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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  I Loved my STRATUS! - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By emille772 - June 23 - 12:13 pm

  My 04 stratus was my baby. I bought her from a dealer that was a close family friend as my first real car. My stratus held up amazingly well! I really enjoyed driving it, and all of the room in the car and trunk area! I thought it got really good gas mileage usually 22/25, however when driving on the turnpike I got 32 mpg! I only had a few problems with it. One being that at around 100,000 miles I had to replace the transmission pan and my transmission fluid would leak. My car also stalled out on me once. I was in an accident and hit by a drink driver on the drivers side. I have to say this car held up wonderfully! I wasnt hurt, however my car was totaled!

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  Excellent - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Richard - June 23 - 6:44 am

  I plan on keeping my magnum to it just cant go anymore. I get excellent gas mileage (27 MPG on the highway). Thank God I didnt get the Hemi. :) I have over 86,000 miles on it with no major engine problems. I keep up on the maintenance. I love my car.

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  I love my SRT-4 - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By starkie - June 22 - 10:00 am

  Fastest car EVAR! But it really is quick. And quicker when you tinker with it a bit and install some of the avalable MoPar mods. Best bang for the buck on the market.

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  Overall rating - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By mickey knt - June 22 - 7:46 am

  From the sleek curves and body lines to the interior, I dont think you can find a better buy. I bought it for the look. Will drive it for the comfort and how safe I feel behind the wheel. It was money will spent.This is a car I will enjoy driving for years to come.

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  Family Passenger for All around Purpose - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Bob Eskridge - June 22 - 2:36 am

  Driving our Sport Caravan is perfect for short and long trips. Comfort is exceptional with 12 year old twins. Maintenance has been minimal and gas mileage averages around 16 in town and 20 on highway.

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  Love It - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By J - June 21 - 10:18 pm

  Drove a rental for a weekend and fell in love with the red insert seats and chill zone. Ride is very good on the highway and cvt2 trans is not as bad as some of the other people said and the road noise is there but is not bad. Overall a good car

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  2003 SRT4 yellow - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By bo grizz - June 20 - 7:23 pm

  Awesome car love to drive it every chance I get. The price is great and will outrun a lot of cars that cost a lot more. When you need the power its there. I am 60 years old and it reminds me of the 60s era. All I say to people is to get in one and test drive it and you will see what I mean, it is one mean machine.

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  My Wonderful Green Machine - 1997 Dodge Stratus
  By Dave Perry - June 20 - 6:53 pm

  I purchased the car new with about 12,000 miles on it. I believe a salesperson from the dealership used it, however, the car drive and looked like brand new when I purchased it. My wife fell in love with it. She worked about 75 miles from our home and drive it 5 days a week which equated to about 150 miles per day and more than 36,000 mile a year. She now has another car (for the sake of a new one) and I now drive it. It has close to 220,000 miles on it and is still running strong. The biggest cost was the head gasket replacement once it passed 55,000 miles at my expense ($1250.00). Other than that, repairs were only routine as with any reliable car. I love this car!! Its part of me.

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  Love it - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Chris - June 20 - 3:19 pm

  I spent six months researching and comparing the R/T before I ordered mine. I waited until all of the 2008 models came out from other manufacturers and didnt like any of them better than the Avenger. The looks, the style, and the HP sold me. I have no regrets with my purchase.

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  So far, so good! - 2016 Dodge Charger
  By The Sock Monkey - June 20 - 8:16 am

  I traded in a 2012 R/T Plus for this 2016 R/T with Road and Track package. The Road and Track package literally turns this into a different car. Two different cars, really. You get two drive modes. Normal drive mode which I call "grandpa mode" is great when youre driving your mother in law to the hair salon. Or taking clients out to lunch. Or whatever. For more entertainment value, theres Sport drive mode. Power steering sensitivity, traction control, shift speed, etc., are customizable in both modes via touch screen. So basically, you get two cars for the price of one. Which is great. You can opt for the Scat Pack, SRT8 or Hellcat if you want to spend more. For the extra money, you get higher levels of performance and/or refinement and all three of those also have customizable drive modes, though they tend to always feel more "sport mode" all the time. If you want a car that feels like a "grown up" car when you want it to, but also can be fun... I dont think you can beat a Charger with the Road and Track package. I will also say that in the last 4 years, though the interior of the car aesthetically hasnt drastically changed, it definitely has improved in a number of small ways. Anyway... yeah. Id recommend it.