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:
Showing 1191 through 1200 of 11,324.00-
Transmission problems - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
By caravan driver - May 13 - 6:56 pmI had transmission problems with a previous model (1998 voyager se). When looking to buy the 2002 model, the salesman assured me that the transmission problems had been takem care of. He was wrong! Within a few months, there was a noticable bump in upshifting from 1st to 2nd. I took it to the dealer service dept, and they found nothing wrong. They said they did a "quick learn" on the transmission (never told me what that meant, even after i asked). Still a problem, took it back twice more over the next two years, they never admitted their was a problem. Its not a major issue yet, but its getting worse. Ill never buy another Dodge product.
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Cant get outta its own way! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
By Jaclyn - April 17 - 5:50 pmI own a 2007 Dodge Caliber R/T AWD. This is the baddest gas guzzler yet of the Caliber models. I swear I get 15 miles a gallon w/ it. The window ticket claims 32 highway miles a gallon...yeah right. If I pull out into traffic I am so afraid Ill get T-Boned cause it doesnt GO! It goes when it wants too. I blow threw tires like mad! On my third set in 2, yes I sad 2 years. Dealership wouldnt even see if there was anything wrong w/ the car. Blamed it on on the tires. "Its the tires, NOT the car." Gimme a break already. Now Im at 46K and my warranty is up, but I got the 3 year extended that Chrysler has no info on!!! Ill never by another dodge.
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2011 Dodge Caliber Heat - 2011 Dodge Caliber
By Chris B - February 26 - 5:08 pmI have owned this car for about 2 years and it has not been a problem (so far). I had expected more mileage from the car being as small as it is-it is a daily commuter and 20 minutes one way and I am about 6 tall and slightly cramped while driving. If you want great reduction in road noise this car requires the best made tires in order to get it, I installed Michelin Defenders and it made the noise acceptable level. Rear hatch has modest areas for groceries but you will need to get creative in the placement of the boxes in order to do a full days shopping with it if you leave the rear seats up while using them. I like the 120volt outlet the car offers in the middle console for utility purposes. I put 225mm Michelin width tires all around the car and it handles like it is on rails and rain and snow are much better now as opposed to the slightly skinnier tires they recommend. Albeit the mileage took a hit some but that is worth the trade to me. Overall, I think the mileage is somewhat unacceptable for the size and weight of this car. That is my biggest complaint about this vehicle. Other than that I have no problems-so far. UPDATE 2 years from review above: * I average 29mpg on summer blend gas with the tire pressure running 34psi around all tires. I notice on winter blend the gas mileage go back to 26.5->27ish for some reason. I also had a temporary issue with the throttle body indicator light coming on the instrument panel and running rough after changing the battery. This was resolved after I removed the battery again (terminals) and let the capacitors empty out and the EPROM reset while pressing the gas peddle to the floor all the way up and down to teach the computer the limits of the throttle. This solved the rough idle issue and made the warning light go out...after reconnecting the battery. Plan on keeping the car after I realized how sensitive it is with mid to low tire pressure. Keep about 35psi in the tires and it will average almost 30 if you keep the RPM below 3500.
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The New Dodge Lemon - 1998 Dodge Ram Van
By George Nemitz - February 14 - 10:00 amI 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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500 $ every 6months in repair is routine - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
By fannaba - January 19 - 9:36 amPerformance is as expected from a minivan. frequent annoying problems are the major drawback. Breaks are soft, with below average stopping power. I love the space, the captain seats, and the dual air conditioning, with front, and back ducts.
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Dodge quality nailed us in month one! - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
By Sparlimb - January 4 - 2:00 amWe had the brand new Dodge Grand Caravan Anniversary edition for less then a month before the transmission went out. Theyve now had it in their shop for 4 days as the dealership doesnt know what the problem is. Chrysler keeps sending out more parts to replace, which has me extremely leery. There is a reason this vehicle is so much cheaper then the competition. My advice is buck up and buy the quality Honda or Toyota vans...
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