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:

• 

  fuel economy - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By shaun l - April 9 - 2:02 am

  I noticed right away I wasnt getting the proper fuel economy I thought I should get which was 12 city 15 hwy. I made some timing adjustments and a basic tune up, in 4 years the best hwy mpg Ive gotten was 18 mpg. Dont expect any more than that. Another problem Ive encountered is severe wheel hop at hwy speeds, it almost jumps off the road when you hit a bump. Very very unsafe. FYI... dont forget the change your ball joints, if they havent already gone out, they will!

• 

  Good car and easy on the buget - 2006 Dodge Stratus
  By Hayden - April 6 - 3:41 pm

  i got this car as a credit builder. now that my credit is much better, im considering a newer vehicle, however Im not gonna trade my stratus, i really like this car and Im gonna keep it.

• 

  Love that Dingo - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By mk - April 6 - 3:38 pm

  I just love my Durango, hubby wants me to get a new one but I want to keep this one. The gas is another issue - yes it sucks. Great for hauling kids - lots of them. Wonderful in the snow. Have had to replace the ball joints in both front wheels twice. But still runs good with 135,000. miles.

• 

  Stylish, aggressive and powerful - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By OFiroz - April 6 - 4:38 am

  V6 3.5 High Out put engine, I am totally convinced and satisfied with the performance of this beast. I had JAG V8 before this car. I think Charger V6 is faster than JAG V8, dont know how and why! I had some exterior sticker work and sports filter fixed on my black charger. It turns head wherever it goes. calm ride, though I am not very pleased about the interior plastic pieces and shock absorbers, even small humps can be felt inside the cabin. some noise from the back seats and rear door, dont know it is from inside the door or rear fender. Checked twice, the dealers doesnt have a clue it seems.It is 100% mens car and it is written all over the car!

• 

  Fun and flexible. - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By ACM - April 6 - 1:06 am

  I went from a 2006 Honda Odyssey (3 steering racks in 20,000 miles was 3 too many) to the RT. The cargo volume is not quite that of the van but it is good. Four guys and golf bags are handled with ease. The gas mileage to date (5500 miles) is one mile to the gallon worse than the Honda. The fun to drive factor is approximately 8.5 out of 10. If you have to drive a wagon this is the one that will make you smile. I can only imagine how much fun the SRT8 must be to drive. I am already planning some tweaks to the engine and suspension because the chassis is just so good that it begs for more power and better spring rates. This really is a great platform, hats off to the engineers at Dodge

• 

  Not as bad as Edmunds makes out to be. - 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Keith - April 5 - 9:43 pm

  I have the 4.0 liter engine, plenty of pep. Using auto-stick makes for spirited accelerations if needed. Edmunds says the rear seats are uncomfortable, theyre nothing compared to a Tahoe which we traded for this vehicle. Interior space is also much better organized then the Tahoe. Interior is typical Dodge though, hard angler plastics. Bought this van because wife and I needed a good kid hauler. So far this is fitting the bill much better than our 07 Tahoe did. Im 6ft, with a 2.5 year old sitting behind me, I can extend seat all the way back with room to spare. Couldnt resist Dodges 0% financing and employing pricing and other rebates. Basically bought a $39k van for $30k.

• 

  Not The Greatest - 2006 Dodge Dakota
  By zclary923 - April 5 - 5:20 am

  I just bought this truck a little over a year ago and it has been pretty reliable for me. It seems to be put together pretty solid. The 3.7 L is very quiet, smooth, and feels refined. I have noticed that the truck seems to pull to the right some on the highway despite having a recent alignment, rotation, and balance done. Also the brakes are already squeaking some when coming to a stop which may or may not be because of the grime and buildup from driving it through Iowa winter. All around though it has been a good truck but if you are looking for something as your daily commuter buy a higher trim level with more options and get 4 wheel drive it makes your vehicle worth that much more.

• 

  Overall, great Experience - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By Matt B - April 5 - 1:30 am

  I was raised with practicality in mind when it comes to vehicles- ignore brand loyalty, just buy the best option available. The Dodge is very reasonably priced for the vehicle you get. Make sure your dealership has great customer service ratings though- our engine made a ticking noise before warming up after 2 years. Dealership told us all Durangos do that. It took us threatening to tell media of problem for them to agree to look into issue again. Exhaust manifold had warped because of impurities in metal. Fixed that problem- after another service, was making rattling noise- dealership hadnt completely tightened part. The vehicles has been perfect, its the cust service w/ problem.

• 

  Great Car - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By way2fast59 - April 3 - 10:00 am

  For under 20K, I do not think you could ask for anything better. The only problem was that the sales rep that sold me the car did not know ANYTHING about the SRT-4. All in all, I am pleased with the performance of the car. Just keep your foot out of the gas.

• 

  My Pig - 1997 Dodge Dakota
  By cordulidae - April 2 - 10:41 pm

  I name all of the vehicles I drive, and this one is appropriately named. I love this truck and hope to pass it on to my favored heir one day. :) It is fun to drive, full of torque, fast, has trailered everything I own several times over w/out complaint, and looks better than the current Dakotas. The few bad things I have had with Pig include Batteries, I put my 4th battery in this weekend, the gas mileage (avg. 14 mpg), but it is a 5.2 V-8. Oh, and when they built her, someone put an engine bearing in wrong or forgot to. Regardless, engine was rebuilt at 3,000 miles (under warranty). But, it hasnt stalled, hiccuped, or let me down since.