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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  Poor Quality! - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Caravan Lemon - October 29 - 2:00 am

  Transmission of my 2000 Grand Caravan broke down at 75K KM. 2K to fix it. Chrysler should be shame of its quality.

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  perfect suv - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By cathrine kenyworth - October 29 - 2:00 am

  i really enjoy driving it , espically when it comes to four whell driving in snow , mud , or whatever natue has in store for you. the interior is to die for.

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  Who else Loves Their Nitro? I Sure Do! - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By dmarcantel - October 28 - 11:56 pm

  Love it, stepped down from a Land Rover Discovery II and do not regret it. Do not pass this great lil SUV by.

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  Stay Away - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By No Way dont do it - October 28 - 10:00 am

  Dont do it. Listen to me. I drove this van for 75,000 miles. I Will Not buy a Dodge again. Had the deductable warranty but it doesnt pay for loss time taking it to the dealer, towing, or looking stupid by asking for a lift to pick-up the van again. I went through a transmition every 12,000- 20,000 miles. They put a brand new one in every time. I could not take it out of town in fear I would get stuck. I bought this van brand new. Even ordered it with the 3.8l engine, trans cool and block heater. I never towed anything heaver than a bike carrier. Stay away, stay away!!

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  Hemi Magnum - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By jab575 - October 26 - 5:23 am

  Just bought the Hemi RT, this vehicle is comfortable, handles well, awesome power and great looking. Got the Bright Silver Clearcoat w/ sunroof and roof rack ne other option, comes well equipped. Friend owns a Chrysler dealership and said going for other options is a waste no trade in value. Highly recommend. Do not know mileage yet, have only driven for one week.

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  Nitro - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Eva - October 25 - 5:50 pm

  The car handles nice and is fun to drive, however the ability to get in and out of the car is not good. You have to duck you head to enter the car. The front side windows of the car are much smaller than normal which makes bank and drive in transactions very difficult. The side mirror on this car are very large and tend to create blind spots when turning corners. The car features automatic door locks which are great except when you try to re-enter the car you have to unlock the back door which tends to get annoying when you have to go to the front to unlock the back. Everything on the console in the front of the car is slightly behind you which causes you to look down.

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  Dodge Got It Right! - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By maddogcain - October 24 - 10:00 am

  Even though we have only owned this vehicle for a month I love it more every time I drive it. Based on my limited time with it I feel the Dodge Engineers really did their homework. The ride is superb and the Hemi power is great. Usually by now I have found something about a new vehicle that I dont like or that bugs me but I can honestly say that so far I like everything about it. ( except the fuel mileage, but hey you dont get this kind of power with great mileage. ) Dodge has hit a homerun with this one in my opinion.

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  Hemi is the way to go! - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By tlnevius - October 24 - 10:00 am

  Put 220 miles on it the first day! This vehicle is a blast to drive, and very smooth and quiet on the inside. The one I purchased had the power sunroof, the level II Infinity Sound System (6disk in Dash, 384Watts with subwoofer), and the Hemi as its major highlights. No aspect of this truck dissappoints. Gas mileage is great for this size vehicle and the Hemi option. Going from the dealer back to work, I was getting an average of 20 MPG (@ 80 mph). With in town driving, it shows 17 MPG. Pretty good for a full size SUV with a 3.92 gear ratio and tow rating of 8900 lbs!

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  First Dodge - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By stockholder - October 19 - 10:00 am

  Just picked up my Neon yesterday. I must admit I never could see myself owning a 4 cylinder engine car, but this one has a lot of pep. The salesman put me in the showroom car and then when we figured my 6/2 frame could fit in it. I went outside and picked out my graphite colored car. So far I have driven back and forth to work. But this week I get a chance to really drive it.

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  Love My Magnum - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By mitcfarm - October 19 - 10:00 am

  I have owned my Magnum since early July 2004. I love it. It is exceptionally roomy inside for my family of four. It rides smooth like a heavy sedan on the freeway, but handles quick and responsive like a small sports car around town. The power is phenomenal and a whole lot of fun to drive. And, it definitely turns heads and starts conversations everywhere I go. One negative--I have encountered a "hard-start" problem and the dealership and factory finally solved it after 10+ days in shop, now it continually has a "check-engine" light that they are still unsure of. The problem, although frustrating still has not taken the fun out of this car.