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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  I Still Dont Regret This Purchase - 2006 Dodge Stratus
  By kaseyk - September 21 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car with 24,000 miles on it, I was the second owner and I must say that 2 years and 55,000 miles later, I really dont have any complaints. I used to commute out of town for work (about 65 miles a day) and I have gone on many out of town and out of state trips on this car. I have not had any problems out of my stratus except for the driver side window motor has gone out. Yes the windshield does have a few spots but nothing worth complaining over. Overall I must say that I love this car and it was probably the best purchase I have made, if they still made them Id probably get another one

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  Stuck with a lemmon - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Regina Benoit - September 21 - 2:00 am

  I like so many other consumers is very disappointed with my purchase of the 09 Journey. At 25,000 miles I had to have the front brake pads and rotors replaced on my car. I replaced all 4 tires before my car was a year old. After having the car 3 months the motor on the drivers side door had to be replaced. 5 months later the battery had to be replaced. I cant believe Ive had so many problems with a new car. I drove a Chevy Tahoe for 8 years before purchasing the Journey. I didnt start having problems with the Tahoe until I had 200,000 miles on it. I will never buy another Chrysler product and I have told Family and Friends to not buy Chrysler cars.

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  Dont Know Why Edmunds Hates the Avenger - 2010 Dodge Avenger
  By JGoldy - September 20 - 2:00 am

  OK. For reasons still not completely understood by me, Edmunds hates my car (08 SXT). I would just like to point out, to any prospective buyers, what this car entails. Put against its competitors (Altima, Accord, Camry, etc.) the Avenger clearly beats all others on the appearance front. Also, the Avenger has a better speaker system (I know from personal experience). The engine is mid pack, putting out 178 hp and with a ~10 second 0-60. Also, from personal experience, I KNOW that the cabin is also bigger and more comfy than competitors. I have no clue why this car get so much flack. I guess its because it looks like a Charger and is expected to act like it.

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  Its going GOING - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By got rid of it ! - September 20 - 2:00 am

  So I knew I was trading down from the grand Cherokee. Replace brakes the first time at 27k. All four of the tires at 35,000 (they are rated for 60k!) I had the dragging sound whenever I took a sharp left and also had to replace the wipers at 30k. Interior parts fell off the first week. The plastic guard by the drivers seat kept falling off. The plastic strip inside the drivers door had to be replaced because it came loose and would not stay on. And at 54k they said you need brakes again! Email to Chrysler and they could have cared less. So with 5 months to go on the lease it is going back. I bought a Nissan! Chrysler/Dodge should be ashamed of this car. But I know they are not.

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  Unhappy - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By andres - September 20 - 2:00 am

  My Dodge Journey is a Lemon. The car has been idle for about 3 months now with no clear explanation as to what is wrong with it. It appears that all the electrical components in the car do not work. I am very disappointed with my first American car, although I was warned to be careful. I learned my lesson. Make sure you take care of everything prior to your warranty expiring, if not you will be paying dearly for unnecessary items that the dealer will tell "it is normal". File your complaints now and protect yourself.

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  Love this car! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Kamil - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I love this car. Smooth ride, clean and comfortable. I get nothing but positive feedback on the drive (I like to promote the car, so I toss people the keys all the time and say light er up!) The power is sheer is awesome. I went from a 1998 GP GT (first car) to this, and sweet Baby Jesus! Ive got a 5 year finance on this car, and if things go well, I WILL be buying another Charger (hopefully theyre still around). The only gripe is occasionally the car wont start properly til I tap the gas, but thats not too big a problem. Beautiful, powerful, aggressive looking fun car.

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  Great little car - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Mark - September 19 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car after our daughter was hit head on with a 1998 neon. After I saw how it was in a crash I decided to buy another. I enjoy the handling. It gets 32-33 mpg all the time. I did have the cam position sensor go out, but it was not a big deal to change. I found out that it is a common problem. I run Goodyear comfort tread tires, and it really hugs the road in tight turns. I actually accelerate through the turn.

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  Caliber is a great small car! - 2009 Dodge Caliber
  By jken02 - September 19 - 2:00 am

  I have almost 30,000 miles on my Caliber and it has been an excellent car. Ive seen some of the other Caliber reviews, where the owners had immediate problems, all I can say is that my car has been outstanding with zero issues. Ive owned seven different Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep products over the past 20 years, and they have been fantastic cars. Nice cars, great prices, and the reliability has been outstanding.

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  My 2010 Challenger 3.5V6 with add ons - 2010 Dodge Challenger
  By Kris - September 19 - 2:00 am

  I only have 2600 miles on my Challenger so far.Even though its only a 3.5 liter V6 admittedly, I love driving it!Its a classy looking reproduction of the Challenger from the 1970s,only better!I owned a 1970 Barracuda with a 318 V8 in,1982-1983.It had the body style of the "Cuda" and although, I loved driving it, my new Challenger is twice the car my 1970 Barracuda (Cuda) was overall!

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  A Realistic Journey Review - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By jken02 - September 19 - 2:00 am

  Overall, a good car. The design is great, both inside and out, and the features are fantastic. There are lots of storage spaces and plenty of room (we have three rows of seats). However, the attention to detail and quality are lacking. Our brakes needed replaced at 26000, which is definitely early. Whatever pads are installed at the factory simply arent adequate. The overhead sunglasses holder (near the sunroof controls) wont stay up. It is a very poorly executed design feature. All of that said, this is a first year model, my experience over the past 20 years of owning cars (Dodge, Jeep, Mercury, Pontiac, VW, GMC, Honda, Mitsubishi) is that first-year models have issues.