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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  I love my Caliber! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Mindosity - November 12 - 9:23 am

  I just recently purchased the Dodge Caliber SE Plus and I love it. I think the body style and little extras (light up cup holders, cooler in glove box) are great. I get over 400 miles per tank, which is nice with gas prices. I have not driven it in snow yet but it is great on wet roads. The engine is 2.0 liters and kind of loud, but worth it. I also appreciate all of the space. Before I bought the Caliber, I was driving a small pick-up and was used to being in small space.

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  Coupe 2006 - 2006 Dodge Viper
  By jamie - November 10 - 11:35 pm

  Compared to the SRT convertable, this is tighter, quieter and more solid. The car is brutal for those who havent driven one. Not much creature comforts, but tons of torque and HP. Smooth ride, very tight handling, and awesome if not the best brakes of any car. Spin the tires with ease, If you like attention, this is your car, thumbs up everywhere you go, unlike the corvette, which hardly gets a second look, I have both.

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  Wouldnt Have Believed it - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By gonzoy5 - November 9 - 7:21 pm

  If someone would have told me how sweet this car was I wouldnt have believed it. But once I drove it I was hooked. Sure its a little rough around the edges, but its dead on where it counts. Outperforms cars that are thousands more right out of the dealer lot. Performance upgrades are cheap and easy. Racing style Seats are great after getting used to them. I took a 4 hour trip a month after getting the car and I didnt even think about them. Its a nice commuter car. Small enough to zip around town, fast enough to get away from the SUVs that dominate the roads. Small performance car designers should use this as a template.

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  reliable - 1999 Dodge Avenger
  By rmmedj123 - November 9 - 7:13 pm

  I have put a lot of miles on this car and it has held up wonderfully. Over 180,000 miles so far and no mechanical difficulties. Oil change and tires is it. Good Luck or Good car, probably both.

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  Great Car, Bad Mileage - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By John - November 7 - 8:03 pm

  20,000 miles in 10 months. Great road car, lots of space, quiet, comfortable for long trips. Sticker mileage is way off. 20-22mpg @ 70mph. 25mpg at 55-60mph. Sticker is 27, no way...Had to have 4 wheel allignment at 20K because it was eating up front tires.

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  My Rally review - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By Murray - November 7 - 8:55 am

  I bought the Dart sxt (rally) immediately after it became available in the fall of 2012. It came with most of the features that I wanted, such as Bluetooth, satellite radio, remote start and fog lights. It has the Rally trim, which included the red exterior with black accents, along with the black/red interior striping. The car looks very sharp and its fun to drive. It came with the 2.0 tigershark engine and the automatic transmission, which work very well together. It has served me very well for over 3 years with no major mechanical problems. 11/06/16..update.. The car is still fun to drive but has developed some quirks that I am trying to understand. The security system has a glitch that will cause the doors to lock and the horn to sound while just sitting in my driveway. I had to disconnect the battery a while back in order to stop the horn from blowing. The key fob was not able to silence the alarm. After replacing the battery in BOTH key fobs the problem appeared to be resolved, but the doors will still occasionally lock for no apparent reason.

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  2007 Dodge Caliber - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Missy B. - November 7 - 2:06 am

  Overall, I love the car. The gas mileage is good, the adjustable seat height on the drivers seat is a plus, I love the look of the car. The headrests seem to limit visibility when Im looking over my shoulder to go in reverse. The car is fun to drive though!

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  Not happy at all with this van. - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Jules - November 6 - 5:10 pm

  I have had nothing but problems with my 2008 Grand Caravan since I got it in Jan. 2008. It has had a new exhaust put on it. The sliding door on the drivers side has been worked on 2 times because it starts to close and then re-opens. That still is not working 100% of the time. The keypad does not work at all when it is near my husbands Tahoe either in the garage or in a store parking lot. Now it beeps at me when I am driving, the lights on the dash all turn on, the RPM and MPH go to 0 & the windshield wipers turn on. I bought it for convenience since I have 3 kids & when the doors dont work or I have to stand there and make sure the doors shut it is anything but convenient.

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  Reliable, Fun car - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By moneyshot - November 5 - 2:12 am

  This car has been an amazing vehicle. I have had it since new. It had a head gasket leak at 45000 miles, but the dealer took care of it for free. The sunroof broke on it 6 times. Those are the only problems I had with it. I had it in Germany with me, and spent lots of time in the governor (118 mph). I now have 120000 on it, and havent even had to replace the altenator, or anything else not mandated by the owners manual.

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  Good but whiny - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Joe Lewis - November 1 - 2:00 am

  This is the first Dodge I have ever had. I like the looks of the car and it is comfortable for long trips. I have been spoiled by some of the GM features Im used to so it is hard to get used to not having those features on this car. My only complaints are the whining noise that changes volume and pitch with the reving engine, the vibrating rear view mirror, and the rattling seat belt buckle. Also, the spoiler hits the radio antenna when opening and closing the trunk. While I like the looks and comfort, these complaints will keep me from buying another Dodge product.