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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  Neat Truck - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By Dakdude - December 29 - 3:46 pm

  I find the Dakota a fun truck to drive. It feels very solid and handles well. I like the interior and exterior design, vey well thought out. One exception would be the location of the transmission selector. It needs to be more centrally located. Sound system is really good. Some things that could stand improvement are the fuel economy. Although it stckered at 17 city and 20 HWY (I think), I have yet to break 17 on the HWY! Also, 4WD gets a little stubborn at low speeds in snow, kind of like surging or something. All in all, however, I really like the Dakota and would recommend it to anyone looking for a tough midsize truck to have fun with.

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  Issues Galore - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By 07_sxt_25 - December 24 - 12:00 am

  I purchased my 1.8L Caliber SXT when they first hit the lot back in 06, and honestly I have had nothing but problems with it. A/c compressor replaced w/ 12k mi on it cause it was stalling the engine, 3 years later a/c still does not blow cold it gets to 120+ is Arizona and the a/c stinks in this car Lemon law denied my case on it. Transmission problems, rear brakes problems, engine issues, A/c will be running for 1 hr and will still be sweating. The only good thing I have to say about it is the gas mileage and front, side, and knee air bags. If I wasnt stuck in the car I would sell without thinking about it.

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  Happy with my van - 2004 Dodge Caravan
  By cie - December 23 - 8:42 pm

  So far I am totally satisfied with my van. The only problem I have had thus far was about 2.5 months after I bought the car it started cutting off on me so I took it in and they said that it was my spark plugs I donÂ’t know why after that short period of time that a new car would have that problem but it did it was fixed of course with no charge to me and the tires I think I have cheap tires but I can buy new one but all in all I love my mini van it seats all 6 of us comfortably

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  Badest little machine ever - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By neonsrt4 - December 23 - 1:33 pm

  I love this car. I installed the Mopar Blow off, and its extremely fast. The interior is awesome and it will stop on a dime. Expect to go through a lot of tires. Its hard to restrain yourself when with that much on tap. It handles pretty good but needs a little negative camber up front to handle better. Trunk is huge and useful and the back seat lays down easily. For the first 10,000 miles I got 17 MPG. after the engine got broke in it pulled to near 27 on the highway. Dodge asks that Mobil 1 full synthetic oil be ran in it. Other than that Ive had no qualms with maintainence. If youre buying one, get maintainence records. On a turbo car ensure that the oil changes were done

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  Great Pickup - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By Craig - December 19 - 3:02 pm

  Awesome truck, bast improvement over prev. generation Dakota. Interior could use better quality materials. Glove box is extremely small considering size of dash. Cloth material on seats looks and feels cheap, love the heated part though. Dont like the vast sea of plastic on the dash and doors, that could change without hurting my feelings one bit. The V6 is a vast improvement over the 3.9. Much more responsive, smoother, and quieter (until you get above 3500 RPM). Plenty of get up and go for around town driving and adequate passing power for the Interstate. Instrument panel is well lit at night and easy to read during the day. Base sound system is excellent as well. A very good truck to own

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  What am I gonna get now??? - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By SUVman - December 17 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned a 99 SLT+ for close to four years now. The only real gripe that I have is that the Durango rides a little too close to the pavement, and its ride with the factory shocks was below par. Its breaks also feel somewhat squishy in harsh braking conditions. Other than that, its been a great vehicle. The 5.9 is extremely powerful for a vehicle of this size, and a lead foot on the gas pedal will burn a quick hole through your wallet. After sitting in a plethora of comparably equipped SUVs, the interior fit and finish of my truck appeals to me now more than ever. Not one squeek or rattle after 60K+ miles. Based on my experience with three other 4x4 SUVs, this is VERY unusual.

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  What am I gonna get now??? - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By SUVMAN - December 17 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned a 99 SLT+ for close to four years now. The only real gripe that I have is that the Durango rides a little too close to the pavement, and its ride with the factory shocks was below par. Its breaks also feel somewhat squishy in harsh braking conditions. Other than that, its been a great vehicle. The 5.9 is extremely powerful for a vehicle of this size, and a lead foot on the gas pedal will burn a quick hole through your wallet. After sitting in a plethora of comparably equipped SUVs, the interior fit and finish of my truck appeals to me now more than ever. Not one squeek or rattle after 60K+ miles. Based on my experience with three other 4x4 SUVs, this is VERY unusual.

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  Too much Mercedes - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By hobbyman - December 16 - 1:26 pm

  I love the styling and power. I accept the poor milege. The steering colunm, tilt wheel, turn signal, cruise control, and power seat operation seem to be for another car(Mercedes?). None of the above features match the feel or operation of any of my other Chrysler cars.This car definitely needs seat memory with two drivers. My wife broke a fingernail the first time she tried the power window switches.The fiberglas rear cargo insert is a drop-in loose fit that is not mounted in any manner. I would hate to think where this heavy piece would fly to if I ever had a front end collision. Good car that misses on the details that makes a great car that you wnnt to drive foreve

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  Dime a dozen (used), worth every penny. - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By kkenmore63 - December 16 - 4:49 am

  More room than any truck/suv, with handling and mileage of a sedan. What I like: Stow n go, lots of storage, roomy comfortable, decent on gas (27mpg hwy, 18.5 combined). Well thought out interior. Chrysler seems to have addressed a lot of the previous gens chronic mechanical issues (transmissions, sway bar bushings, etc), though it seems to have been at the expense of attention to detail. What I dont like: Cheap feel compared to my old 97, though better than the 2010 I used on loan. The pass. side power door stopped working (broken wire, easy fix, see youtube). The key fob stopped working. The airbag light is on for some reason, and OMG the rust is an up hill battle.

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  Brakes are crappy - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Gordon - December 13 - 1:46 pm

  year and a half in and Ive already had to replace the pads and rotors...absolutely not acceptable but the warranty doesnt cover it. Do not purchase this vehicle as it will cost you way more in the long run than a well built import...sorry to say it but its true