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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  Been a great family workhorse - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By Dan - July 16 - 11:50 pm

  My wife and I have always been proud of our family-vehicle-and-workhorse-in-one. Unlike most SUV owners, we know what the "U" stands for. Aside from one problem with a transmission module in the early years, and unfortunate cheap plastic construction on ext. and int., this vehicle has been worth every dime. We haul livestock and farm materials. We vacation. We commute. We shop. Were still making payments, though, but thats ok, because we plan to own this vehicle forever. Glad to see West Virginia law enforcement has made good use of the Durango for their fleets. Its a shame that well never see another SUV like this again, especially since Daimler dumped the Chrysler money pit.

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  2 Years - 2 Brake Jobs and more - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Ann - July 16 - 12:13 pm

  Plan on getting new brakes every 15,000 miles. 2 brake jobs in 2 years and now its in the shop for electrical system failure. The AC, turn signals and radio dont come on. Getting everything fixed is a problem.

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  03 Dakota SLT 4x4 - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By Tyler D - July 16 - 11:10 am

  I have an 03 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab (full 4 doors) with the 4.7 and 5 speed auto. Man what an awesome truck, for the money there is nothing close to it. Car will giddy up and go whenever called upon. Tows my boat with no issues and will beat anything else on the road. The only vehicle out there with a REAL v8 in a midsized truck, if its got a 4 cylinder its not a truck! Toyota cant touch it and the ranger is too small, and in my opinion the sport trac is ugly, if youre looking for a good reliable truck get the Dakota. I average 17 mpg in mine with me stomping on it quite a bit, not bad.

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  2008 Dodge Avenger SXT - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Shaun - July 15 - 8:37 am

  I bought this car brand new in 2007. Since then, I had it in the shop numerous times. The most recent time was just this Monday, July 12, 2010. My cars shifter was stuck in park and would not budge. I googled this problem and it seems like A LOT of people are having the same issues. I had it towed and the dealership had to replace the enitre shifter assembly. NOTE: My car only has 43,000 miles on it! Dodge needs to do a recall on the shifter problem! (Also, the cup cooler quit working, there was a high pitch noise on front drivers side, had to replace brake pads and rotors but still had vibration in the car, and my back drivers side door has window issues) My advice: Dont buy this car!

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  Perfect Plumcrazy Challenger - 2010 Dodge Challenger
  By bmwilson - July 14 - 7:07 pm

  The car is an eye catcher but the Plum Crazy Challenger is a head turner. This is a beautiful car to look at and an excellent ride. It is fun to drive however you feel safe while in it. It is nice and heavy and holds its on in a curve. Wouldnt have been happier with any other vehicle. After looking for over a year for a new car We have made the perfect choice. 600 mile trip averaged 25 mpg on the highway. Love it love it love it.

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  Loves the truck but hates the repairs - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By drivesalot - July 14 - 2:46 pm

  I love this vehicle for its looks and comfort on longer drives but its constantly in the shop! After purchasing it I found out about all the down falls it has even though I looked for the negatives. When it gets to over 125,000 mi expect to have engine troubles soon after! Everyone I have met with one no matter how good they maintain theirs has had blown heads and needed new engines. Its great for getting through heavy snows but I have practically rebuilt the truck part by part since I bought it! No repair on it is cheap either. Even though I like the this vehicle if I could go back I would choose something else. I have put $1000s in repairs starting from a few months after purchasing it.

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  The worst car ever! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By lisalee - July 14 - 9:54 am

  This is the worst car ever! At 5,000 miles the caliper froze up, Chrysler wanted the dealer to turn my rotor instead of putting a new one on needless to say that didnt happen, at 24,000 the transmission had to be replaced, at 27,000 the power steering rack and pump had to be replaced, at 30,000 miles the lower control arms, linkage to the sway bars had to be replaced. This is the most unreliable car ever! Chrysler says its my problem not theirs!

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  So far so good - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By jccables - July 14 - 9:37 am

  This vehicle had 125,000 miles on it and thats not a typo. Was a little wary of purchasing a vehicle with this amount of mileage on it but so far its been an amazing vehicle. traded in my girlfriends Nissan 240 sx for this in light of having another child and needing a 3rd row seat. after putting over 5 thousand miles on it it still runs very good. my only complaint is the brakes. They work too well. Im not as confident braking it as i should be because the anti lock works so well that if you push down even slightly too fast youll snap everyones neck with how harsh the stop is. took a lot of getting used to but other than that have no complaints about the vehicle.

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  BAD BATCH - 2008 Dodge Magnum
  By PEARL - July 13 - 6:24 pm

  I downgraded from a dodge ram hemi to save gas when I bought this 08 magnum that only had 12k on it. Not even a month after I bought the car, it started to shut off in the middle of driving. I took it back to the dealer about 4 times and the computer never recorded anything. They looked at me like a dumb lady and all they did was reflash the computer. The tranny makes loud clunky noises when accelerating and slowing down and it bucks when it shouldnt. Car stations change from FM to AM on its own. The car shakes sometimes like it has a carburetor, which I know it doesnt have but I do know what it feels like when an old car wants to shut off. Maybe I got a bad car from the batch.

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  Reason I will never own another dodge - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By ebglock - July 13 - 11:33 am

  Great motor. transmission started giving trouble at 65k. Electrical problems massive. Switches,window regulators, speed sensors, etc., etc. Brakes crap with defective bearings from dodge.