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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  "Dodge", the ghost of - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By chops29 - August 23 - 7:23 pm

  6 speed trans, "jerky," plastic door handle scratches easy. no heat or air outlet to second row seats. found out that hard ride cause by cheap Chinese tires. .cheap brake pads ,wheels covered with black soot after cleaning two days later. Only thing good is, I bought it for 19,200 out the door including a tire and wheel warranty I should be able to sell it in another year and break even.

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  Proud of my Magnum - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By Joel - August 23 - 4:26 pm

  Man, this thing is huge - at 4500 lbs it weighs as much my wifes mininvan! And, it drives like it, too - not exactly "agile." I would have never payed $35,000 for a new one, but for $13,000 w/65,000 miles I think it was a steal, and its one of the coolest looking cars ever. Doesnt feel as fast as you might think it would, and gas mileage still not good even w/cylinder management. But, every time I look at it or smash the gas, it makes me smile. Oh, and itll hold quite a bit of crap, too.

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  Gear Shifter - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Jerry Beck - August 22 - 7:16 pm

  Gear shifter became stuck in park after only 54,000 miles. Took it to the original dealership yesterday and will ask the dealer to recommend a recall on the linkage part that is causing the problem. Once located, I had to shift gears manually under the hood and get in in Drive. Once at the dealership, I had to manually put it in Park.

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  Fantastic Utility for the Price - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Mathew - August 22 - 12:11 pm

  Bought the car 2 years ago and it has been a solid performer. We have put 25,000 miles on it with no major issues. It has been used for road trips, day trips, moving and commuting. We have been averaging 29 mpg. That said, its not very fun to drive. The cvt is not very responsive to sudden additions of throttle which makes it difficult to accelerate smoothly when moving along with traffic. It rides nice and handles ok if you are driving the speed limit but it doesnt inspire "spirited" driving. I plan to add after market springs to help it handle better and try to add rear disc brakes for better stopping. All in all, its a good car with lots of leg & head room and good utility.

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  Never Again - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Lori - August 20 - 2:52 pm

  Bought our lemon 1 yr ago. Problems started right away. Passenger window works when it wants to. Visor covers fell off. Windows go down by themselves. Replaced brakes, rotors & tires at 30,000. Car runs with no lights, air and radio. Had radio replaced. CDs would not eject. Electrical issue too many to mention. Losing power constantly. Hesitating when you pull out from stop sign, very dangerous! But to date our biggest issue with the vehicle is our paint is gone on both sides of the vehicle near bottom of back doors. We are down to bare metal. In fact it is rusting at this point. We are told its an environmental problem and its not covered. Huge chips of paint coming off the car. NEVER AGAIN

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  Its been there for us - 1997 Dodge Caravan
  By paul - August 20 - 9:21 am

  I bought it in 97 w/ 47k on it--Ive had to replace 2 trannies one @75k and another @ 140k and I still like this van, 13 yrs old and still gets 18 mpg avg year round 26+ on the interstate-- Ill drive it til it keels over!

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  Happy with mine! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Paul B - August 20 - 6:34 am

  I have had this SUV for over 2 years now and love the space and extras (in floor ice chests, AC adapter, Infinity Stereo, storage compartments, rear A/C). The only thing I dont like is the cup holders in the doors because when drinks are put there and you close the door the beverage splashes on the panel. It is a smooth driving vehicle and gets great gas on the highway. I looked at Equinox and felt claustrophobic in it, decided to keep the Journey instead.

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  Lemon! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By arudich - August 18 - 9:18 pm

  We have also had multiple problems with our Dodge Journey. 3 times it has shut down on me while driving down the road. When this happens I lose all control of steering, brakes etc. The dealer has not been able to identify the problem despite rewiring it and replacing the entire CPU. In addition we have had rotor problems, exhaust problems, lost power windows/locks/mirrors and wheel issues. I have tried dealing with Chrysler regarding it being a lemon. They will not replace it. We will be contacting a lawyer as I will not put my family in a car that stops randomly in traffic. The third time it happened, we were inches from a major accident. Please read other reviews before purchasing.

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  Terrible customer service - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By mike c - August 18 - 7:00 pm

  I liked my Dodge for the first 18 months then started having problems first it needed a strut for the front end but that didnt fix problem now back shocks are making noise, so took to dealer and he said he cannot find problem, close to warranty ending, my last doge ever.

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  After 2 years, still awesome! - 2009 Dodge Avenger
  By Bill - August 18 - 3:53 pm

  Ive had my 2.7l SXT for two years now and it is still an awesome ride! It handles flawlessly, excellent in snow and rain and VERY smooth. The engine is VERY quiet and idles smooth. Overall quality has been excellent! No problems at all in the 2 years and the paint is solid. Gas mileage has been 22-24 mpg city and 28- 31 mpg highway. LOTS of power and VERY fun to drive!