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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  Great First Car - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By michaela96 - July 3 - 9:09 am

  I bought this 15 year old car for $1500. It had 180K on it but still runs smoothly. It handles great and should last anyone a long time so long as they keep up the maintenance and do repairs as needed. Before when I thought of the brand "Dodge", the first thing that came to mind was gas guzzling trucks. To my surprise this car gets pretty good gas mileage. Ive had it over a month now and I love it. My goal is to get it to last me through this winter with out having any major problems.

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  "Lets run em!!" MOPAR OR NO CAR!!! - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By imboosted - June 29 - 9:33 pm

  At first i wanted an MS3, theyre great cars. Only problem is, theyre as plentiful and as common as roaches!! Every1 i know has on and it sucked for me in making my nxt performance decision. I looked at the cobalt ss supercharged, but then i remembered my brother had 1 and i was always told to stay away from civics. so the nxt logical choice was the srt-4. I cant tell you how glad I am to be the owner of this car. IT IS AWESOME!! picked mine up, she was stock. added a few things..(Mpx exhaust,, BIG front mount, greddy turbo timer, AEM intake, and AGP wastegate) and now shes unstoppable. I eat stngs, comaros, Zs, WRXs, GTIs, MS3s for breakfast!! I can even hang with GS vettes. Great car!!

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  Dodge exclusive. None other like it. Increasing the fleet. - 1997 Dodge Avenger
  By pepteye - June 21 - 11:46 pm

  A Dodge boy needed a commuter. OK Mitsubishi in Wolves clothing. That said it is a unique offering. 4000 lbs and 30+ MPG is a good compromise. When Im making my commute for 50 miles each way over a 1800 foot pass in the silicone valley I feel good. Take care of the timing belt it will cost you if it breaks. Best Dodge commuter until the new Challenger gets 30MPG. and you have 30K to spare.......Have one for the daughter and will likely win up with 4. CAME BACK A KILLER WENT OUT A WINNER...Thanks Brad....

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  LOVED THIS CAR / Did its job! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By safedrivertoo - June 19 - 10:46 am

  I bought it at 36,900 (mileage) and am now giving it to my daughter at 126,8000, and Ive never had a problem other than wear/tear except the fuel pump, which went at 50,000 miles. I think I replace an alternator too, around 90,000 miles, but it runs great, never stalled, never left me on the road or anything. I LOVE this car. Wish me luck with my new Dodge Journey! )

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  Great Ride, Mechanical Nightmare - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By samwill89 - June 16 - 6:52 pm

  Bought a used 2002 Durango Sport at 95k miles. Was immaculate inside and out. The good: Fit my large 65 frame comfortably. Fit my 66 twin sons well too. Nice controls and easy ride on all terrains. The bad: Constant overheating. Replaced fan clutch and thermostat within a month of owning it. Still would overheat. After 10k miles of use, blown head gasket. I will NEVER buy another Dodge vehicle again. Sad, because I really liked the SUV. Not worth the mechanical problems that are SURE to happen.

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  Good big cheap car - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By herogeorge - June 13 - 6:26 pm

  The car was inexpensive when I bought it, comfortable, and roomy. Bought my 2004 Dodge Intrepid SE with ~15K miles on it and ran it 8 years until it had ~125K miles. Reasonable maintenance costs up through ~100K miles, then the bills started to pile up (transmission, water pump, etc.). Depreciation reduced the cars value to less than the cost of replacing the head when it broke, so I sold it. Not a great car, but Overall, I was reasonably happy with my purchase. However, I would be wary of one that has over 100K miles.

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  4Door 1997 3.3L V6 - 1997 Dodge Intrepid
  By dafletcher3883 - June 13 - 1:43 am

  It has about 235k miles and still runs strong, the only issues are that it needs a new water pump and the steering is going out. Other than that, the engine still has enough umph to outrun others when they challenge me, lol. I actually beat a Cobalt to the speed limit, *wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Great car though, really. If you find a low mile one get it.

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  reliable suv - 2008 Dodge Nitro
  By montreal7 - May 28 - 3:01 pm

  got it from new. had 100k miles and only water pump replaced. other was oil and brakes. the tail gate light switch issue is standart on this truck and i got the problem. i just disconnect the switch and go. In snow the control is the best I never see. so very reliable, fair driving and power, very good tractiion control, but cheap interior plastic. the center console was too big leaving less room for nothing. trunk wideness a little small, you could not put a plywood sheet. if the interior plastic was better quality and the console smaler i will give a 9 on 10 .. go ahead, you will like it.

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  Great car with few cons - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By mmcentire - May 26 - 9:32 am

  I have the lowest end car available that I picked up at a great price in January 2013. The design work on the car looks great inside and out. The interior is nicer than you would expect from a base model. The dashboard was designed for the nicer electronic touch-screen interface, which my car does not have, but the manual system looks nice and functions well. It has a roomy interior with adequate cargo, although smaller than expected. The car has a sporty feel while driving (especially with a 6 speed manual), but it does not reach advertised mpg, and can be somewhat difficult to shift smoothly at first. It cruises smoothly on the freeway and handles well better than similar sedans.

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  THROWN ROD! - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By inhawaii - May 25 - 10:33 pm

  2004 Dodge Durango Limited 5.7 Hemi with under 80,000 miles. I am the original owner. Car has been well maintained. Oil changes every 3000 miles. Never had any overheating problems. This vehicle has served me well for the past 9 years until about a month ago. Without warning, while going down the freeway, it made a terrible noise. I knew it was something major. The oil light came on. There was a bunch of smoke. I shut the engine off and pulled off the freeway. I could see oil dripping from the engine. After having to towed, i learned there was a hole in the engine block from a thrown rod. After doing some research on the web, i found 100s if not 1000s of cases just like mine.