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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  5th and Last Grand Caravan - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By swgplain - August 21 - 5:33 pm

  Weve owned 4 caravans before this and it seems that every model is worse then the before it. We bought it used with only 26,000 miles on it. Should have gotten the extended warranty. AT 38000 miles the turn indicator switch went out. Shortly there after the drivers side power lock and window control switch went out. Then the rear heater control switch went out. At 50000 miles the ABS sensors went out. We seriously considered the Honda Odyssey because of similar styling but at an average of 4 grand more and 20,000 miles more we opted to give the Americans one more chance. Now we have 92,000 miles and it needs a water pump and a power steering pump.

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  Great van, AWFUL maintenance - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By zucchini - July 17 - 2:00 am

  Had molded brake lines go ($500), starter ($200), AC died 2x, various other failures, broken parts inside, flaky electronics (ask about the wiper problem)... STAY AWAY unless you have a 100% warranty and rental coverage.

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  Regret - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By swade - July 16 - 12:13 am

  I had my car for a year and started having issues with it. It gets terrible gas milage. Had to have new break and rotors, new water pump, now the heater is being fixed. Not to mention all the "little" issues. Worste car I have ever purchased. The gas milage is terrible. Nothing like the sticker in the window when I bought it. I would not recommend this car to anyone.

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  We Got Stranded! - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By branaska - July 9 - 3:56 pm

  While returning to our home from an out-of-town gathering we stopped about 50 miles from home for refreshments. When we got back in the car the headlights failed to work. Using the flashers only we managed to find a motel for the night. The next day we returned home to find a dealer that did absolutely nothing to help us out. Im very disappointed in both the vehicle and the dealership. By the way, the vehicle has less than 5000 miles on it.

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  Too much hype - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Ethan - July 6 - 9:50 pm

  Overall Im not very happy with my Nitro. My biggest complaint is the road noise. With my work I have driven most every new vehicle on the market, and the Nitro has far and above the most road noise. Not a lot more plastic than other SUVs, but definitly feels and looks cheaper. It gives it almost a hard feel. Mechanicly no complaints, enough power, etc. Fuel economy isnt great, but then thats not why I drive an SUV.

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  Not HAPPY With My Journey! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By gd1234 - June 23 - 12:13 pm

  Have only had the car 4 days and the engine light has been on twice, going in the shop for the second time! Makes a noise and the car vibrates between 40 and 45 mph. I am concerned that I have bought a LEMON! Only 4 days and going in the shop again and they dont know whats wrong! I should have never bought this car! Buyers beware!

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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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  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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  what else can go wrong - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By Hazmine - May 21 - 7:34 pm

  I loved my jorney didnt love the problems that came with it loves the space and storage this car from day one had problems we put in a total of $4,000 in a 5 yr period just to keep it road safe