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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  Fun Family car - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Krukedi - March 29 - 4:24 pm

  We bought because we are having a baby and needed more room. We wanted fun and practical. We got the R/T with R&T performance package. It turns heads, gives plenty of power and feels safe compared to other four door sedans in the same price range. Wish you could spin the tires better but its probably good it cant because I would go through them too quick.

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  prefer it to my 87 celica gt - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By demrdi - March 29 - 10:00 am

  I consider the Neon to be among the most under-rated cars on the road. Its faster and handles better than the poor mans Porsche that I drove from 90- 93, and has gotten me up many a steep slipery slope in winter. Its the second one Ive owned, the first was a 96 and very satisfactory, and this 03 is better in every way.

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  Mixed thoughts - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By AceRock - March 28 - 11:24 pm

  Wanted one for a while now and finally bought it about a month ago. Already put 2,500 miles in it! So far the back seat cushion needed to be replaced because a seam came undone, the drivers power window will need to be repaired because it is extremely noisy when being rolled up and makes noise when driving and the headliner makes a terrible rattle when driving over bumps or rough pavement. It is because of these small teething problems that I have mixed thoughts on my purchase. I love driving the car and especially love the styling but this is becoming extreme. I read in a forum that the headliner noise is "common" on cars equiped with a sunroof so keep this in mind when choosing your car!

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  4.7 durnago - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By nickdangelo - March 28 - 9:06 pm

  I love the 01 Durango. I have a 4.7l and it is very powerful. Im a speed junkie and the 4.7l does it well especially in an SUV.

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  120K and runs like a top! - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By Bob - March 27 - 4:32 pm

  I drove this company owned truck at work for two years. When I left the job 2 years ago, I offered to buy the truck, which had about 110K on it at that time. Although I have owned the truck for only two years, I have driven it for four, since it had 60K on the odometer. The brake rotors were replaced at 60K, but other than that, this truck has never had any maintenance/reliability issues. None. Only issues: Mileage. 4.7L gets 17 hwy, 11 in town. Brakes are not impressive. I am sure that I have been very lucky, but this has been the most worry-free vehicle I have ever owned.

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  Gas sucker - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By pbardet - March 27 - 10:48 am

  After 2 years of ownership, I love the comfort and all the features I got in the car, but I hate the poor mileage. Ive never been able to do more than 15-16mpg average with that car. In winter, I down to less than 12 mpg. This stinks big time, especially when its advertised at 19mpg (city). Dealers/Chrysler wont do anything about it. Not their problem. I know for a fact (checked with other owners) that its a problem with my car, not all the Magnums. I wish Chrysler would just look at it.

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  Crew for the crew - 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By stekicar - March 27 - 6:02 am

  Since now, I was always buying base models without any blows and whistles. Steering wheel and 4 wheels were the only "options" I wanted. But this time, I got the Crew model (due to $4000 on lease+$750 incentives) plus $500 for existing Dodge owner (not sure about this). Anyway, $5250 discount and employee pricing (my friend works for Chrysler) made me look Dodge way. Because of the new engine/transmission and mostly because of the known reliability of Chrysler vehicles, I did not dare to buy this car so I choosed to lease it instead. I choosed Driver and Passenger package and since it was very hard to find a vehicle with both options and not to be fully loaded I ended up buying the car ...

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  A Good Car with no problems - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By Sue - March 26 - 8:58 pm

  Bought my ES used from original owner. It is the top of the line for the year and the only problem I had is with brakes, changed twice in 3 months one year, but it was due to defective brakes. Engine has 151,000 miles. The car handles well and runs soundly. Never had an engine problem or anything major happen. Starts up every time, doesnt leak a single drop of oil, still gets 26 mpg highway. I have always had good luck with Dodge and my next car (picking up tomorrow) is the 2008 Avenger SXT, which is replacing the Stratus. The Stratus is a well made vehicle, at least mine is, anyway!

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  The paint chipped Neon - 1997 Dodge Neon
  By Billy - March 26 - 7:29 pm

  Well originally my father bought this car for himself and it had 140,000 miles on it from the dealer. It was in good shape one paint chip on the right side of the car behind the driver side door. The car never seemed to give to much trouble, a blown head gasket and a transmission leak were two very big problems, other then that the car has run fine and been dependable. When I got it as my first car it became a bit of a nightmare, with 166,000 miles and almost no paint left with an oil leak and a fried electrical system I couldnt expect much though being that it was worn out and my father gave it almost little to no service at all Id say it had a good run as a fun sporty car.

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  Still going - 1997 Dodge Dakota
  By hoylemd - March 26 - 3:33 pm

  Bought my truck new. Have driven 110 miles round trip to work daily for past 6 years. Now have over 257,000 miles and uses only a half quart oil between changes. Still runs great. No major repairs, only things that wear out on any truck, brakes, water pump, belts, rotors. Radio did go out and I replaced it with a nice one with cd, which I was going to do anyway. Plenty of power with the V6, gets about 21 mpg no mater how I drive or what gas I use.