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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  Reliable car - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By Flo - March 18 - 5:19 pm

  Purchased my Stratus R/T in 2002 w/about 2K miles. Its now 3/2007 and I have 214K miles on it. So far, Ive had no problems with the car. The only repairs that were done to it were those necessary due to wear and tear. Thank God it has a Mitsubitshi engine...if it were a Dodge/Chrysler engine, I dont think the car would have lasted this long.

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  A Must Have for a big family - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Jeff - March 16 - 5:33 am

  I traded in my 2006 and am very happy with the van now for 8 months. very roomy, lots of storage and camping friendly. Its a nice buy for the money. I have noticed the van does like to pull to the right a lot for some reason. It definitely has a lot less problems then my 2006 did.

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  This is a fun v6 - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By knightrider74 - March 16 - 3:15 am

  This car is a perfect balance of fun and comfort rolled into a gas saving v6. I am impressed. Keep up the good work Dodge.

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  Great all around car - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By quiksilver723 - March 15 - 1:07 pm

  Well Ive had this car for 3 years now and the thing has held up beautifully. I do enjoy the pick up and go that this car has, but I also like the fact that it has plenty of space for the weekly grocery store trip. On the downside though it is just a Neon so its not like a BMW in terms of elegance or styling. But for me, I really wanted to have performance at a low cost and the SRT-4 definitely fit that description. So if youre a gear head and want something to build, the SRT-4 is a great place to start. Its relatively cheap and there are a lot of aftermarket parts out there. And after a few modifications you can really hang with most of the bigger guys out there.

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  Satisfied - 2006 Dodge Stratus
  By BML - March 14 - 11:22 pm

  I just purchased this car about 3 weeks ago and so far so good. We went from a 2000 Cougar which we loved to this. Although the Cougar was more sporty and smaller this still allows us to have the fun factor while felling safer with our child in the car. I was suprised that this 4cyl pushed out 150 hp and seems to be getting decent mpg. My daughter loves the fact she now can sit in the middle and see everything where with the cougar the bucket seats did not allow that. On the outside it seems as though its a avg mid size car but inside there is more room then my first apt. I like the stock stereo and all the little compartments. I have managed to pop a tire already but cant figure out how.

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  OK so far, 73K miles - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By kben - March 12 - 7:44 am

  Have owned this vehicle since new and it now has 73K+ miles. Had one issue with an air conditioning relay which was a $250 repair and it happened just after the warranty ended. Also had the recall repair for the ball joints. This has been and continues to be a reliable vehicle for me. The gas mileage (about 18 Hwy) leaves some to be desired but it is on the high end for what I expected for this vehicle. The interior components are not the best quality, the break easily.

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  Enjoying my Van - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Jeff - March 11 - 1:00 am

  Im enjoying my Caravan a lot - my kids love it too. I find it very comfortable, the performance is good (though the gas mileage isnt great), and it gives a very good feel for the road. I do wish some of the interior materials looked a little better - it does look cheap in some spots. But it has an unbelievable amount of storage space.

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  Awful in New York Snow - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Jaybob - March 10 - 7:48 am

  I love this car in the summer. It is beautiful and gets tons of comments. But if you live in an area like Upstate New York do not waste the money unless you have a winter car. Even with the ESP and snow tires this car is awful in the snow. During he non-snow months this car is wonderful. I wish I didnt need to dump it but after one winter I have to get rid of it. We have a local police department that has this car and even they have said that they had to sit the car for the winter because it is too unreliable in the snow.

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  Yes I Drive a Minivan- and Love It - 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Momto3 - March 10 - 6:07 am

  I am not a very tall person (55), so not sure about how this can fits taller people, but for me its wonderful. Kids have tons of room and even lots of storage room in the back. Car accelerates responsively, and interior is comfortable. We have taken this van on many trips already and no complaints from the kids. We bought the higher level, with lots of gadgets and entertainment features, well worth it! Price was good too when compared to others we test- drove (Sienna, etc)

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  Very Reliable, Great Mileage - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Very Pleased - March 8 - 10:10 pm

  I have owned this van for about a year, and it has always been very reliable. I bought it used with about 90,000 miles on it, and it runs like it is still new. My average miles per gallon is between 22-26. What more can you ask for from a minivan? It has never let me down and I have only had to do routine matinence (brakes, tires, oil changes, etc.). I would purchace another one in the future.