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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  i love my venge (avenger) - 1996 Dodge Avenger
  By claudee2414 - February 11 - 11:23 am

  i purchased my avenger with 72,000 on it, i have had it for 5 years and now it has 240,000 milege. replaced the tranny and it lasted 3 years and now i have to rebuild it again. other than the transmission problems the engine is just starting to break in. replaced altenator, and radiator and brakes. this car handles like an indy car, its so sleak and beautiful. and i have the only one in the town that i live in!! i am in love with my venge, get one you will be too :)

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  The plan was good. - 1994 Dodge Intrepid
  By sprog - February 11 - 12:25 am

  Started having quite a few problems with it after about 100k miles - A/C would only work at certain times (never could figure it out), as well as quite a few other things. Poor paint job - it was actually tan, but would show up sort of purple at night. Kind of neat, but it started flaking off. Had cooling problems with it as well.

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  Do Not Take In Rain - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By angelgirl11684 - February 8 - 9:36 pm

  I have had this car for about 3-1/2 years now and i cannot wait till i can get rid of it. I have to hold onto it for at least another three months and have constantly had problems with it not starting and the radio going out. Also my front passanger window can now only go up using the drivers side and supposedly theres no problem with it. But the worst thing almost everytime it rains the car loses control and wont stop. Ive had to replace the tires and breaks and it still happened. I would not suggest this car to anyone, espically if you have alot of rain. I have had to take to having people lend me their cars in rain or drive me to be safe.

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  This is why Chrysler went bankrupt. - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By ihatemynitro - February 8 - 9:34 am

  Ill never buy another Dodge. Its too bad because they look pretty cool. This one did. But what a shoddy piece of crap it has turned out to be. The roofrack is peeling from the roof, the breaklights work sporadically, the brake rotors are bad, the a/c evaporator coil is dead and Im told will take at least $1500 to fix. Lets see, what else? Oh yeah, the front passenger window finally gave up and wont roll down (at least its stuck up and not down). The window buttons on the drivers door only work to roll down the rear windows but they can only be rolled up from their respective door buttons. And the buttons come right off. The seats are cheap and the stitching is coming loose.

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  Ill buy another in a heartbeat - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By dancer10 - February 7 - 9:50 am

  I love my 2009 Journey. In 40,000, Ive had no problems. Replaced the brakes at @ 32K, a little earlier than Id expect, but not bad. The service at our local dealership is tremendous. Perfect family vehicle - roomy, very comfortable, interior is easy to clean LOTS of storage. My only complaint - the light colored seats, so I put a blanket under the kids car seats to catch the inevitable mess. When its time to retire this one, Ill definitely buy another.

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  am so glad i traded this for a honda! - 2006 Dodge Caravan
  By caris75 - February 4 - 3:15 pm

  so i got the base SE when it was new for a good price--very basic, meaning roll your own windows down, no keyless entry etc.. power was so-so for regular town driving and terrible on the highway, noisy and no pickup!so car was ok for about 50k then we saw oil leaking all over our driveway! it neede towing to a garage and a 3K repair (crankshaft). luckily we had an extended warranty--but we still paid almost 500 dollars and had a rental car for a week. after this experience and not being so thrilled w/ the car we just traded it for a preowned Odyssey (ironically of the same year). what a difference! the odyssey so far is awesome, i would advise anyone to avoid any all caravans...

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  Caliber Heat 2.0 CVT - 2010 Dodge Caliber
  By woodyzim - February 2 - 10:53 am

  Mines a CVT, but "5-speed manual" was all that was listed. Handles great, fantastic brakes, but no power. Comfortable & rides nice, but lots of wind noise. Dealers had to reattach shielding inside both front wheel wells 3 times so far & its loose again right now. My main complaint is the mileage. Again, mine has the CVT transmission & the 2.0 motor. I drive 4 blocks from my home to the the 4-lane interstate every morning. I then drive 22 miles on the interstate with the cruise control engage & exit. I then 1 mile to the front door of my employer. I do this twice a day 5 to 6 days a week. I believe all of this would be considered "highway" miles. My Dodge Caliber Heat is averaging 21 MPG!

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  I miss my Stratus - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By abby258 - February 1 - 6:51 pm

  I purchased my 2003 stratus brand new.. I loved it, the only reason I no longer own it is because I traded it for an SUV, becuse 3rd baby was not going to fit in the stratus.. I NEVER had any problems with the vehicle, beside normal wear and tear, and regular maintenance. I HATE the BUICK RENDEZVOUS I ended upo trading in for... My review for that is up too! I am thinking about purchasing another stratus, 2006 model. I loved the stratus!!!

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  278,000 miles and still going strong - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By huskers57 - January 31 - 12:30 pm

  I bought my Neon new in 1998 and have had only one major issue and that was with the defective head gasket. Other than general maintenance, it has been a great car. I just put a set of 75000 mile tires on it and I talked to my mechanic and he said it should hit 400,000 with no trouble. Have always used Catrol Syntec and I get about 30-35 in town and around 40 on the highway. I have had a few trips (recently) where I hit 45-48 mpg. Other minor issues include the leak around the drivers side tail light and my sunroof motor went out. Could not have spent $17,600 any better way.

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  Touchy, but reliable and fun to drive - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By inconsumer2011 - January 31 - 10:08 am

  As of now, over 205,000 miles on original engine and transmission. Car is touchy due to hit and runs, and the lack of real bumpers. The painted plastic bumpers immediately missalign and the paint cracks. Car runs fine, except for normal wear and tear, no issues (yet) considering the bad engine reputation. But we keep up the maintenance and dont let an unknown kid touch our car. Too many specifics. Did you know that there is a second transmission fluid compartment which has to be drained and filled seperately from the main transmission? See? Gas mileage is great for a car this size, on the highway going the speed limit of course we get 28 miles, city and short distance drips 15.