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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  Midlife crisis think not ,just having - 2010 Dodge Charger
  By Don - March 28 - 10:12 am

  I ordered my 2010 r/t in June to take advantage of the large rebate they had at the time, traded in my 07 ram 4x4, I really enjoy the car, I ordered in blue the had a custom shop add decals in silver. My only complaint is the car even with top of the line snow/ice tires it can be difficult to handle in Canadian winters /note this is a rwd model other then that the car gets unbeatable mileage for a v/8 car this size. And boy does it go!

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  1st and the LAST - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Used Not Improved - March 28 - 9:20 am

  Purchased the 07 Caliber SXT certified and can say it was a huge mistake. Poor ride quality, mileage is at best 23 on the hwy and high teens in the city. The CVT transmission is the real deal if your cruising or going down hill, but thats at best. Interior is very cheap, ride is similar to a 3/4 ton truck. Storage is not great, leg room is decent in the front but poor in the back, if you got a child seat in the back the front passengers knees will eat the dash. If you want quality get a GM, FORD, or Honda or something else. Dodge struck out big time on these!

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  Love my Dodge Stratus Coupe! - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Nicole - March 28 - 12:49 am

  I bought my Dodge Stratus Coupe brand spanking new! It was one of the best decisions Ive made! Those who have had problems with theirs are probably driving it like its a four wheeler. Mine always gets regular oil changes & etc. I heard after 60,000 miles the transmission goes out...uh NO, NOT TRUE AT ALL. You should keep an eye on it after that amount of miles but as long as you TAKE CARE OF YOUR CAR like you should you shouldnt have any problems! I have 106,000 miles on mine and its still running great!As far as the appearance some paint damage from too much sun exposure.

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  2007 sxt 2.0 - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Tim H - March 27 - 1:06 pm

  I have 43,000 miles and have had no problems as of this time. Tires are still good and wearing evenly. I rotate every other oil change and still have substantial tread. I just noticed I will need an oil pan gasket when I took for an oil change, pan is thankfully easy to access. I hear some people having trouble with the transmissions. I thought this was covered by the unlimited power train warranty. Is dodge not standing behind the warranty?

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  Its a truck - 2009 Dodge Dakota
  By Ron - March 27 - 10:16 am

  This is the 2nd Dakota we have owned. The 1st was a 1994. I read all the reviews about the new Dakota and I must say they were not positive. After we took it for a test drive I could not see anything wrong. For the price it was all we wanted in a truck and more. The gas mileage on the 1st 2 fill ups were 15 and 17.

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  95 Dakota SLT - 1995 Dodge Dakota
  By John W - March 26 - 8:15 am

  Fun to drive, does everything asked, and beats those hemi Dodges at the lights! Hauls boat with no problem and is excellent at boat launch-easy to maneuver and great traction coming out of the water.

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  Not a happy driver! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By IZTHELIZ - March 25 - 9:53 pm

  I love the style of the car, it does have blind spots, I have added smaller mirrors on the side mirrors to help with this. I am very disappointed in Dodge and their way of handling service. @ 26K needed new tires, have had 3 leaks in the transmission, @ 55K new tie rods, @ 61K diagnosed needed new struts and upper control arm (Dodge wont cover) @ 63K rocker arm in the engine needed to be repaired. The service manager said that this is a design issue (but Dodge hasnt done a recall?), vents are broke and a plastic piece on the drivers seat broke and the screw keeps coming out. Aux plug doesnt work anymore. Rusting as well.I have been very disappointed with this vehicle, already looking to trade.

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  Could be better! - 2009 Dodge Nitro
  By kenny - March 25 - 12:35 pm

  Dont let the look fool you. We had problems with the vehicle after a year of ownership, with the wheel bearings. Specifically the hub on both front wheels and the cost was over 900.00 dollars. Also the winter had done its part in damaging our vehicle. With some mud getting onto a sensor(ESP) that is connected to the rear wheel was damaged. The cost to repair this was around 2000.00 dollars(parts and labor).

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  I love my stratus - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By gibbyprls - March 25 - 10:18 am

  I bought my stratus in October of 2001 with only about 1000 mile on it and now it has 113,561. I love to drive it all the time. It had the original tires on it at 62,353 and my 1 2 3 speed on my air conditioner went out at 96,000 but the 4 speed still works. Even though it a old car i still love it.

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  Unreliable and Untrustworthy - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Ivory - March 24 - 6:21 pm

  I have now had this vehicle for approximately 2 years. It is now just over 112,000 miles. Just in the past 4 months, we have had to replace the transmission, both front tie rods and the radiator. The front windshield has a large crack from the drivers side to the passengers side which I refuse to replace at this time. The transmission went with little warning indication that it was going. Vehicle has been serviced on a fairly regular basis and is not abused.