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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  magnums rock - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By turbododge2 - September 21 - 8:14 am

  I bought an 05 sxt awd. it now has 89.000 miles on it and I have never had a problem. keep up with the required maintenance and it should last a long time. I installed a mopar cold air intake from mopar performance and bought a predator tuner and did the 93 octane performance tune and what a difference. with the predator it is like a different car. you can change the axle ratio for quicker acceleration and the transmission to shift firmer. you can make the autostik so it will not shift for you so you can actually hold the gear to the full 6.500 rpms.. my magnum is black and gets a lot of compliments. I just replaced the sparkplugs myself and taking off the upper intake manifold is not to bad

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  2013 1.4L Turbo - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By cuhll - September 3 - 11:19 am

  I now have 17000 miles on this Dart and have had it in the shop 3 times now with Turbo issues. They havent been able to fix it yet. I am on the edge of returning it. I love the car, if they could fix the turbo issue I would keep the car, but I am very frustrated with Dodge right now.

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  High hopes Big disappointments - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By metro21 - August 29 - 9:28 pm

  Bought it brand new. 2 years and 36k later: Good: Nice design in and out. Looks amazing when clean. Smooth powerful V8 Hemi. Tops in towing. Actual useable 3rd row seating. Bad: Exterior build quality is complete junk. The front bumper pops out and is now cracking like its going to fall off. The exterior mirror housing is frayed and already replaced only to have the same problem return. Tail lights feel loose and move when touched. The drivers door is not aligned with the rest of the body. Car has failed to start once- apparently a known issue with Dodges- failing TIPMs (Google it for more info.). Hemi spark plugs have to be changed every 30k miles. Recommended gas is 89.

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  11 years and going strong - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By tara0724 - August 15 - 12:27 pm

  Im sad others have had bad experiences with this car because mine has almost 160k miles on it and it drives like the day I bought it. Ive had to do a few minor things, replace the radiator and the brackets that hold the rear shocks rusted through prematurely, but it really has been an awesome car for me. 11 years later I have had no issues at all with the engine or transmission. The only thing I hate about it is that the clip under the front bumper hangs so low that I parked too close to a parking block and broke that plastic piece in half. Operator error.

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  2002 Chrysler Intrepid ES (V6 3.5L) - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By cheldon - August 13 - 5:38 pm

  Bought car new in 2002. Now has 365,000km on a never serviced engine except regular oil changes and one set of platinum spark plugs. But, the engine fault light kept coming on. Noticed that it did so after a rain or during damp weather. Argued with the dealer who replaced all sensors, on-board computer, new wiring harness after telling me not to tell him how to do his job. Took Chrysler to court, won the suit, got all my money back that wasnt covered under the warranty and took car to independent mechanic who replaced the gasket between the gas tank and the car body and have had no problems since then. He said he had done so with many Dodge/Chryslers.

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  2009 Dodge Journey RT - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By stadman82 - August 8 - 12:14 am

  The biggest problem that I have had with this vehicle is the battery needing to be replaced. Very easy job. 15 minutes if you have tools. Everyone reading the bad reviews on this vehicle, remember is a couple hundred out of a thousands of vehicles. I understand the electrical problems. The starting problems with the key. Try replacing the battery in the remote.. Runs off a chip (needs power). Only complaint is brakes and tires. If your change brakes, spend the extra money and get quality like Brembo and a high quality set of pads. Will save hundreds in future. Tires no answer, suck it up. My family enjoys this vehicle and have owned it for 3 years 30,000+ miles.

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  Just bought a 97 in 2013 - 1997 Dodge Dakota
  By sstevek - July 29 - 8:47 pm

  My model is actually a Sport 2WD 3.9 5 speed manual that I bought with about 102,500 miles. I get plenty of snow in my area, but the truck is for occasional use. I wanted a truck with a V6 and a manual transmission, something not easy to find. I think the V6 with the manual is a great combination - and a rare find. The regular cab is a little tight for me - but thats ok. I do enjoy driving the truck. It rides well, and the interior is solid. With the windows up its quiet - theres not one rattle in the truck. My first fuel calculation, highway and around town was 18.8 mpg. Very satisfied with that. I feel good about this truck.

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  1997 Intrepid - 1997 Dodge Intrepid
  By tybri93 - July 27 - 2:26 pm

  We had this car for right up until about 160,000 miles. At that point it just started to go down hill, weird wiring problems seemed to plague the car. Just after 160,000 though. Before that, it was a great car. Ran great, and gave us years of faithful service. I wonder what happens with these cars at 160,000 or if it was just us. Performance was excellent even up into its last days, the engine still had plenty of pep. Very roomy, even on long trips going from Cali to Utah multiple times with four people in it, very comfortable.

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  Best vehicle Ive driven in years - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By kackerman - July 23 - 11:30 pm

  I picked up an Intrepid ES as a temporary car while my new one is in for major repairs and fell in love. The exterior looks drab (an older sedan style) but it drives like nothing Ive seen before. Handles all road conditions beautifully and has more than enough power. Im actually considering some body work (snazzy stuff) and might keep it. Shame that Chrysler didnt stick with this engine - its magic.

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  Great Car With Lots of Versatility - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By scdjng - July 10 - 10:48 pm

  I purchased my Dart SXT 1.4L turbo 6 speed manual in the beginning of January and have put almost 13,000 miles on it. I do lots of driving for work and the car does great on the open road. The worst gas mileage I got on a trip was 35 mpg, and that was with below zero temperatures and and a strong head wind. The car may not be as quick as some of the competition, but is perfectly adequate. I have taken my family of five (three grown adults, one teenager and myself) on short trips and it has proven to be very roomy with little complains.