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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  300.000 miles and running excellently - 1999 Dodge Avenger
  By Carlos - September 18 - 2:00 am

  We bought this car with 235,000 miles to travel driving to Mexico in 2008, not only we did that, now we are in Argentina with the same car after 65.000 miles of adventure, fun and good memories. The best buy ever and a good friend to have. I only can say thanks to my car.

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  Not too bad, good commuter car. - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Kamila - September 18 - 2:00 am

  Ive had this car over 4 years with no major issues. I currently have over 71K miles on it. Front rotors warped at 18K miles, replacement rotors have been good thus far. Fuse for sunroof went twice, thats pretty much it on the problems. Replaced tires at over 60K miles, front brakes at 70K miles. Rear brakes are still original. Acceleration is poor, ABS doesnt work AT ALL in the snow. You have to pump the brakes. Overall, its a good commuter car for me. I do mostly highway driving. Fuel economy is not as good as they say. I average 26-27 miles per gallon. Also more spacious then it looks. My mom and I both fit in the back seat along with a child seat. Trunk door is very heavy.

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  Read Editors Review - 2010 Dodge Challenger
  By Rock12 - September 17 - 2:00 am

  Please read the Editors review. The editors are spot on! I dont hate my Challenger but I should of went another route, Poor performance, Very Uncomfortable interior,Blind spots,Very slow acceleration,rust underneath already and car is 2010 has seen no Winter,Water gets trapped under the spoiler,arm rest is too far back, (it slides forward but feels really cheap that way like it could break). Not a very well built car I smell plastic or something burning every time I pull in my garage

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  Great Pick Up Truck - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By WhiteWonder - September 16 - 2:00 am

  My Mom purchased this truck and it is simply amazing. We have an automatic and even the auto is quick. The interior is comfortable with a spacious armrest for even more comfortable driving. The sound system that comes stock is amazing and sounds great with tapes or just good old FM/AM radio. The drive is smooth and it absorbs bumps easily. We have had problems with the AC, but thats normal and our tranny line busted. AC gets pricey obviously, but a simple hose is nothing to repair. Fantastic truck I would recommend it to anybody!

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  Good car - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By 07 5.7l v8 charger - September 16 - 2:00 am

  I bought this used about a year ago. It has the hemi and its black with the hemi decal on the side in red, I get so many compliments on it!I am the 3rd owner and have not had any problems with it, maybe I am lucky or it was just very well taken car of but I have no complaints except wish it had automatic headlights, but thats just me being lazy LOL

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  Pretty Good - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By G. Mag - September 15 - 2:00 am

  Overall has been a pretty solid car. Handles well and has good acceleration. Had to get rid of the Goodyear Eagles, replaced with Potenzas and hydroplaning and winter driving vastly improved. Had to replace EGR solenoid at 50,000, rt front wheel bearing at 100,000 and rear sway bar links but has been very reliable throughout my 6 yrs with it. Paint and body have held up very well. Took it to the Dodge dealership for the EGR light and they had no idea what to do w it. Drove over to the Mitsu dealer and they fixed it in 30 min.

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  Good little car - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By kevin - September 15 - 2:00 am

  Just turned 76,000 miles and have had to do nothing other than change the oil. Car has had an occasional engine knock for a few seconds right after start up almost from the beginning. Was pretty concerned about that at first, but apparently some Neons just do that. Started using synthetic oil and it has pretty much stopped. I have had minor brake squealing issues like a lot of other people have reported here but it usually only lasts a minute or two when first taking off. AND Ive still got over a quarter inch of pad on THE ORIGINAL brake pads! Im hoping to make it to 100,000 miles on the original pads. Anyway, the car has been great. Reliable, fun to drive, great gas mileage. Buy one.

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  Best and longest Car I ever owned - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By merrirowes - September 14 - 2:00 am

  I had my Dodge Durango for 10 years and loved every minute of it. It did what I wanted and I had great gas mileage when I drove it 20 mpg on the highway. I cried when I traded it in for a newer SUV.

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  Fast Truck - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By OneCoolGi - September 14 - 2:00 am

  Put on many good miles on this truck with next to zero problems. The worst problem I have had was a radiator leak. Engine and trans are solid. This truck is fast and handles great. It can take a corner at 55mph. I moved from San Diego to NJ towing 3k lbs, averaged 80 mph and the truck felt like there was nothing there. It took on mountains like flat terrain. Great truck!

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  My Dakota - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By Mike B - September 14 - 2:00 am

  Bought trk new, no major problems, fun to drive, water pump replaced but thats it, replaced the rotors and pads at 70,000 miles, installed vented and cross drilled rotors and pads , big diff in stopping,