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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  Just bought a dodge stratus - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Ryan Short - September 4 - 10:00 am

  The 2004 Dodge Stratus is very comfortable and stylist. It is also very affordable and it comes with a really hard-to-beat warrenty. There wasnt any other automobile that was offering that kind of warrenty; not even the foreign ones.

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  HEMI-FIED - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By vipereyes - September 4 - 10:00 am

  I love my durango. I think it deserves a longer test to really appreciate the utility that it provides

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  Liked it, lost it - 2003 Dodge Intrepid
  By Dodgey person - September 3 - 8:49 pm

  Bought it with 23k on the clock, great car, never let me down once. Had to swap some brake rotors out as they warped a couple of times. Bought the 2.7 that has a timing chain instead of a belt, never missed a beat. Someone pulled out in front of me and now I have to find another one! Aaarghh! Anyway, car was roomy, fun and very dependable. If I can find a decent one equal to my insurance check, Ill snag it, but they are a dying breed. Highly recommend this car, good value for money I think.

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  Outstanding! - 2008 Dodge Dakota
  By REDNECKKID11 - September 3 - 5:52 pm

  Just bought my Dakota. Love it! I Love the off-road capability, the looks, style. Even its 3.7 L v6 performs great in towing, off-roading, etc.

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  Power, Luxury, Looks and Handling - 2008 Dodge Durango
  By Absolute Glassworks - September 3 - 4:55 pm

  I test drove the Limited model with intentions of buying a cheaper model. After the test drive I was hooked! Leather interior, Hemi power, mygig w/rear tv for the kids, are all features I decided we had to have. Laminated glass really makes it quiet inside. And the hemi power and the 18" wheels make it a awesome performance ride. The fuel saver mode on Highway really saves on the gas too. Rear camera and park assist, along with the power tailgate and sunroof were extras that I wouldnt have picked but are really nice to have. I test drove everything in its class and this vehicle wins hands down! I look for reasons to take it out for a spin, its that fun to drive!

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  Still in Love after 18 months. - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By Steve - September 3 - 4:01 pm

  I have been driving my SRT8 Charger everyday for over a year now and I am still in love with this car. I am retired and do not have to drive, but if I look at my car I want to take it for a ride. The gas prices stopped that desire for a while so I learned how to drive the speed limit. The car is still jumpy as ever and if not for the brake dust, and the fact that the Goodyear RSAs lasted a good year/18 months, I would have no complaints.

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  What a fun car to drive. - 2009 Dodge Challenger
  By maryannhelgeson - September 2 - 9:38 am

  Wherever I go, my Challenger gets attention. People ask to take pictures of it, can they drive it, etc. The Challenger is a fun car to drive and handles great. The fuel mileage isnt bad either. Way to go Dodge

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  08 Caliber SRT-4 - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By Spark - August 31 - 9:00 pm

  I just recently purchased my caliber and all I can say is this little machine is a blast to drive and gets great gas mileage to boot. Within two days of owning the car I was already up to 27 mpg. the car has great styling in my opinion as well as handles very well for a fwd car, and she gets up and moves just fine. With a few simple bolt on MOPAR performance parts the fun and fuel economy will increase. If someone asked me if I had to do it all again would I still buy the car, my answer would be yes. Great job by Chrysler with this little machine. Well thought out and built in my opinion.

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  01 DGC EX - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Masterpaul1 - August 31 - 5:36 pm

  We bought our van used in Sep. 03 with only 37K. It has been very reliable for us with only two non maintainence minor issues. Right after purchase, both front power window regulators and motors had to be replaced. Weve had some suspension work done at around 55K. Both covered under warrenty. So far, we have had to replace a gas cap, battery, and soon both rear cargo door gas lifters from being to weak to lift the cargo door in cold weather by automatic. (Will open manually with no problem). Right now we get about 16 MPG in the city and 24 MPG on the highway. This was a good choice for us and am very pleased with our purchase.

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  Almost as fun as my 69 Roadrunner. - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By RoadRunner - August 30 - 5:03 am

  Nice sound!! Great power! Tough keeping foot off the floor. The best color for me is the Inferno Red. (With this car it maybe it should be called "Arrest ME red". Almost as fun as my 69 Roadrunner. Maybe Ill get a Daytona too.