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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  Sewing machine sounding engine / The worst Vehcle - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By Tony - June 1 - 9:14 pm

  My engine sounds like a sewing machine. now that I am dealing with this and looking into it. I am finding out that theres been several engine issues with the 3.5 v6 engine. Many different causes and situations that all make the engine have a sewing machine sound. I have been buying the extended warranties because I didnt trust this vehicle from the beginning for some reason. I was right, there has been about $7,000 of repairs done to this vehicle and I am sure we are not done. Cant get rid of the sewing machine sound. Basically I have to live with it and drive it the way it sounds until it dies. DO NOT BUY A 2010 DODGE JOURNEY. PLEASE TRUST ME ON THIS. I have had over 50 different vehicles in my lifetime. This one is the worst of all of them.

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  Fool me once shame on you - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Mike - June 1 - 12:06 am

  Purchased as grocery getter/kid transport with around 11,000 miles on it. We were leery about buying this but decided to give it a shot based on consumer reports review at the time. First 6 months we had it in 3 times for various sensor issues and to replace the steering rack (under warranty). Not including the 3 recalls on the van. It has 35,600 miles just out of warranty weÂ’re told it needs steering rack replaced again $1000 parts and labor our cost. The transmission is starting to slip as well. This van is junk, no two ways about it. When we took the van in to have the steering looked at, the service manager told me heÂ’s owned Chryslers for 20 years and he always buys an extended warranty

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  The worst van ever - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By ROTCGirl - May 30 - 1:43 pm

  This is the worst van Ive ever owned! We have put THREE transmissions in there so far. 1 water pump had AC fixed twice and maybe a third time. The ghost wipers happen, the rear window motor always runs out and the window washers are horrid.

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  Think before you buy - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By FSS - May 29 - 10:00 am

  This was my first American made vehicle and I will not buy one again. The electronic equipment has many defects like faulty interior lights, wipers go on and off for no reason, engine light goes on and off and it is today and the dealer dont know why. The biggest issue is the transmissiom. The dealer has replaced 2 so far. If you are thinking about buying one, please get an extended warranty because you will need it.

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  Well... - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By qtkime - May 29 - 4:56 am

  I loved my van when I bought it. i rode well and was fun, not horrible gas mileage, either. Then in 2003 it was struck by lightning and completely killed the computer. Never have gotten all the bugs out. After that, nothing has been the same. The air conditioner died. Theres this horrible noise in the front end and nobody can tell me whats wrong. Its falling apart everywhere. It coud be that my kids are just wild children and need to be in the zoo, but that has nothing to do with how bad its running. Even the gas mileage has gone to the toilet, 19 mpg on the highway. Nobody can tell me whats wrong there either.

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  What a kewl car - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Carolyn - May 27 - 1:10 am

  This car is so kewl, so different in looks then most.I wanted one from the first time I saw it at my neigherhood Braums store. Its so unusual looking, drives great, good on gas, rides comfortably, roomy, what more could you want. Im so glad my husbands truck transmission went out. Its the car Ive always wanted.

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  This vehicle should have been recalled! - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Eddie Clark - May 26 - 9:06 pm

  Where do I begin? This van has been a nightmare to own. It should have been deemed to be lemon status and Dodge should have given us our money back or corrected many, many flaws with this model. The serpentine belt has come off at least 10 times, with the tension idler replaced half of those times. Also, the ignition locked up twice with over $700.00 in repairs each time. Having this van towed was an eye opener when the towing guys were aware of our problems based on the number of these that they tow. Adding insult to injury was the way Dodge treated me over the phone - never acknowledging the problems although the internet is full of these problems... look it up and learn from my mistake.

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  I tried them both - 2015 Dodge Dart
  By Zyworski - May 26 - 5:15 pm

  I have tried the base SXT as a rental and own the GT. The first thing that I can tell you is that there is a difference. The GT feels more solid on the road and the steering is more responsive. My GT only has 15k on it and has so far been trouble free with one small exception. The idiot light came on for a minor recall and I ended up taking a day off from work for a minor tweaking that could have waited. I have not demanded much of my Dart having parked it in the winters and kept hot dogging to a minimum, so I am a poor candidate for telling you about reliability, but so far so good. What I can tell you is that getting into the dealership is a nightmare with waits of many weeks for service. Due to the poor performance of the service department I am giving the Dodge Dart 3 stars on what would otherwise be a 4 star car

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  SXT Grand Caravan - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By caravan sxt - May 26 - 9:00 am

  The Grand Caravan SXT is a quality van from the beginning . The moment you open the door to enter until you close the door to exit. Truly a joy to drive, almost too comfortable, almost... Thank you Dodge for another quality vehicle.

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  Excellent - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Christie Malone - May 24 - 10:00 am

  The best car in the world..........