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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  Overall, it is a nice van - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Cacique - February 9 - 2:00 am

  Nice looking van inside/out. Very comfortable & somewhat quiet ride. Controls are conveniently laid out. Love the dual & rear climate controls. The V6 engine is powerful w/great acceleration. Only problems I had was exterior trim pieces at windshield & driver side sliding door came loose. Overall, great van. I just traded it in for its sibling, a Chrysler Town & Country LX only because I was getting close to 36K miles and as many already know, Dodge/Chryslers reliability record is not one to brag about, although it makes good looking vehicles.

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  Simply Marvelous! - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By justKC - February 9 - 2:00 am

  There is absolutely no SUV available today that comes close to the 04 Durango. The ride is soooo sweet! This is an awesome vehicle! I love it!

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  MAGNUM... What wagons were meant to be! - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Americancrabass - February 8 - 1:46 pm

  I just bought my Magnum 2 months ago and I absolutely love it. The body design is amazing. I love the hard edges and lines throughout the vehicle, and it carries over to the inside with the same style that looks simple and not so flashy, but also captivating at the same time. Everything is laid out perfectly on the interior. From the way the guages are set up, to the radio and AC controls. The simple accents of chome along the inside make it work so well. The car drives amazingly, to say the least. I purchased the 3.5 ltr SXT and must say that it is enough power under the hood to satisfy me completly. The car rides so smooth it is almost unbelievable that it is not a whole lot more expensive.

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  Intrepid - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By Rosa Andromeda - February 6 - 12:06 am

  Excellent condition. Remote start/keyless, quiet engine, spacy interior w/beautiful black cloths, entry/trunk lid. RUns beautifully. White gauge cluster, center console/storage. Had for less than one year. No problems whatsoever.

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  13 months and 17K miles: still going great - 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By oregonfamily - February 5 - 6:13 pm

  This is an update to our previous reviews, and we remain very satisfied. The only problem weve had was intermittent cruise control at about 12K miles, which was fixed with replacement of the "clock-spring" wiring in the steering column, under warranty. Its been great as a daily driver, for long family trips, and loaded with kids for school field trips, soccer games, and the like. Weve learned having the luggage rails up needlessly reduces mileage by nearly 2 mpg on long trips. This has been a exceptional, high-mileage year for us: we should be driving a bit less from now on, and plan on having the car for ten years or so.

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  2017 challenger sxt plus - 2017 Dodge Challenger
  By Earl - February 4 - 1:27 pm

  Im 63 and have always wanted a Challenger....Worked for 43 yrs cutting meat for a living.. I am recently retired and this is my gift to myself... The car has been awesome, no problems and the dealership and salesman were outstanding to my wife and myself..Went on a little road trip and the car was quiet and tight and was really comfortable to be in.. The only thing I have to get use to his being careful when looking out the mirrors and the back when changing lanes...The view is restricted a bit and you just have to pay attention...Love the car and am looking forward to many years riding in style and comfort...... I have now had my Challenger for seven months and the review I gave when she was new, stands true today...Absolutely love the car, have had no problems with her at all.....The ride is still awesome, comfort and quality of the interior has been top notch... My wife is retiring this coming June and we are going to take the Challenger on the road and hope to see a good bit of this wonderful country...

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  Poor service - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By rose - February 4 - 7:13 am

  We bought this car because of the size and as a winter driver thought it would be safer than the PT Cruiser I had previously. After having the car a month I had to have the front end worked on. At 24,000 miles I have been told I have to replace all 4 tires as the make is not a "good tire for the car." 18 inch tires are $200 each. Also I purchased the extended service for oil changes for the life time of the car and the dealer has gone out of service. Dodge will not honor the contract. My review is: the car is a waste of good money and as a Dodge product I find it sadly lacking in comfort, gas mileage and most of all service through the Dodge dealers. SAD CAR!

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  The Dodge Caliber - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By The Man - February 2 - 8:16 pm

  It is such a fun car. I love being in it with my Sirius satellite radio just listening to some old school rap. I have $100,000-200,000 dollar vehicles turning their heads and trying to figure out what the heck I am driving, and in my city no one really turns their head for a Mercedes or BMW because they are everywhere. A $23,000 dollar car can get them to turn if it is hooked up right.

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  Ram On!!!! - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By jim - February 2 - 6:46 pm

  Have owned 25 trucks in past 20 years...Dodge has done it...Best truck Ive ever owned...Get one Today.

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  Headache - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Dode - February 1 - 7:30 am

  Less than 10K miles, 4th time in shop; this time for CV shaft replacement. Twice for cowl, which is currently on backorder. Car made thunking noise, found out the motor mounts were never tightened at factory. When pulling into the grocerly store parking lot, this car creaks and groans like a 10- year old used car with 150K miles. My brother-in-law told me to buy new to avoid someone elses headaches. Ha! I deserve this for listening to someone elses opinion.