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:

• 

  Hate me now, love me later - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By ARABIAN CHARGER - April 24 - 2:26 pm

  Tested out the rest of the competition and found out for what I was paying for it there was none! Love this car ever since I layed eyes on it, fun to drive and everyone wants to drive but too bad, get your own.

• 

  DODGE MINI VAN - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By william ralph - April 24 - 9:56 am

  this is my sixth van and we really enjoy it. Very versitile , reliable with excellent warranty. The handling is exceptional in all weather. my only complaint is changing the left hand front signal light requires major problems. I had to take my van to the dealer and for a $1.00 bulb it cast me $60.00 plus US$ for the bulb change. I feel I should beable to change this bulb myself . This is the only complaint we have

• 

  Magnum 5.7 and happy. - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By bird - April 23 - 10:29 am

  This is the second Dodge I have purchased. I like the style and looks of the Magnum. The one item that I do not like is the self sealing tires. The first few miles you drive, it feels as if the tires are cement slabs.

• 

  HEMI, Need I say more? - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By DaveArend - April 23 - 10:00 am

  The Hemi is what sold me on this SUV and it has not disappointed. Great power and overall design. Much improved over the 2003. Great air conditioning and ride

• 

  2000 slt 4.7l - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By andy - April 23 - 12:12 am

  I hear people complaining about this truck, and I dont know why. This truck has been in the family since it was brand new, and the most expensive repair was spark plugs-$150. I pull a lot of heavy stuff. It pulls like a dream. The truck is extremely powerful. The engine problems people describe are due to poor maintenance. Tranny is very strong, and the engine oil needs to be changed every 3k! Using synthetic also helps. Love mine. Very reliable!

• 

  Love this wagon - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Tom - April 22 - 1:13 pm

  This is a fun SUV (wagon). Its a real eye catcher, and youll find yourself just looking at it or in it. Its just different. So far good on gas, better then my old Dodge 2500, at about 8 mpg. Just love this ride.

• 

  Blue Skittle - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By legend1330 - April 22 - 9:16 am

  Flat out, the best 4 cylinder turbo car ever made. Easy to maintain, easy to fix, easy to modify. Any trouble codes that trigger an engine light are displayed on the odometer readout, no need for a trip to the service department. I have owned this car for 4 years and have no problems.

• 

  Four Years Ownership and Going Strong - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By Overland Park, Kansas - April 21 - 4:48 pm

  Owned this Durango R/T AWD for four years and have no regrets. You get what you pay for, only get the Durango R/T model. Still looks outstanding and performs exceptional everyday of the week. I owned a Lexus LX470 prior to this vehicle and this Durango R/T has been better in every way. The sheer acceleration when needed is great and the fuel economy when not needed is much better than the Lexus LX470. The handling on sharp corners like on California Route 1 is like a sports car and the long haul driving on Interstates is comfortable. I can drive many days of over 800 miles without problems even at my age of 50 years old. Best vehicle that I have ever owned!

• 

  Very Nice Ride!! - 2007 Dodge Magnum
  By JJokert1 - April 19 - 10:20 pm

  Great Ride! Fun to drive. I got the SXT with leather, sun roof (huge opening), 3.5L V6. The 3.5 liter has great performance for the size of the ride. I think the 2.7L would be too small but just an opinion. Love the smooth ride (a lot of people dont know most of the suspension parts are Mercedes Benz). HUGE amount of cargo space in the back. And has a lot of great standard features. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for an SUV type cabin but a luxury type of ride. Cons: Cruise Control Stick design takes getting used to. Some blind spots on the sides of wind shield. Parking is kind of tough since its a long ride. A lot of backing out and straightening to get into spaces.

• 

  A great truck -The 1996 Dodge Dakota - 1996 Dodge Dakota
  By Mike - April 19 - 4:29 pm

  My wife and I have owned our Dakota since September of 1995 when we bought it new. I will drive it til the day it dies , and I dont think that will be any time soon! It has been a SUPER truck! I have hauled all sorts of things in it, gone on vacation in it,driven it to work daily for years and it has never let me down. It has 132,000 miles on it, burns NO oil and runs as well as the day we drove it off the lot! Not counting oil changes and tires, I have probably spent less than 500 dollars in repairs and upkeep in all those years! If you need a great light to medium duty truck for daily use, if you can find one in good shape that has been well maintained , you cant go wrong here!