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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  Caravan A Lemon? - 1998 Dodge Caravan
  By Cartman - April 10 - 2:00 am

  AC went out $700 to fix. Steering wheel electronics went out $400 to fix Blown headgasket $700 to fix. Im selling this van soon.

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  neons - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By neon - April 9 - 2:00 am

  I think that the neon is an alright car it doesnt have very fast acceleration and it really touchy but its fun to drive and you can improve it so its alright its definitly not a car that you would want to drive fast or hard

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  The 2.4L Mopar disaster - 1995 Dodge Stratus
  By Jimmie - April 8 - 2:00 am

  This was the first year for the Chrysler made 2.4L engine and the head gaskets had to be replaced every 20 - 30K miles. Dont check the oil and you lose the engine. Head gaskets were scarce in 99 and my engine burned out at 90K miles and had to be replaced with a used one which was almost impossible to find. It took over a month to find a good replacement engine. It just had its second head gasket replaced approx. 50K mi. The dealer didnt even question the request in and out in 8 hrs. and $800 thank you very much!

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  To many problems!!!!!! - 1993 Dodge Intrepid
  By Joe Szrom - April 7 - 3:00 am

  My AC broke at 40k and my Transmission and electrical system went together at 57k!!!!!!

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  "Good Van" - 1992 Dodge Caravan
  By jacturn - April 1 - 2:00 am

  Although I am the third owner of this van, I am truly satisfied with the performance etc that I have received over the 3 years I have had it. Prior to my being the owner, my mother drove this van for seven years without any major problems.

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  Money Pit - 1999 Dodge Avenger
  By Karen - April 1 - 2:00 am

  This car is nothing but a money pit !!!

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  Should have bought a Chevy - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By scott281 - April 1 - 2:00 am

  Bought my truck new in 󈨦. Thought it was great! That feeling is long gone. The mpg is awful! I average about 10.5 mpg. My highest mileage recorded was only 13.9 driving from SF to LA @ 70mph. I only have 31K on the truck and about 6 months ago the transmission started to go bad. And now just spent $1700 to have the whole thing rebuilt. The shop said it was the 6th Durango transmission they had rebuilt in the last eight months! Overall, I’m really disappointed with the truck. Should have listened to my friends and bought a Chevy!

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  Lousy Reliability - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By lee1340 - April 1 - 2:00 am

  My wife loved the car at first. Delightful to drive off-road however, we rarely used the 4 wheel drive system. When it was needed, it failed immediately. On the way back from Reno, Dec. 2001, the 4X went out and it had to be towed into Roseville, Ca. In Jan. 2002, we experienced the same repeated problem. In Sept. 2001, I had the 4X system gone over by the dealer to avoid such a problem. Then I discovered they dont put gaskets in this car. They use RTV only. Maintenance problems are rediculous for a 4-year old vehicle.

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  Not what I expected - 1997 Dodge Stratus
  By tdilf - March 31 - 2:00 am

  At 70,000 miles I have had numerous problems: squeeky doors that no one will fix stereo speakers dont work- one does brakes replaced twice head gasket replaced (warranty because I whined) oxygen sensor replaced oil leak tires, of course tie rods replaced

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  Dodge Spirit - 1994 Dodge Spirit
  By np109 - March 28 - 2:00 am

  The dodge spirit is a nice family car. The seats are not comfortable for long trips. But gas wise this car uses very little gas. The paint jobs on these cars are not very good. And when exposed to the sun it will fall of . I suggest having it painted with spf 15 paint. But overall I think it is a relibal econmical car. My ratting is a 7.2