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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  Good overall package but... - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By JimBobBillyJo - April 2 - 3:50 pm

  I bought the Nitro for the great styling, high standard feature content, and room inside. After 3 days the satellite radio quit, took 4 weeks to replace the antenna, worked 5 days and quit again. Throttle response is horrible, push the gas and wait 1 second then it revs, makes it very hard to modulate with manual transmission which is unacceptable for a computer controlled engine. It reminds me of my old slant 6 Volare. Engine pulls willingly, but doesnt seem like 210 horsepower, gas mileage not quite up to rated but close. Engine rough and a bit noisy, not up to todays standard of refinement. Center console too wide, nowhere to put your feet but under the pedals.

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  Love my 99 Dakota - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By DakotaLover - April 1 - 3:36 pm

  I bought this truck used recently, with about 109K on the odometer. The truck had been well cared-for, with a clean interior and immaculate exterior. With high mileage on the odometer, my plan was to replace most front-end parts as wear would be typical, and I did so. I now have very tight steering. Ive serviced all filters, and flushed/replaced all lubricants in the A/T and transfer case, even the power steering system. My hope is to get at least another 100K out of her before considering another vehicle. This one was just too clean to pass up, out on the lot!

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  My Shadow Caries Me. - 1994 Dodge Shadow
  By Carl French - March 29 - 8:25 pm

  I have enjoyed my Shadow and have found it to be very reliable and economical. I travel a lot of highway miles and it has never let me down when I needed it. It even survived a break enter and theft by a young car thief.

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  My Dodge is sexy! - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Amber - March 28 - 5:38 pm

  I have been very pleased with the reliability of my Neon. No problems for a whole year after 17,000 miles added. Good gas mileage, sporty and fun, bright yellow is the way to go. Great first car for teens or students. Not the most spaious interior. Fun and easy to drive.

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  I am Thinking Twice - 2005 Dodge Stratus
  By DeziNNE - March 28 - 12:52 am

  I loved this car when I first bought it. Now I am regreting it. It has had issues since I bought it. Front braking system had to be replaced @ 11,000 miles and it has a frame issue that wore the tires out in 15,000 miles. It has a popping noise in the front end and the dealer says that its nothing. Now I am having issues with the cooling system with coolant just disappearing. It just rolled 24,000 miles and it has had the valve cover gasket replaced, new rear springs, and now needs a new heater core. I am sick of dealing with this car and now I try to get rid of it and it is worth $8,000 on trade in. If you buy this car better bet on keeping it, cause it is hard to get rid of.

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  Still all new - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By monte - March 27 - 3:23 pm

  I love the car! It has left a bit to be desired in the efficiency area, but this is the price you pay for power and a heavy foot. Although i still pay even when the foot isnt so heavy. Living in Brooklyn and commuting to Manhattan takes its toll on you in the wallet at the pump. Oh, and whats up with nowhere to put the gas cap. How stupid is that?

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  Uh oh - 2006 Dodge Caravan
  By pigeons - March 25 - 8:18 pm

  This thing is great to drive. solid on the road, fast, quiet, efficient. It is just really nice to drive. But it breaks down all the time. Dealer assured us that Dodge had fixed the notorious transmission problems associated with Caravans.

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  Better than the base model - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By jkm - March 25 - 6:43 am

  I had a Caravan 98, destoyed in a crash. So i went shopping and ended up the 2005 Grand, when I compared the "new " base van to my old 98, the 98 was less tinny and a better drive. have had this three days, feels solid and strong, think I am going to miss my old van less. best new feature? The redesigned cup holder that does not drop coffee cup, and air vents in the back for the dogs.new sound system is also great. My old van purred, but this one is even quieter! I bougth it with 30,000 miles and only a few months left on the warrenty, $15000 plus fees. think i did good

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  Great rebates and incentives! - 2017 Dodge Journey
  By larry moore - March 24 - 2:08 am

  I traded in my nearly new 2016 Honda Civic for a Dodge Journey earlier this month. I loved the civic but I needed more space and the pilot was a tad bit out of my desired price range. Next door was a dodge jeep dealer so I stopped by to look at the grand cherokee originally and saw the Journey. I thought it looked good, not like a new modern conventional design but more along the lines of the original looking subs that didnt have a bunch of flash. I bought the crossroad plus v6 AWD, and the sticker said $34,560, but the salesman told me dont even think about what that sticker says. When we sat down to do the paperwork I noticed all they really wanted for the car was $27,600!!! I nearly started dancing to see a price offered from a dealer so much lower than the MSRP. I guess the Journey has been around a while and they dont move as quickly as the rest of the new chrysler dodge jeep products. The only thing that I wish it offered was adaptive cruise control and blind spot monitoring. Even budget cars have those options nowadays but for the price I cant complain much. The engine has more power than I really need, all the room I could ask for (including two beer coolers that are removable under the second row seats), AWD, a huge infotainment screen that I still have yet to touch because it kind of intimidates me, and a bunch of other little niceties that I didnt really expect (self-dimming rear view mirror, built in booster seats for kids, removable flashlight built into trunk, actual power outlet in the backseat). One concern I have though is reliability, I see a lot of people have issues with their transmission, brakes and random engine components so *knock on wood* I dont experience any of those problems. It rides like a cloud, smooth and quiet. Though the trim piece around the infotainment screen makes a slight creak on the occasional bump but its nothing obnoxious... YET. Overall I think I am going to be very happy with this car, I like sitting up higher and after the civic it is going to take some getting used to but you certainly cant argue that its an extremely versatile vehicle. If all goes well reliability wise I think I will keep this suv for a long time.

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  Uncomfortable Ride - 2006 Dodge Caravan
  By dave - March 22 - 12:09 pm

  This new Caravan is the 6th one I have owned ranging back to 1985. It is by far the worst riding vehicle that I have ever owned. The suspension is so tight that it picks up every little imperfection on any road. The ride is so bad I actually took it back to the dealer for service but the technicians said, "This is something you would not expect from a new vehicle but everything checks out as normal." The 1999 Caravan I traded in with 114,000 miles actually road better than this 2006 vehicle. I test drove three versions of this vehicle and they were all the same. I purchased this vehicle because of the great deal I was offered hoping the ride would get better. After 2000 miles it hasnt.