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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  not exactly perfect - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By vaguy - May 23 - 5:36 am

  I have owned my Durango for about 2 years now. It is a nice vehicle to drive and travel in. The ride is also pretty smooth. However, there are some small problems. When you get some speed going there is a wind sound comming in the vehicle through the wind shield. I have had a problem with the power windows. Every now and then there is a winding noise comming from the engine compartment. The front passenger seats dont recline to a comfortable position which would be nice on long trips.

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  Stuck With It - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By Blessed Anyway - May 18 - 4:53 am

  I rarely buy vehicles and only once bought new which was this one. Ball joints and brakes were bad news for this model. Several manufacturer recalls: steering, two exhaust related ones. Brakes warped (Underengineered). Oil pressure has been issue this past year. Had oil pump replaced and only slightly improved pressure. Overall, performance was great compared to other small trucks, especially power/acceleration from 4-cyl, but the quality of parts and durability was quite poor. Several interior items failed, some more than once. Emergency brake handle, glove box handle mechanism, and cup holder assembly all failed. Overall, it took a beating from me, but I feel I didnt get full value.

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  Leased-Costing much$ before I return it - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Robert R - May 14 - 10:00 am

  Stay away from this vehicle! I have had to replace a speed sensor, master brake cylinder leak repair, brake pads and have had strange electrical problems. All right at 36,000 miles (avr 12K a year) when warranty expires!

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  Content in CT - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By Neil in CT - May 13 - 12:19 pm

  I have owned this vehicle for almost 2 years and I am very happy with my choice. It has been reliable and it drives really well for a pickup truck. The only downfalls about this truck are gas mileage and the cheap looking plastic interior. Although the gas mileage is not very good, I realize that pickup trucks are not the most economical vehicles on the road anyway. I also like the interior room and the Quad cab is a big bonus. Overall, I would recommend this vehicle to anyone interested in a mid-size pickup.

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  good overall - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By dozier - May 8 - 3:43 am

  Good overall minivan choice. Very comfortable seats, good design. Rides nice. Fit and finish could use improvement. Transmission had seal leakage, fixed under warranty.

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  Mitsubishi=good Dodge=bad - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By Great car - May 7 - 5:45 pm

  Everything about this car is Mitsubishi except the frame and paint. What screwed up? The paint. I caution those considering one of these that is black. This car is a 2001, and by 2004 the paint was burning off in the sun, and I live in a temperate climate zone. The ride is like the v6 Eclipse, fast, smooth, and comfortable. The car is very fun to drive and has held up great for 88k miles thus far. Uses expensive tires and likes to eat them, but if you drive conservatively this shouldnt be too much of a problem. And, for a sports car, this car gets pretty good fuel economy. I gauged it at 26mpg using 93 octane gasoline. I love this car and will hate to get rid of it. Poor warranty

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  Conservative/Sporty - 1999 Dodge Avenger
  By Brandon - April 30 - 8:33 am

  This is my second Avenger. First was a 96 and now the 99. Its fun to drive, lots of people comment on my car! Its a very sporty black with grey leather and a sunroof. I have nothing but good things to say about this car except two things. The turning around in this car is terrible! It takes you forever to make a simple U turn. Second is the keyless entry. Only the dome light flashes and not the exterior lights? Cant I get a little beep or something! Other than that, its a blast to drive and would buy another in a heart beat!

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  Happy, but not completely satisfied. - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Charles Carson - April 28 - 8:50 pm

  For its cost, I think this is a very good vehicle. I have the Hemi engine and it has plenty of power for towing, etc., and the ride is exceptional for a AWD SUV. I love the "bluetooth" U- Connect phone option and the "Sirius" satelite radio. However, there are some things that bother me about it. The interior plastics look a little cheap and too dark. The leg room in the 2nd row is tight, especially in the center position, and I wish the the floor over the 3rd row would fold flat. I also miss the interior room of my old Yukon and having "Onstar" and daytime headlights. Ive noticed the front door hinges appear to be loose, but they arent, the atachment points are flexing for some reason.

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  All good except the transmission - 1993 Dodge Caravan
  By Lance - April 28 - 7:18 pm

  My van has the 3.3 litre V6 engine with the 4 speed trans. with overdive. Its not a good tranny as youve read here. The rebuilder said its similar to unit fitted in the old Dodge Omni and Horizon compacts from the 80s. Guess they had lots of spares. You can expect to replace it about every 40 000 miles. The engine is very good actually, I never had much trouble with it other than a head gasket being replaced once. The ABS system failed at around 150000 miles and it was under warranty for life, low cost repair.

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  So far so good - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By TooFast4You - April 27 - 5:45 pm

  I bought this car in Feb of 03. Now with 40k miles, no problems to report other then my 3rd synchro going out and multiple torque mounts breaking on me. Its really a love/hate thing with this specific car. Either you love it cause youre an OG neon owner like myself, or hate it cause it got caught with the old Neon stigma. Truthfully I dont think I will ever part with it. I love it that much!