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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  Impressed 2009 SRT-8 - 2009 Dodge Challenger
  By TIM C - December 6 - 3:50 pm

  I owned a 2004 SRT-10 Ram before. I drove the 09 SRT-8 Challenger and fell in love. I had to have it. The smoothness and quality of the ride, the tire burning performance and excellent handling are out of this world but the braking is beyond that! This car is really impressive to say the least.

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  Love my Nitro! - 2008 Dodge Nitro
  By Jill - December 6 - 12:07 pm

  I traded in my 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan for this SUV. I did not want such a large vehicle now that my little ones are getting older they need less stuff to tote around, I test drove Grand Cherokees, Dodge Darango, the new Journeys and the Equinox, nothing could compare to the exterior and interior appeal of the Nitro, especially when it came to price. I really thought I wanted a new Cherokee, until I sat in one for $32,000 and there was nothing in it! But for $9,000 less I got everything I wanted except DVD.

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  This truck wrote the book of awesome. - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By Jon - December 5 - 10:52 pm

  This truck really is great. Its really more of a people hauler, with its ridiulously massive interior that comfortably seats 5 full size adults plus a child in the front middle. Yet despite this, the 5.9L magnum has plenty of get up and go, enough in fact to send this pickup 0-60 in about 8 seconds, which isnt bad at all for a truck. Its also got plenty of torque that can pull a trailer, a bed full of whatever, and a loaded cab all at the same time. Ive used it for camping, towing both cars and trailers, Ive even used it to pull a tree stump out of my yard. Currently a daily driver, still going strong after about 7 years of service, only problems have been 1 or 2 recalls, nothing major.

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  Too Cool Hemi R/T - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Freeze - December 4 - 5:26 pm

  I have owned this car for a week now, what more can I say. The grin on my face says it all. What a blast to drive. The Hemi is awesome. Love the 322 watt stereo. The seats are so comfortable. My wife loves it too. Great for the kids. Its a sports car/family cruiser for us 40 somethings. Go get one before they run out.

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  My favorite car so far - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By linda - December 3 - 2:12 am

  I have always been a Toyota driver. I had a Dodge Dakota quad cab and fell in love with Dodge. Traded it off for the Avenger. Best trade I ever made. Hopefully it will be as reliable as my Toyotas were. Love the cooler zone. Love the beefy look of the front end.

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  My New Car - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By spam30735 - December 3 - 2:00 am

  I bought my car on Feb. 5, 2004. It had 15 miles on it when we bought it and I love the way it drives and feels in my hands. I have a baby on the way and I know I can depend on it to be a very safe car to bring my baby home in and to carry her around in.

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  Only one in the hood - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By casa - December 3 - 2:00 am

  We where looking for something a little diferent that no one else had and yet my wife wanted to get out of the Mini Van era. We where after a vihicle that had some style room and drove like a car and not a truck. The power handling and performance of the vehicle was evident after the first test drive. We love the interior design as it is not cluttered and offer somewhat of a European look that is clean and egornomic.

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  Journey review at 3800 miles - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By dutch - December 2 - 11:20 pm

  Was reluctant to buy Journey but was replacing a van and liked the style. So far is a great car. Avg mpg has been 24.5 with a low of 21.3 and high of 26.1. Ride is comfortable, quiet and steady. Just finished 1500 mile trip and loved driving the car. So far everything works including tire monitor which came on when I picked up a nail

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  Worry Free Travel - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Tom Hubbard - December 2 - 1:10 am

  The 1300 mile drive to Georgia and back was a plesant driving experience. We found out first hand about its handling capability as far as manuvering around road debris. We had to swerve around large chunks of tires a couple of times and didnt feel the least bit uncomfortable as far as feeling like we might roll over or lose control. Excellent in my book. We plan on several trips to Georgia and back, and look forward to doing it in this vehicle.

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  FINALLY - 2009 Dodge Challenger
  By Yankee - December 1 - 8:47 pm

  Oh man, this beast is absolutely awesome! Base non-leather seats are very comfortable and supportive. The pistol-grip 6-speed shifts very well and the clutch isnt heavy at all - the take-up is a little high, but you quickly get used to it. The hill- holder feature comes in handy on hills. The performance of the 5.7 is truly exceptional, and gets noticeably better after 1000 miles. Plan for some extra time at gas stops, as youll get swarmed by various gawkers and wannabes - this car gets more attention than a Ferrari. The styling is absolutely spot-on, better than the 2006 concept - hard to believe this is the same company that makes the ugly Chrysler Sebring and Jeep Compass.