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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  Some love it.... - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Luebbe - April 3 - 3:56 pm

  Ive read some negative reviews on this car, but we "fell" into our Nitro as a dealer special. It was an end of year clearance special on the car, which we suspect was so low because of the manual transmission and the color. (Sunburst orange). Since we bought the car, I havent had a problem, and the spacious interior is amazing. You would never know that there was that much room in the car from looking on the outside. And the Yousync feature for my bluetooth enabled phone is a life saver. In short: I love my Nitro.

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  Reminds me of an old Chevy Nomad - 2007 Dodge Magnum
  By John CT - April 3 - 3:06 pm

  Fun car to drive. I installed a Jet chip to even out the sluggish starts. I cant complain, though it is only a V6 (3.5L) and not a Hemi. The chip worked nicely. Next is a K&N Air intake, cheap ways to gain a few more ponies.

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  Best Family Vehicle I have Owned - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Gary Frazier - April 3 - 10:00 am

  We love this van. Roomy and confortable along with a gread smooth driving vehicle. I recommend one og these ot any family with kids.

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  Quality Ride - 1998 Dodge Intrepid
  By marty - April 3 - 2:03 am

  First new car Id ever owned, happy that it was this choice. Pretty decent car for the first completely built by computer. Gets around good in all kinds of weather conditions. Even though its the 2.7 standard model, the power is still there when you need it, and the comfort is there all of the time. At almost 50,000 miles, I am hoping to have a long, continued contentment with this car. I love the looks of it so, that I still baby it, and park it out in the back 40s so it wont get scratched. I have taken good care of this car, and it has taken good care of me in return.

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  The Beast - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By Larry Jackson - April 3 - 1:39 am

  I love this vehicle, brillant black and I added some aftermarket chrome and this car really came alive. Catches all the cutie eyes. Plenty of hp. Love to just go for a ride just to watch people faces as I Cruise by. Went in to dealership ship for service and people could not take there eyes off car and was told to enter in car show. It cost me a lot to bring it out, but it was well worth it. Cold air intake is well worth its weight in gold. I cant say enough about this vehicle.

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  I love my dakota - 2007 Dodge Dakota
  By suemccartin - April 2 - 10:12 am

  I have had the truck about 45 days, love it. Getting used to the lower gas mileage but Ill adjust. Very easy to drive, fun to drive, drive the 6 yourself before you decide you dont want it, its plenty peppy for most things and unless youre towing a gigantic trailer you dont need the insurance rates or the gas guzzling of an 8. This is a wonderful truck, very comfortable, very quiet, you want the SLT package for the power mirrors and the alarm, rear antilock and security system really cuts your insurance rates at least with geico. I love my truck just have to learn its personality and Im short so reaching the fluid checking stuff is a challenge sometimes.

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  Beyond Expectations - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By HexPainter - April 1 - 8:47 pm

  We did the internet search and looked at every make and model out there. I drive 100 miles to and home from work everyday. I wanted something that made me feel safe and could handle the weather and make the drive itself fun. This was the first car we test drove. And it was the one we compared everything else against. We got ours in Sunburst Orange. It drives like a dream. Be careful on the highway. Ours rides so smoothly you do not realize how fast your really going. I dont mind the interior... Plastic? My 94 Shadow had more... It held up and didnt crack. (This is the replacement for the Shadow) I hope this car lasts as long!

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  BEE- liever - 2008 Dodge Charger
  By Mr. Bad Bee - April 1 - 1:47 pm

  We got our 08 SRT Super Bee about a month ago. It has been a blast! The car has so much power and rides as smooth as glass. Hard to keep it under the speed limit! It is as comfortable as the Mercedes E350 it replaced. The special addition color Blue makes the car stand out where ever we go. It gets allot of attention which can be both good and bad. Did I mention how great the seats are? Cant go without mentioning the "Brembo" brakes. They are awesome. Though I feel it should go by another name other than Charger (Magnum Sedan would have been more appropriate since its a 4 door. Chargers are suppose to only have 2 doors), I think the car is just great.

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  mini man van - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By the hills - March 31 - 8:31 pm

  I was a man trapped in a womans vehicle. Now I have become a man in a mini van and love every mile of it! This van has been fuel efficient (27+ on trips) comfortable (5 in the family) useful (Sto and Go baby!)and has me convinced that I made the right purchase. Power slider doors are wonderful. This van is as comfortable to drive as many high dollar import cars. Men dont be scared! Embrace this mini-man van! We did have a few bumps at the beginning, that were easily handled under warranty. Dealership was excellent and on the ball.

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  Nice - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Former GM Guy - March 31 - 7:40 am

  Was once the proud owner of a Buick Grand National. No car before or since was quite as much fun to drive and own. My Dodge Daytona R/T easily matches that 87 wonder in both fun and power - plus adds all the gadgo-convienences I wanted. Thank you Daimler Chrysler for this one.