in November last year. Little would I know just how much I would enjoy the truck this winter with near record snowfall. It has been very reliable. Not one non-maintenance item needed for replacement. Only items replaced are the tires and the downstream O2 sensor. Other then that, not one issue. Gets about 18 mpg in the city. Can average in the low twenties with straight highway driving. Would definitely recommend this truck to someone who needs a small truck.

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  Race - 1994 Dodge Shadow
  By moparman - June 12 - 3:30 pm

  I bought this car already torn down, i am using this car to race at a circle track. The car is completely stock no improvements. It is very fast (won the first and only race so far) I race against people who put 2 grand into the car with performance stuff i bought the car for $450 and have put about $250 into it but that is expected with a race car. Only thing Ive had to replace was rack and pinion and a starter(plugs and wires)

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  Great Vechile Would Recommend - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By jdoggntiro - June 11 - 3:39 pm

  If you are looking for a great lower priced SUV, this is it. If you havent noticed the people that complain about the Nitro have bought the cheaper version. They have three versions the SXT, the lower priced, the SLT the medium priced, and the RT the higher priced. I recommend the SLT, comes with sun roof, uconnect and it doesnt have that ugly plastic. Very clean, love it.

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  good truck ( except for mpg ) - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By norsmn - June 11 - 12:54 pm

  I have been very satisfied with this vehicle, up until now when the fuel prices have gone sky high. Mileage not bad in summer highway driving, but in cold winter temps it is poor. One power window motor quit working at about 40k miles. Had 2 factory recalls for the ball joints and a shift lever block problem. They were easily taken care of by dealership.