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:

• 

  Best Car Ever! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Traded Up - June 25 - 11:40 am

  I just bought a 2006 Dodge Charger R/T, and it is hands down the best car Ive ever driven. The looks are amazing and it has more than enough HP to get up and move. The interior is very comfortable and luxurious. The dash lights up like nothing Ive ever seen. Its as good looking on the inside as it is on the outside. I traded in my 2005 Dodge Ram QC with the Hemi for this amazing machine and I dont regret it one bit. For all of those retro Charger critics: get with the times man, this car is sweet! If you want to make it more like a sports car, then take the resonators off the exhaust and shell purr. Stop looking at other models, this takes the cake. Spend more money for the Hemi Charger!

• 

  Fun Van to Drive - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By fosterdad - June 25 - 10:00 am

  We are foster parents and we just got our second child and realized we needed to trade in my wifes Mercury Tracer for a Grand Caravan. So far, we have been very happy with our purchase. This is a sporty looking van and has been very reliable and fun to drive. Im 64" and have plenty of leg and head room. It came with a VCR so we also bought a portable DVD to plug in to it. The kids LOVE to be able to watch movies on long trips. The only complaint that I have is that the gas mileage is pathetic compared to the Odyssey and the Sienna vans. I couldnt fit in those, but Im not disappointed. As a matter of fact, Im looking to trade in my car and get a Caravan also.

• 

  This 4 cylinder moves! - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Sue - June 24 - 9:26 pm

  This car is great up hills. It isnt noisy like someone had said. I have the dark/light slate seats and Silver Steel Metallic. The paint glistens in the sun. I am totally please with this car.

• 

  Best small truck for the money - 2006 Dodge Dakota
  By doublee2005 - June 24 - 7:03 pm

  For the money you cannot buy a better small truck. When you compare that you get a v6 with good towing and full truck size for the same money as a single cab tacoma, ranger, colorado, or frontier that only come stock with 4 cylinders, there is no comparison. I bought a full size truck in my eyes for the price of a compact truck. Also the manual transmission is INCREDIBLE. In 6th gear I can run 85 at 2600 rpm which is unheard of with modern cars. So if you want a full size truck for half size money get one, if you want a small truck with fuel economy go buy a tacoma or ranger.

• 

  The best car ever! - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By Jamie - June 24 - 5:06 pm

  I bought this car when it was a year old with 23,000 miles on it, and I couldnt have asked for anything better when I bought this car! I have had my car now for a little over 5 years, and I have had no problems whatsoever with this vehicle. Its never even been in the shop! Very, very spacious front seats, and I personally think the back seat has plenty of room. What can you expect with a 2-door car?? Car still rides and drives wonderfully, looks great, and I think I will probably drive it for the rest of my life because I love it so much. My only complaint is the leather on the dash is started to pull away from the plastic in areas, but that is due to sun exposure.

• 

  kind 05 RT - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By DubStylee - June 24 - 10:40 am

  the lines and the color - midnite pearl blue.

• 

  Overall excellent - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By BigKen - June 22 - 8:20 pm

  The 3.5 V-6 has plenty of power. It handles well and is fun to drive

• 

  2009 Dodge Caliber SXT - 2009 Dodge Caliber
  By SIMO86 - June 20 - 7:25 pm

  After looking at the 2010 Prius, 2009 Honda Fit, Ive decided on the Caliber based on its superior exterior design, economical valve (cheapest of the three), safety features and roominess. Each of these categories, I found the Caliber had the advantage. Although the other two cars beat out my sexy Dodge in fuel economy, it would take years before the fuel economy to be an advantage since this car is $4000 cheaper than the Fit and $8000 cheaper than the Prius. I love the fact that I can fit my family of four comfortably. The ride is smooth.

• 

  Best car I have ever owned - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By Clackerhead - June 19 - 5:05 pm

  Bought this car in 2002 and figured to get 100-150K mileage at best. Still driving with over 205k. Have a solenoid pack switch to replace, but other than that, best car I have ever owned. I still brag that I have a Dodge with over 200K and no serious problems (I am shooting for 300k now). Chrysler, bring back the Intrepid!!!!

• 

  So far so good - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By phil - June 18 - 2:56 pm

  It drives really well, even though we took it in because the transmission cant always make up its mind what gear to be in on a slight upgrade. So far major disappointment with the gas mileage,only getting about 25 MPG on the highway not the 35 MPG its supposed to get. We asked about it at the dealership and were told the vehicle isnt broken in until its got 15,000 kilometers, which seems like an awful long time to brake in an engine. We got the journey because of its (rated) good gas mileage, so we are keeping our fingers crossed hoping it will improve in the next few months. After reading some of the other reviews we consider ourselves lucky.