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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  Lemon Car In My Opinion - 1999 Dodge Stratus
  By CaptDoc - March 15 - 2:44 pm

  I purchased this car Oct., 2009. It only had 82,000 miles on it then. It now has approx. 85,000. In the past 4 months I have put an additional $1,400 plus into this car replacing the following: starter, Oxygen Sensor (2), Distributor that had already been replaced a year ago by previous owner, fuel pump and fuel filter, some type of fan sensor as the the heat/air would only run in high (replaced twice in past year), and the catalytic converter. The car now makes a humming noise nobody can figure out and continues to sputter and die off and on which no body in the area can seem to figure out. I would not recommend this car to anyone or take it on long trips.

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  Just a Blast - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By dragin19 - March 14 - 8:44 pm

  My wife and i purchased this car new, in April of 07. Our first trip was half way across the country in may of 07. it was fantastic. we experienced minor issues with stalling and such but a reprogramming of the transmission controller fixed that. We purchased the 2.7l v6 and wow, it accelerates like no buddies business, with 18" rims and the touring suspension it rides great. The stereo is great just wish now that we had opted for the MyGig system (60gig hd). The fuel economy is great to for the car, nearly 33mph on long highway trips, and so so city, about 19+.

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  2.7lL V-6 SXT - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Avenger08 - March 14 - 1:51 am

  Bought this car for my wife, traded in my 2004 chevy classic. Car has good features like sport appearance package with fog lamps and a spoiler, moon roof and climate control, tire pressure monitor and compass all really nice, just wish it had abs brakes and traction control for Illinois winters. Two biggest complaints are 1. very hard to see out the back window which makes it difficult in parking lots. 2. Transmissions shifts funky if not allowed to warm up for 5 minutes even during the summer. y wife took it on a 5000 mile trip and averaged 32 mpg, but city driving usually results in 15-18 mpg and normal highway driving is about 27-29 mpg. would buy the charger next time.

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  Gas mileage - 1998 Dodge Intrepid
  By Bud - March 13 - 8:26 pm

  Im only doing this because you showed fuel economy 20 mpg. I get 30 mpg highway even got 32 mpg all the way across Wyoming on 85 octane. Checked mpg closely last August - carefully - got 30 mpg exactly. Current odometer 99k. Im 78 yrs old. Owned several Chryslers and Dodges and Fords. Chrysler was better by far.

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  Still testing - 2010 Dodge Avenger
  By Dodger - March 13 - 7:14 pm

  I just bought this vehicle a few weeks ago and feel misled. I bought this model based on the 2009 booklet and model in showroom. The 2010 Avenger SXT DOES NOT have the options that come standard in the 2009 SXT. The ride is quiet. The satellite radio is great. I was told it would have "all the power" but it didnt come with a power seat! Will not buy another Chrysler Dodge product in the future.

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  2010 Avenger R/T w/V6 - 2010 Dodge Avenger
  By reburton - March 13 - 1:40 pm

  This car is nice for everyday distance driving 120 miles a day. 3.5L V6 24V MPI Color Scheme: Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl Coat External, Dark Slate Grey lower 1/2 with off white upper 1/2 interior. White LED interior lighting. Drivability: with slow starts in city driving, you feel all 6 gears before you hit 40 MPH. With quick starts like the on ramp to interstates, you only feel 3 gears and then the 6th for overdrive. This car WILL throw you back into the seat during rapid acceleration, but not with the same force as a V8. Mileage for the 120 mile trip is around 28 MPG according to the traveler trip computer.

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  love this truck - 1993 Dodge Dakota
  By love my dodge - March 13 - 4:38 am

  i bought this truck from a friend for $800 the best money i ever spent it has a 318 5.2 V-8 Magnum and 298,000 miles on it and still will put u in the seat if i punch it. I drove it 1300 miles nonstop with no problems.

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  Love It - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Linds - March 12 - 7:44 am

  I just purchased my Nitro..Dodge had no problem taking my truck and fixing the recalls...Every manufacturer makes mistakes get em fixed and u will love ur truck. I could get better gas mileage but everything else about the Nitro makes up for it! Most definitely a head turner, caught my eye the moment I saw it on the lot!

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  Loved my Durango - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By Happy Owner - March 11 - 2:58 pm

  First I wasnt a fan of the Durango I only purchased it because the price was right and it was 4x4. I have to say the vehicle was great, I never had any major problems with it and I would have kept it forever had I not have totaled it. Keep up the regular oil changes, etc and you will love this car and it will be good to you!

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  My Best Vehicle - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By janbon - March 10 - 6:55 pm

  Ive been driving my Durango for 7 years, longer than any other vehicle Ive ever owned, and I plan to drive it for a long time to come. I am getting ready to have the trans rebuilt, its been messing up some for a couple of years, and with 154k miles, I can see why it would. But it hasnt broken down on me because of it. I love this vehicle. I do wish the gas mileage was better, but with the performance and reliability and comfort, etc, the mileage has been tolerable. This has been my favorite rig.