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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  Dashboard Rattle - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Martin Miller - February 21 - 11:36 am

  This car is Kickin. Its a suped up station wagon. My 3 year old son calls it "Daddys Hemi Car". An annoying rattle under the front pass floorboard. Mystery thus far w/ Dodge not too knowledgeable. They need to ride on 95 at 65MPH to hear it. Any thoughts? mminstigator@hotmail.com

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  Love this muscle car! - 2016 Dodge Charger
  By Ellen Grace - February 16 - 10:41 pm

  This is the first vehicle Ive owned that I have ever loved. It snowed where we live, and because we have no garage, my wife started telling everyone she thought I was going to knit it a sweater. Fast, luxurious, gorgeous, I love it!!

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  Overall Good Value - 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By ps - February 16 - 10:53 am

  Have owned this van for about 16 months and put about 18000 miles on it. Needed service once for a rusted brake line for ABS (ABS light came on and stayed on). Has been dependable and very versatile. The convenience and ease of stow and go seating is great, as is the power lift gate. The remote start is a must for me in the winter. Gas mileage is just OK, not horrible at 20-21 mpg mixed city and highway driving after employing gas saving driving tips (set your cruise control at 60 mph on the highway (city speed limit) and watch other cars pass you like you are standing still!), got 18mpg consistently before that. Transmission "thunks" downshifting, jerking the van, not at all smooth.

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  Low Priced Pocket Rocket - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By USAF69 - February 16 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car on faith in the reviews I had read about it because Dodge dealers will not let you test drive them (insurance issues?). It lived up to the reviews, and in some cases exceeded them! Its without a doubt the most fun and the fastest car you can have without taking out a 2nd mortgage on your house. I get lots of "looks" from other drivers while in this vehicle and even had one guy call me up on the phone and ask me what kind of car it was! This car is like the P-51 Mustang of WW II...its FAST out of the box, but can be made even FASTER with a few minor upgrades.

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  Dont Buy - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Bigguy - February 14 - 11:20 am

  Had wiring harness done. Noise when turning left. Paint blistering and peeling. And Chrysler Canada would do nothing

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  The New Dodge Lemon - 1998 Dodge Ram Van
  By George Nemitz - February 14 - 10:00 am

  I brought my Dodge Wagon/Van new in 1998 for 23,000.00 it has tunred out to be the worst Van I have ever owned. The people who sell them do a good job of making them look good but they should have taken, one for a test drive. The big tires on this van make it fell like it is going to blow over with every little wind,and in the winter it is one of the worst van around in snow. Besides the fact it has limted power with the a 6 cylinder, bad fuel economy, hard to do a simple tune up, bad air conditioning, its to bad that no one at dodge wants to take the bull of ram by the horn and fix it or at least drive it.

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  Best deal - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By Raytec - February 14 - 10:00 am

  I traded my boring 99 Expedition (4.6 L) for a black SXT with the 4.7. The Durango almost feels like a race car!!! This SUV is much more fun to drive and way more practical. The size is just perfect and the looks are very inspiring.

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  96 Plymouth Grand Voyager - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Tim Johnson - February 14 - 10:00 am

  I have a 96 Grand Voyager (same as Grand Caravan). The transmission blew at 60k and now with 130k its begining to slip. But I must admit is has served us well. You get good power out of the 3.3L V6. Lots of room, VERY comfortable ride.

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  Good Bad and Ugly - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By MarleneCummings - February 13 - 10:23 am

  My SXT 2.0L was totalled after 3 months of ownership. I didnt like it enough to buy another one. The interior design is spacious and comfortable, but if you have anything inside it is seen. No storage space. The little extras are nice, but dont make up for the weak paint, under-quality interior and extreme lag in acceleration. My husband bumped the side with his belt cell phone holder getting in the car and it scratched the paint bad. No way it shouldve done damage at all. It does corner very tight and is super- responsive (overcorrection and wrecking was easy to do). The vehicle overall was okay, but I definitely didnt fall in love with it and it was my very first new car.

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  EX is EXcellent - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Hola - February 9 - 2:00 am

  This car has given flawless ability to me and my family. We purchased this car for 32000 we managed to barter it down a little and with our trade in of our 99 caravan to 24000. It has every single bell and whistle availabe and Me and my family could not be happier! The second i got home though i realized that the 2005 model is going to have fold in the floor middle and back row seats Maybe ill trade this one in for an 05