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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  Fun to drive! I love it. - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By dee dee - December 27 - 3:53 pm

  When I first test drove my car it was a match made in heaven. I loved it. It was smooth to drive. The steering is easy on my wrist. The whole big body was a plus. Also the DVD player

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  American power and steel - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By Mark - December 27 - 10:18 am

  We love the power and steel that protects us and moves our wounderful Durango limited. The kids love the great sounding DVD and we love them loving it. The comfort and style are great. The sure footed feeling in all conditions make it fun to drive year round. The gas MPG are not bad at all for what you get in return. We see 21- 22 hwy at 65-70 MPH and 19.5-21 MPG at 73-78 MPH. add in town and we average about 16.5 MPG. The only real change would be adding the lift gate rear window to unlatch for loading small item. We like it better than the Tahoe/yukon. 7/8 the size and much more fun to drive.

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  cooool car - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By scl27 - December 26 - 9:46 pm

  cool car fun to drive and be seen driving and still as practical as a small suv!!

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  Overall, A Great Car - 2009 Dodge Challenger
  By Mark Nolan - December 26 - 9:00 pm

  Saw one on the road and knew then I had to have one. Long time import owner, never in a million years thought I would be driving a Dodge. Been driving it a couple weeks. Meets or exceeds most expectations. Inspect exterior fit and finish closely prior to buying. Some annoying body panel gaps and misaligned hood. Some materials are a little cheesy but overall package outweighs these minor issues.

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  Great Truck - 2008 Dodge Dakota
  By builder04 - December 26 - 12:02 pm

  This is my 3rd truck in 5 years, and I must say my favorite. I bought the v6 because I drive so much and its better on gas. Love the looks of this truck, and the interior is like a luxury car. Never liked the exterior of the Dakota till the 08 came out. They are giving 08s away, mine was 10k off MSRP. The quad cab is very roomy, drives and handles way better than my 06 Titan. This is the top of the small truck class. I looked at and test drove a Canyon Z71 and a Nismo Frontier, and I was surprised that I liked The Dakota so much better.

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  My retirement present! - 2009 Dodge Challenger
  By Bear Cub 54 - December 24 - 9:14 am

  Ive been following this car ever since it hit the car shows years ago. Had to have one. Dodge did their homework. Bought a 5.7 with 6 speed, loaded.This was my 32nd car/truck purchase since 1970, and this by far is in a class by itself. Real sweet!

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  Mud buster! - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By Bradi - December 22 - 10:25 pm

  I bought this vehicle a while ago and havent been happier with any other vehicle. I love it! I now have 156,000 miles and havent done any major maintence on it. I change and rotate tires every 2500 miles. It has a custom 6" lift with 33" toyo m/t tires. It has the 5.9L in it, with the 4.10 gears. The only downside is, I now only average 10mpg in town and about 11.5 on the highway at 70mph. But this vehicle is a blast to drive! And now that gas is more affordable, I wouldnt trade it for anything!

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  Driving the R/T - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Jeff - December 22 - 12:24 am

  We have owned our AWD R/T for a couple of months, and we absolutely love it. The bold styling is refreshing. We had looked at Mazda 6 and Camry, but found the styling cues old. The performance is bang on for the driving we do, the autostick works great and with so many features and comforts we are anxious to find a reason to drive it. While its a far cry from previous R/Ts I have owned (70s), its still an exciting car to drive in its own right. Quiet and well mannered day to day, it has great acceleration when prompted with a sweet exhaust note. The Nav system and MyGig is great, bells and whistles galore...Love it, my only problem is getting my wife to give it up

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  1991 Dodge Stealth ES - 1991 Dodge Stealth
  By Danahs09 - December 20 - 11:32 pm

  All around great car has great power through all the rpms. For only paying 1500 for my Stealth I feel I got a good bargain even though I do need to fix a couple minor things and since its almost 20 years old it may need a little bit of a paint job. Probably would not suggest for a inexperienced driver though I have been driving for awhile. The power this thing has compared to a Sunfire or a Cutlass Cierra is definetly noticable and will catch you off guard if youre not prepared for it.

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  Sunburst Orange lover - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Dubby88 - December 18 - 2:46 pm

  I love this vehicle. We have taken it to Tenn and South Carolina on vacation with five of us. The kids love all of the plugins for thier games and DVD player.