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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  First Van - 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By mcvallin - December 25 - 9:56 am

  Havent had this van for 48 hours, so base your interpretation upon that...so far, through test driving and rec driving, it is perfect. The 3.3 L V6 is more than enough for normal driving conditions. We got the base model with an upgrade, so we dont have the navigation, dvd, etc. and the van still seems to provide for the family with normal needs. Build, appearance, and performance have all seemed to be adequate. If you want supperior options, buy a chrysler aspen or an escalade. But how it seems to me so far, for the reasonable family with a budget, this is the best you can get.

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  A great ride, but not reliable - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By jdryer - December 25 - 12:16 am

  I bought this van at a year old with only 29,000 miles on it. I can say this is one of the most comfortable autos Ive ever owned and there have been quite a few. But as for reliability, not so good an auto. When I bought the van it had a noise from the engine that sounded like a cricket. After many attempts the dealership replaced one of the pulleys and that fixed that. Ive had to replace steering gear, at total repair charge of $605, at 46,895 miles. Ive had an off and on oil leak. Now at 62,000 miles I seem to be having transmission "issues". Wish me luck on that one. Overall, would I buy another Dodge Caravan? Yes, but only if the dealership throws in an extended warranty.

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  GET ALL THE OPTIONS INCLUDING THE HEMI - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By DAYCAREMOM24 - December 24 - 12:16 pm

  Were previous Durango owners but the 05 Limited Hemi is a complete turnaround from the 03 we owned. Its comfortable, its roomy, the DVD is a must have. The Navigation is awesome, the Sirius Satelite is great, and Dodge even pays for the 1st year! The Hemi is AWD. We have all of the options and dont regret it one bit. It rides smooth, handles great, looks sharp and WE LOVE IT! The gas mileage is ok being a previous V-8 owner. THe Hemi definetly adds a little more pizazz to the enitre package. Its fast and responsive on an open highway! We love it!! There are many more options, too many to name but all in all... WE HAVE THEM ALL!!! AND WE LOVE IT!!

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  Great Van - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By JEM - December 23 - 10:00 am

  This has been one great van. Its starting to get up in age now but every time I look at replacing it I change my mind. Ive driven the new vans from Nissan, Toyota and Honda, and they still dont come close to the ride, handling, and confort of my G.C. I Love my G.C.

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  Love my first Dodge - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Don - December 23 - 9:16 am

  I am a Volvo man - have owned 7 over the years (still own a 1994 940. I recently bought my first Dodge and am extremely happy with it. The reason I looked at the Caliber is I am a wheelchair user (manual, non-folding ultralight weight) and I have found that most new cars on the market are either too small to hold my wheelchair (without taking it apart), are huge gas guzzlers, or are too expensive for my budget. The Caliber will hold my wheelchair, gets great gas mileage, and is one of the least expensive new cars I have ever bought. It totally satisfies my requirements, is fun to drive and the dealer/service department is excellent. I highly recommend this vehicle.

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  Brakes, Brakes and more Bad Brakes - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By audrey - December 22 - 2:26 pm

  Purchased vehicle with 18,132 km. in Feb 2008,;October 2008 @ 33,942 km (15,810 km driven) replaced front brake pads and rotors. Drove additional 8,842 km - in May 2009 replaced the rear brake pads and rotors; at same time they again replaced the Front brake pads only 8,842 km use (they did this part for free! Today is August 18th - it has been 3months since both front and back have been replaced - 5 weeks of that it was parked and only 4,920 km later the van is going back into the dealership tomorrow because the brakes are causing severe shuttering. Already have put out $964.00 and a free set for the front --Dodge Service- -What will this cost me- I feel totally ripped off - known problem

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  Awesome Van - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Stacy - December 21 - 11:00 pm

  Weve had our van for six months now and I still love it! We had an 02 Odyssey before this one and I would definitely recommend the Dodge over the Honda. I think it is very easy to drive. I feel like I sit up in it and that I have a good view of my surroundings. Stow n go seating is great! I have two young children and their stuff is no longer rolling around on the floor of the van!

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  Very reliable car - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By chuckdi - December 20 - 5:56 am

  The only problem I had was the air conditioning. Went out at about 150000 miles. However, I never had any other mechanical problems. It has 232,000 miles and is still going strong.

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  Great Car....Small Annoyance... - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By daveydodge - December 19 - 2:13 pm

  Every time I wash my Caliber, it is dusty and dirty almost immediately on the back windshield, bumper, and back door on clean dry highways!!..Must be a design flaw..anybody else notice this?..All in all, love my Caliber SXT..Steel Blue with chrome door handles and gas cap and front grille, aluminum wheels and smoke window visors and bug shield and chrome "Dodge" front License Plate..gets lots of looks and 29 mpg with Mopar Synthetic...32,000 miles and going strong!!!....Love the new Dodge Journeys that are coming out..already thinking about that for 2009....

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  Downsizing to a Journey - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By inuvik - December 17 - 4:33 am

  We traded our 2007 Dodge MegaCab in on the Journey. We wanted something smaller that still had all wheel drive, could tow 3000 lbs or more and could seat 5 comfortably. The Journey meets all of those qualifications. Its extremely quiet at highway speeds and has been delivering good highway mileage, 24-25MPG. We love all of the storage, the transmission shifts smooth, and really enjoy sirius satellite radio. All in all, we are very happy with our purchase.