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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  Bad Brakes - Recall Needed - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Builders - August 2 - 1:59 pm

  I gave it a 2 in Build Quality because of this. Breaks were oxidizing and the calipers would release, but the brake pads would not. So the brake pads were constantly rubbing the rotors. They said they have seen this issue many times before but Chrysler was not addressing the issue. My dealership treated me well, but this issue should be remedy. I called the recall department and they stated there were no recalls for this matter, but advised me to go to NHTSA.gov and state my complaint. They will not start an investigation into this matter until they receive a larger consensuses of complaints so if you have this issue please speak up so something will be done.

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  My First Car ans an awesome one at that - 1993 Dodge Shadow
  By ken - August 2 - 10:29 am

  I loved this car it was fun to drive all my friends loved it. For a small car it was powerful with a v6 3L engine. The only things that werent so great about the gas was the gas mileage but wat do you expect from a 16 to 17 year old car And theres little room. This car was amazing but about 2 weeks ago coming home my back right tire snapped off where the axle met the rim so i dont know if Im going to have it fixed because it might not be worth the money but it was an amazing car and was reliable until this one incident and i got the car from my grand father when it had only 46,000 miles on it in 08 and when i was done with it it had 68,000 so i used it well and it was a great FAST car.

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  Reliability! - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By Operator398 - August 2 - 4:28 am

  I purchased this truck new, and have done the maintenance. (4.7 V8, automatic) Its the most reliable vehicle Ive ever owned. 148,000 miles and counting. Cost per mile for maintenance and repairs is only $0.025. 19.6 MPG since the day I bought it(I have a soft tonneau on it). It still looks good and has no squeaks or rattles. Im very happy with this truck.

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  Classy Muscle Power - 2010 Dodge Challenger
  By macmanks - August 1 - 10:55 pm

  I traded the 2010 Camaro I had for nearly a year and 20K miles for the 2010 R/T Classic in B5 Blue Pearlcoat and I have not missed the Camaro even a little bit. Guys and gals, if you are looking for a muscle car that thrills and does so while you ride in luxury comfort - then you have only one choice: The Challenger. If only I had tried the Challenger before buying the Camaro. Dont take my word for it, TRY them all, one after another. The Challenger has the TOTAL package and even with the 5.7 L HEMI I am averaging nearly 21 mpg combined and averaged 26 on a 100 mile plus straight highway trip with the cruise set at 75 mph! Amazing to me.

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  Best Looking car on the road - 2010 Dodge Challenger
  By Dan - August 1 - 1:37 pm

  This car has exceeded every expectation that I had when I bought it. It drives very smooth, very responsive and when I need power it has more than enough. There is one main problem with owning the SRT8 model. When ever parked or filling up people want to see under the hood and look in the car. It is a real head turner. If you do not like people staring or wanting to talk to you about your car do not buy this one.

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  Work Horse - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By small buisness owner - July 31 - 10:37 pm

  I bought my 3.7 L Nitro new and I love it. I am a contractor and this is my work truck! Ive pulled a 6x 12 cargo trailer every day for the last year and a half and this truck hasnt let me down. Ive had the driver side interior door handle break and had a couple of recalls taken care of, but with 69,000 miles Ive never had a major issue.

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  Did like it, now HATE it - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Bear - July 31 - 10:03 pm

  When we first bought the car it was wonderful. I loved it but the mileage absolutely stinks. There is no way I get even 20 mpg with this thing. I drive 37 miles one way and have to fill up at least twice a week. Then the transmission went out, and within 3 months the timing belt broke. Now I only have my A/C working when it is on 3 or 4, but nothing on 1 or 2. And to top that off the car makes lots of noise when stopping or starting. Sounds like the whole car is about to come off its frame. My opinion, I would never get another Dodge Stratus again.

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  Great car! - 2001 Dodge Neon
  By Kandie - July 30 - 4:30 pm

  I bought this car used in 2002 with 36,000 miles, it now has 128,000 I just put on new ties, new battery, timing belt & water pump, because of the high miles (The old one looked perfect when they replaced them) Im giving the car to my parents. They could of done a better job with the paint. Either way, a great running car! I wished they still made them!

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  Poor Qaulity - 2007 Dodge Caravan
  By Ed - July 29 - 6:56 pm

  I have owned 4 new mini-vans, and my current dodge 2007 gr Caravan SXT will be my last Chrysler product ever. As other comments, transmission shifts very hard from 2 to 1. Will need repaired or replaced eventually. Second, several bulletins are out on this van. Wheel bearing(back)rust easily which is a huge safety problem. They also have a chronic ABS sensor and system problem. Like the stow and go. Road noise is terrible! Am in the market for a Honda Odyssey. Will be my first foreign car. Cant deal with the poor quality and poor customer service anymore from Chrysler!

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  Journey from hell, totally dissatisfied - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Sorry owner - July 28 - 11:04 pm

  Happy at first until staining on cloth seats, paid extra for "stain resistant" spray on seats. Funny noise when turning sharply to the left, when starting car sometimes engine runs but no air, radio, or lights. Auto Windows only work when they feel like it, many plastic pieces have broken off on interior, dash replaced 3 times, brakes had to be replaces along with rotors at low miles, needed new tires after 1 yr (very expensive) kuhmo is only option of tire. Tire problem causing vibration in steering wheel, then second vibration was improperly installed drive shaft (almost fell out!) most recent is car wont start randomly, dealership unable to duplicate problem. Do not buy this car!