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:

• 

  2006 Charger R/T - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By WARREN37 - March 19 - 10:00 am

  My silver steel metallic R/T is so much fun to drive. the V8 with MDS gets me 28.5 mpg highway (no thats not a typo), so those boring drives to and from work dont drain my wallet. When I want to tear up the hometown over the weekend, she has plenty of power to turn heads. Granted, while "fun-driving" I get a much lower mpg, but thats not what you buy it for. The aggressive looking front-end practically pushes cars out of your way on the highway.

• 

  Still lovin it! - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By simplijm - March 19 - 9:14 am

  I bought my 06 to replace my aging Durango and from day one it was a great choice. Even though I did not get the AWD, it still rocks in any weather, with the addition of Blizzaks for the winter. Im 64" and it is really comfortable, plus with two car seats in the back, the kids have enough room too. I put the whole family in and we go looking fo twisty turny roads to play on. With the autostick, I can run that car pretty hard and it just keeps asking for more. Cruises really nicely for the 25 mile each way commute, but gotta keep an eye on it. I tend to enjoy driving and sometimes look down and see 80 when Im just having fun. Definitely a family car for dad to have fun in!

• 

  Lovin The Nitro - 2008 Dodge Nitro
  By Yolanda H - March 19 - 6:32 am

  I purchased my 2008 Nitro in December. I went from the GMC Envoy to the Nitro and Im loving the Nitro. Road handling is great and the interior is very comfortable, I love the two-tone color of the seats, I wish there was a vortex engine to give the Nitro more power. I havent put mine on the road yet, but I cant wait to take my first out of town trip.

• 

  Get your own - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By Love It - March 18 - 10:37 pm

  This SUV is almost perfect. Its large, it powerful, great design, comfort like a spendy luxury, reliable as they come and very fun. I had to replace a $3 valve in the AC, a battery and the normal brakes and tires in the 8 years i have had it. Other than that all my paycheck goes toward gas but its worth it.

• 

  Changed Man - 2008 Dodge Charger
  By H2flint - March 18 - 2:25 pm

  This is my first non GM car ever. Luv the look and style plus GM has no good V-8s so I went with the Charger. The interior is much nicer than the 06-07 models. It handles well and has lots of power. It turns heads and is a real driving joy. I am late 20s and single but it is still probably the sportiest 4 door ever made. Recommend to anyone single or family

• 

  Love the look and feel of this car - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By sharon - March 17 - 12:01 pm

  The take off response is awesome, holds the road wonderfully. This is the only car that Ive ever bought that is actually worth more than what my loan value is!

• 

  Loved my R/T - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By deadmeet - March 17 - 8:42 am

  I bought a pair of R/Ts new for me and my wife hers white/blue stripes mine Brilliant blue pearlcoat with silver stripes. hers remained totally stock,mine received a cold air/K&N combo with aftermarket exhaust.we have not had cars as fun to drive or reliable in our lives. Both our cars still get about 38mpg (I bump the rev limiter on a daily basis) with each over 150k miles we are deciding on what we would want to replace them with...seems funny that todays hi-tec hybrids and flex-fuel vehicles only get low 30s mpg What was so special about our neons? (I was raised on Big block Chargers and Road Runners..a lot of fun, but a huge difference on reliability)

• 

  Economy lost out this year - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By DVLocker - March 16 - 5:46 pm

  I have been a Ford man all my life. I always shopped for a practical economy car. This year Style and comfort won over. I was looking at the new economy cars when I took a test drive in a used 07 Charger for fun. I fell in love. The style and solid build won me over. As far as the gas, I found I have been uncomfortable all these years for nothing. I am getting 25 MPG which is not that far from the 28 I was getting in a small car. Now I am not just another follower in a Focus I am leading the pack.

• 

  Dodge made big changes for the Durango - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By Kyle - March 16 - 11:01 am

  Let me start this by adding that my family has had several SUV experience (2010 Escalade, 2002 GMC Denali, 1998 Dodge Durango, 2005 Dodge Durango) and have test driven a few "newer" SUVs of several brands. Our overall impression with this newer Durango thus far is that it is very impressive. It has a lot more room than we had expected (especially compared to the generation we had before the remake), and the seats are 10x better than before. Dodge finally woke up and realized that ergonomics are a big deal, and I think they hit the nail on the head with this car. Air conditioning vents are everywhere in the back; 115v Ac outlet in the middle row, multiple charging ports, etc (the things you dont notice at first until youre the one in the back) and the Alpine system sounds very good for a stock radio (ours came with an 8" sub in the back). 3rd row seating is a little cramped but not bad even for full grown people. The fit and finish is very good (much better than others I have looked at around the same model year. There is more plushness on everything and less plastic everywhere. The v6 and tranny seem to match well and have not given us a single hiccup. We have now taken this car across the eastern portion of the country multiple times and have seen 24-25mpg when traveling 70-75mph (loaded down) and 22-23mpg another time when loaded down with a cargo top going 75-80mph. Mixed/city we see 19mpg. We are thoroughly impressed with its mpg considering its size. As far as drivability, I think this car is right on par as far as ride quality with other competitors. It is actually very similar, if not better than, the 2010 Escalade that my sister owns. It also has a good turning radius for a full size SUV. It has definitely exceeded our expectations, but that could have been because we switched from a 2005 Durango (not good interiors, mpg, or drivability). We hope that this car lasts as long as the other one though (200k+ miles). Only time will tell. It is unfortunate to see that some people are having issues, because we have had ZERO other than getting recall mail that we have not taken it in for yet. Downsides: - the front screen does not play the DVDs once the car is put in drive - storage space with the third row up is not all that enticing (but very usable - might be a personal opinion... But its not like a Yukon Denali) - Bluetooth has rather low quality sound when streaming music; it probably needs fixed but we dont want to take it in to get charged something ridiculous Hope this helps someone else!

• 

  Outstanding! - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By jilesk - March 16 - 2:00 am

  I love my 04 Durango. The ride is smooth and it Looks great.