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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  Best car I have owned - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By techi214 - July 17 - 10:00 am

  Incredible, so fun to drive and comfort has not been forgotten. It is the most comfortable and roomy interior of all the cars that we looked at. The RT model was great but the 3.5 V6 SXT has just as much power when needed. Thank you Dodge for finally making a cool family car.

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  2nd Durango - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By RLW - July 17 - 10:00 am

  Traded our 1998 for the 2004. Ride is much improved and so is the mileage. Did not get the HEMI and am still satisfied with engine performance. Enjoy the 6 disc CD player and love those leather seats. AWD is a nice feature too. Although I have the 4WD option I have no intention of taking this thing off road. Too nice and too pretty. Ill save the off roading for for my Jeep or ATVs. Will use 4wd to get out of the steep driveway in the winter. Power doesnt pop you head back in passing gear but it still has plenty. Got the tow package and it tows my ATVs just fine. So far so good. The styling is growing on me and the graphite grey looks sharp.

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  Love my Durango! - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By woodbutcher - July 17 - 10:00 am

  I was driving the normal family mini van, but decided to try the Durango. I fell in love right away. I have plenty of hauling capacity, I carry at least 2 to 5 children around and have plenty of room to go still. We chose the 3 rows of seating for the room to carry all that we want. Would recommend to any parent of children.

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  Very reliable car - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By Court920 - July 16 - 6:32 pm

  I bought my neon used, i loved the thing, i never had any problems with it. I bought a Mazda and had so many problems with it, i wish i would have kept my neon!

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  All around good - 2008 Dodge Nitro
  By myown - July 15 - 8:30 pm

  I have over eleven thou on my Dodge Nitro, am very pleased with it after I took care of the things to do, I get 22 mpg in town if I stay out of it, performance is as good as most v8s, snappy,handles like a dream, Have your dealer put nitrogen in tires, retune the computer, align front end to zero, keep upkeep up & drive like you want to keep it for 15 years, my overall average is 26 combined driving city and open road.

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  Watch Out! for this car! - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By SXT Driver - July 15 - 7:53 pm

  I bought a used (rental) SXT 3.5 and It is trouble. I find myself doing 80 mph in 65 mph zones. If complete attention is not paid to the car who knows how fast itll go. Looking forward to the day I accidentally go over a 100. Steering is very sensitive, needs some getting used to. This is America! we need bigger cup holders

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  My truck - 1997 Dodge Dakota
  By Jo_jo69699 - July 15 - 11:04 am

  I liked this truck before I even bought it. I would borrow it from my aunt all the time, it is spacious, very dependable, has a lot of power, fast, and has a lot of torque. I have taken this truck off road without any problems. Even the gas mileage is good, I average about 20-25 mpg, it has a v6 magnum in it, so I thought it was gonna be a gas hog. The only problem, I have had with the truck is the ac system, I can get it recharged and three days later it would need recharged again. This truck has never let me down and I have had it for 4 years.

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  Nice Car - 2008 Dodge Charger
  By Nice Car - July 15 - 7:32 am

  This is an awesome car, its got more than enough room inside and looks fantastic outside too. This car has one amazing stereo the bass is unreal for a base factory system. Comfort and smoothness of the ride is amazing. Gas mileage on the highway is fantastic but around the city is very disappointing I can actually watch the gas gauge dropping as I drive. Chryslers hidden secrets in their warranty details are a little sneaky. If you have a problem with the car and you take it in to have it looked at if theres nothing found wrong you will be charged labor as they will not cover that under warranty, not a prob with makers like Hyundai. Overall nice car though.

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  Completely Satisfied - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By gotmymoneysworth - July 15 - 7:08 am

  I Have owned since 2000 and have great success. The only issue has been the transmission. I had to rebuild at 125000 miles! Other than that tires, brakes and oil! Great hauling and towing. We bought it with the goal to drive for ten years and so far I am very pleased with its performance. I definitely recommend the truck!

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  Pleased customer - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By DavesRT - July 15 - 4:06 am

  I sold my 96 Impala SS to purchase this new Charger R/T so far I am very pleased fast, smooth, So far only draw back is handling my SS had 110K miles on it but still handled like a sports car. The Charger is very fast and I perfer to leave the stop light first. No problem so far.