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 Truck - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By Mike - February 16 - 7:48 pm

  Bought this truck used in 05 with 64,000 miles and have loved it ever since. Now has 94,000 on it and only problem Ive had is a hub bearing went bad. I do drive this truck hard at times and it has never let me down. Love the size and comfort. Fits two baby seats in the back and still has enough room for a small adult to fit back there comfortably.

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  1997 dodge Grand Caravan - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By CJPorter - February 15 - 10:00 am

  For a family with lots of kids and prjects, the dodge grand caravan cannot be beat. Ive even hauled a washer and dryer in together with the back seats removed. I love my caravan

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  Tranny already! - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Catsvan - February 15 - 10:00 am

  I bought my 2000 Grand Caravan Sport about 3 months ago. I love driving it and my daughter loves her TV/VCR. My only problems so far have been a few major oil leaks fixed easily, but very expensive & now the transmission needs to be rebuilt which is costing me over $2000. Im hoping and praying that this will fix the major problems. Time will tell.

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  Great truck with a lot of power - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By NJNOMAD - February 14 - 9:18 pm

  Though we had a few issues with the drive train (Dodge covered everything) after about a year, overall we love it. It is large enough for the 5 of us and all of our camping gear. It has been fun to drive and very responsive for a large truck.

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  Must be good luck - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By Bronco - February 9 - 10:37 am

  Have owned this vehicle since it was 1 year old (16,600 mi). Have had only one issue of note. The cam position switch failed, $200 repair and good to go. This has been and continues to be a good reliable vehicle. The gas mileage is horrible but the interior layout and design is nice. The quality of the interior components is not the best, the plastic will fail (esspecially with kids). However the parts are inexpensive to replace. Maybe Ive been lucky, but I have had less problems with this than friends and family with 2002 Montero, and 2001 Tahoe.

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  lost confidence - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By STRONG33 - February 8 - 6:10 pm

  All in all an ok van. seating is comfortable. STO N GO is nice. back seats slide up and back for more leg room.space utilization inside is good. very good in the snow! Wish the seats reclined further in back and psnger side. NOW the CONS 25,000 miles had to replace brakes and roters. dealership said consider myself luckey most go out at 12-17,000 mi on these new vans. you would think Dodge would come up with something to fix this problem! Back doors dont always want to close.Been to the dlrship 4-5 times and they still cant find anything wrong.wind noise on the highway seems to be getting louder. The dash rattles again dealership cant seem to find anything wrong. confidence in amer made??

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  Feels bigger than it is. - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By hschall - February 8 - 2:33 am

  Long time Ford advocate tries Dodge. I chose this vehicle over the Ford Escape and it fits my needs very well. Feels like a more expensive car than it is. Love the "indiglo" lit dash and cup holders. Sharp look without going overboard. Got it in the CVT which is very smooth although a little louder than I expected at times. Currently has a dash light on that right now Dodge can not fix. Told its an oxygen sensor bug. Seems that Ford had slightly better customer service.

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  High miles. - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By JD - February 6 - 10:23 pm

  This is my 5th Caravan. I drive 50,000 miles a year. Just passed 107,000 miles. Had no problems untill 75,000 miles, then several small problems with egr valve and vaccum pump. At 105,000 miles the transmission valve unit went bad, that and the 100,000 mile maintenance items + brakes, rotors, sway bars and tires cost me $3,000. The 3.3 liter engine is holding up well. tires lasted 105,000 miles without being aligned, or balanced.

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  Keeps on going by Dadman - 1996 Dodge Caravan
  By B Clark - February 4 - 7:52 am

  I bought this van used in 1999 with 108,000 miles on it. It now has 210,000 miles on the same 3.0 V6 engine. It now smoke some at startup (worn valve guide seals) but Maxlife Valvoline oil has stopped that. The engine is from Mistubishi and it is as strong as when I got it. No electrical problems, great exhaust system, suspension is wearing, durable interior and great to drive. Now for the trans and a/c. Tranny was rebuilt at 120,000 miles for $1800. Ask for a upgraded rebuild kit not a factory kit. Worth the money. Torque converter started acting up at 190,000.A/C new compressor installed at purchase. The system needs recharging every year. Invest in own recharge kit (cheap).

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  Doors and brakes - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Danger - February 4 - 5:13 am

  We ordered this van from the factory the way we wanted it. We were very excited about it and enjoyed it for most of the first year. Although it was very annoying with the automatic doors, if the wind was blowing the doors would not shut because of the "safety". But January 2009 my then 4 year old daughter reached back into the van as the door was closing and it closed, latched and lock on her hand. Luckily after a trip to the doctors office the x-rays showed there was not anything broken. I took the van to the dealership and they said there was a programming on the doors that needed to be fixed. Well yesterday my 2 year old daughter got her hand caught in the same door, she received