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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  Pretty good Ride - 2006 Dodge Dakota
  By sammyjay - November 15 - 2:08 pm

  I drive this truck every day. My only complaint is that the gas mileage is significantly less than advertised.

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  Great car to start with - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Chad L - November 11 - 1:14 am

  The Neon is a great little car if you are looking for something to get you from point A to point B and have a litte fun doing it. The handling is the best part about it mixed with the fuel economy. Road noise is an issue, and anyone that says the brakes are noisy is right. However, a quick spray with compressed air and that issue is gone. Only had to do that every 3 months or after going through high water. Otherwise I loved my Neon until I traded it in. This is a great car for teenagers!

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  Lots of Power...Lots of Gas - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By JakeD - November 11 - 12:32 am

  I bought my 98 Dakota 4x4 about a year and a half ago and it has been a great truck. The 5.2L 318 has plenty of power, and the limited slip rear end makes for great burnouts. The 4 wheel drive is unbelivable. Ive had it burried in mud to the point where the ground was even with the bottom of my window and I put it in reverse and it crawled right out to my suprise, and to the dissapointment of the angry hunters chasing after me. The only things that have been replaced in 63,000 miles are the water pump, ball joints, exhaust ( wasnt loud enough) and tires. The water pump and ball joints were a lot cheaper and easier to install than I thought they would be. The tires not so much.

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  Durango 2016 - 2016 Dodge Durango
  By RQ - November 10 - 10:04 pm

  Walked away with an amazing deal on a great vehicle.

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  SRT-4 Fun to Drive - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Jess - November 10 - 9:15 am

  Im not a Neon fan, but I love turbo motors and Dodge built this one right! With minor mods, I was able to boost the SRT from 228HP and 253ft/tq at the wheels to 246HP and 276 ft/tb at the wheels. This car is by far the best bang for the buck sports sedan out there!

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  Great Homeowners Truck - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By RICK - November 9 - 1:02 pm

  This is a great truck for the family who has a home to maintain. With 70k miles, Ive replaced tires, front hubs and brakes, battery, and gas cap. Reliable and economical (19-22 avg. MPG). I have a bed liner and cover which have served well. The jump seats are great for young people or short trips as well as letting you lock up purchases. With the V-6 Ive never had a power problem with heavy loads. Seats are comfortable for "long trips".

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  I love my wagon! - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By enydvalentin - November 8 - 3:50 pm

  I am a working mother of two girls and I wanted a car bigger than a sedan- not a SUV, and definitevely not a mini van because I hate looking like a "soccer mom" in them (though that will never apply to me anyway!). The Magnum was the perfect choice. It is big, brute and sturdy looking but it drives very well, very smoothly. The perfect car for a once-tomboy now professional mom. It also catches peoples eyes - twice Ive had two men telling me their love my car. So do I!

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  Excellent Value for the Family - 2017 Dodge Journey
  By KS - November 7 - 11:37 am

  Get the V6 if you can. the 4CYL is adequate, but nearly identical Fuel Mileage. Superior technology, all the bells and whistles make this a driving dream. Dodge has some great rebates and incentives, and you can get the top of the line model for a great price.

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  1994 Intrepid - 1994 Dodge Intrepid
  By Jeff - November 6 - 10:12 pm

  My Intrepid has 319,000km or 198,000 miles on the original drive train. Does not use oil between changes and still averages 10 litres /100km or almost 30mpg. Easy to work on and the dealer has been very helpful with the few problems encountered. Original owner.

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  Good for its class - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By sailingsoon - November 4 - 8:40 pm

  We leased this vehicle in anticipation of buying something similar. I spent 3000 miles in it over 1 week and overall have a favorable opinion. The engine had adequate power and the van handled well. There was a little more wind noise that I would have liked and it made listening to the poor quality radio difficult (suggest upgrading from the base radio). The gas mileage was OK for a vehicle this size and in this category. I averaged about 22mph with about 80% of the driving interstate. I did not like the keyless entry. Everytime you locked the doors the horn beeped and the lights blinked. I am sure I annoyed a few people at the motel when we arrived about 11pm.