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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  5000 miles: Going great so far - 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By oregonfamily - November 28 - 7:49 am

  This car was a surprise replacement for a satisfactory but accident-totaled 2002 GC: it matched Toyota and Nissan on apparent quality and features for about $3K less. A comparable Honda was even more expensive. After 5000 miles including a 2700-mile Oregon/Bay-Area/LA/Vegas and back vacation with six people, we remain very satisfied. The Crew trim level has all the features needed for a long road trip. Weve also used it for the usual local commute/kids hauling/cargo hauling expected of a minivan. No problems, no complaints. Its been a great driver. 18-20.5 mpg local, 21-24.5 mpg on long trips, and the engine isnt broken in yet. It is just a very competent minivan.

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  Do not purchase!! - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By bestmommy - November 28 - 3:46 am

  I was expecting our 4th child, so we need a van. By 38,000 miles we had put $2100 worth of work into our van. Some was "normal wear": brakes and 4 new tires. I have never had to put brakes and tires on a car before 50,000 miles. Usually closer to 75,000 for brakes. The front axle broke, the water pump cracked, the check engine light and the oil light repeatedly come on. It drinks oil like crazy. I have to replace about 3-4 quarts between oil changes (which we do every 3,000 miles). There are lots of "small" plastic items that have broken off inside of the van. I will not own a Dodge again.

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  transmission - 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By henke009 - November 28 - 2:44 am

  after 9000 km the transmission bearing is gone, my first dodge in my life and definitly last one, too much hasle, because of the brand new car............???

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  Great except for Transmission - 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Kalvin K. - November 27 - 3:06 pm

  These vans are great. Its no surprise Chrysler still dominates the minivan market. Front seats are comfortable, Back seats get the job done. Even 2 adults can sit comfortably for shorter journeys. Middle seats are ok, but the headrests are awful. Extremely hard and thin, and at a stupid angle. Fine for younger kids, but not so much for teens or adults. The guy at the dealer almost knocked himself out when showing us the stow n go. Beware the spring loaded headrests. Engine is more than adequate for pulling the weight of the van, but is let down by a rough and unintelligent transmission. Gearing is too short down low, meaning its always changing around town. When going up hills, you will start to lose speed pretty fast. If cruise control is on, it will drop a gear and FLOOR IT for no reason. If you dont use cruise control and put your foot down, it wont downshift until you reach the top of the hill, when you dont need it to anymore. Very frustrating, not very good for fuel economy either. Dont bother pushing the economy button, the only difference is that it makes the transmission even worse. Gear changes are rough and a jolt can sometimes be felt in the cabin. HOWEVER. Everything else (minus middle headrests as said before) is great. Radio sounds great, dashboard is easy to use and understand, visibility is amazing. Stow and go, minus the jawbreaking headrests is awesome. You can fit almost anything in the back. All in all, if you can look past the Tranny, great car. 8.5/10.

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  They should have tested it more first! - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By nitroglyceride - November 24 - 12:03 am

  No one can say that the Nitro isnt sharp as can be in the looks department. It is quite the head turner, but as another wrote.. thats where the good ends. I have had several new cars over the years, yet none in the model releases first year. The 2007 Nitro is a prime example of why homework is important. They have many issues with this vehicle that they cant or wont address. It rides very roughly, the transmission feels like its constantly searching for whatever gear its in, the headliner squeaks against the underside of the roof, it has electrical issues that cause operations to fail, and it is cramped feeling inside. I traded a PT Cruiser for it, so go figure? Please fix mine..

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  Overall a Great Value - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Bear - November 21 - 4:46 pm

  I commute 85 miles each way daily, so I need a solid vehicle and so far, the Journey R/T AWD does the job well. I am also a big guy...long legs, broad shoulders. Although I wish the seat were larger, I must admit that overall, the car is very roomy, even with the sunroof. Far more room than my 2005 Chevy Trailblazer. There is a TON of room for the 3rd row of seats that I did not take and lots of storage. Still learning all the features including voice commands! Great value for the $$$ spent. CVT tranny is cool too.

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  Good for its age - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By OM - November 21 - 10:56 am

  Bought the car in 2005 with 162,000 miles. The van is very powerful, quick, and fuel efficient. The exterior styling is timeless and aggressive, something you dont see in minivans. I have a 3.8 Liter ES. The paint is slowly peeling off on the pillars and the pin striping is coming off. The car rusts very fast everywhere. The stereo buttons are very hard to press, and plastics are coming loose. The ABS stopped working at 169,000, power steering pump leaks a little, and AC has a leak. Year by year there are more leaks and a lot more rust. Gas mileage is excellent for a 3.8 liter engine, average 23 MPG.

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  03 SXT - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By 03DODGESXT - November 21 - 2:00 am

  I am glad I bought a 2003 NEON SXT. I am within my budget. It is the second most inexpensive vehicle in this category when compared to Civic LX, Corolla S, Protege LX, Focus SE, Lancer, and Elantra GLS. I was going to buy an Elantra, but the insurance was to high. The fuel rating in the sticker said 33 MPG. I think its less than that. I have to refill the gas tank for every 265 miles driven. I may sell my NEON in exchange for a fuel economy car.

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  Taking the Journey in Style! - 2017 Dodge Journey
  By Crysco - November 20 - 10:08 pm

  Navigation is only available in the upper models even though you purchased the 8.4 screen you cannot add the Nav option.

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  Dodge - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By Robert J. Darragh - November 20 - 7:20 am

  When you sit inside you feel like your in a full size truck. The ride is great,and it handles very good.This is a great truck.The 4 doors are great, the back seats are great.The price of the full size trucks just shocked me when I was looking to buy. This listed for 23949.00 and I bought it for 21214.00 I paid that 10 years ago for a F-150 4x4 XL with no A/C. THE PRICE IS RIGHT compare to other trucks this size. And for a 4x2 It looks like a 4x4