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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  Problems with 2008 - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By Dawn - October 19 - 2:00 am

  We have not had a good experience with our 2008 Caliber. We were told it had air-conditioning and told the salesman how important it was we had air- conditioning in California. Didnt have it. Now the Clutch Cylinder has went out twice since we have purchased it.We have only had this car not even 2 years and what a problem..The cheap plastic features inside are falling of and scratch so easy. Will never by another Dodge due to the problems we have had and the dealers not helping with the Air conditioner problems. We could put one in ourselves for $ 2,000 And the salesman admitted telling us it had air!!we signed the papers and thats how we were treated. Oh they would trade it but for $8,000.

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  Love this car - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By jcs - October 19 - 2:00 am

  The gas mileage is great 27 mpg town and I have got 33 mpg on the highway. I had trouble with the mygig radio system. The dealer replaced it once and Chrysler came out with updates later, this is a computer problem. The only other problem I have with it is the front passenger set is very uncomfortable. The styling is very good

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  Its a dodge - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By rich - October 19 - 2:00 am

  i like the looks of the car but thats about as far as it goes. with 112,000 on the 2 struts, 2 rotors, 5 sets of brakes 2 crank shaft sensors the paint bubbling across the hood and chipping in front of the rear wheels, windows make a terrible noise when going up, tranny is terrible it shutters between 1st and 2nd which they say is normal. this only the start to a poorly designed car. not a good choice for a high mileage car.

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  The low down - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By steveh77 - October 18 - 2:00 am

  I read a lot of reviews on the Dodge Journeys and I think the majority of them have big holes. This is not a mini-van, not a fun to drive sports car, it is a family hauler. We immediately took our new-to-us Journey on a 4 hour road trip and it was great. Not once did I adjust my seat, the wife and the one child we took never got sick or hot or cold. Nobody complained at all at least about anything to do with the vehicle. The ride is smooth and the only thing you can hear from the outside is some engine noise, pretty low level unless you gun it easily drowned out by the radio at normal levels. I find it easier to drive than a grand caravan, turns really well for its size.

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  Drives Great - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By b4202i - October 17 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car about six month ago. Replaced brakes, very easy due to four disc brakes instead of rear drums. Having to change tires. It is super clean under the hood. Bought at 112K, have 122K on it now. Havent changed oil in 4K and it is still super clean

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  The BEST SUV of all time! - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By BEST SUV EVER!!!!! - October 17 - 2:00 am

  I just broke the 100k mile mark on my truck and i cant say it enough, this has got to be the BEST SUV EVER! I have owned 2 Explorers, an Expedition, and even a 4runner(BIG mistake) Out of all of them the Durango is a far superior SUV. I have done everything with this truck over the years, from hauling the family around to towing other cars to using it as my daily commuter car. It has never, EVER let me down! That thing just wont give up! Over the past few years the only maintenance Ive done was change the oil and change to a new set of tires, thats it in over 5 years thats all I have had to do. It still looks and runs like brand new! I will definitly recommend this truck!

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  Great car! - 2009 Dodge Caliber
  By Jaime - October 17 - 2:00 am

  I have had my car for just over a year and it has AMAZING gas mileage! Even in the city i was getting anywhere from 25-28 MPG. Even got 30 MPG in the mountains! Going from a vehicle with 18 MPG freeway to this is SO nice. The back is roomy and fits a ton! Its a quiet ride and smooth and has some giddy up and go to it for a small engine.

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  Loving it so far - 2010 Dodge Avenger
  By trish - October 17 - 2:00 am

  I was getting tired of driving my truck for commuting so I wanted a nice family car. They kept showing me the Altima and I hated that, then the charger, but I felt it was too big. Then I saw the avenger. I loved it. Have had it a while now and I have no complaints. Totally made the right choice. Not sure why it got such bad reviews, especially when compared to an altima, had one, those things poor.Overall very pleased

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  Electrical problems - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By robert - October 14 - 2:00 am

  I have had the car for 5 years with no problems. Now it has 200,650 miles on it. I am having trouble with check engine light staying on and the air bag light stays on now and some how it is connected to the air conditioner and windows they dont work when light is on. Also a mechanic told me the air bag can blow at any time in this condition when driving. this could be very dangerous or cause a deadly accident

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  Contented - 1998 Dodge Caravan
  By Happy - October 14 - 2:00 am

  After buying my Caravan in 03 I did have to rebuild the starter solenoid, but other than that Ive had regular maintenance done on it, which of course is expected. New tires, brakes, radiator and transmission flushes filters etc. The only unexpected problem was with the serpentine belt, but I think the mechanic may have been the problem when I had to get a second one 14 mos. later. At that time I had to replace the tensioner which may have been the cause of the second serpentine. Ive been very happy with this car. No car is going to be problem free if you dont do regular maintenance. And Im still driving it and going to pass it on to my daughter.