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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  GO NITRO - 2009 Dodge Nitro
  By william - December 31 - 6:00 pm

  Nice Truck , fun to drive Great price, LOVE THE LOOK !!!!!! lacks power , but drives nice, drove a 2009 equinox not as nice as my Nitro ,,, TWO THUMBS UP

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  My glorified station wagon AWESOME - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Celeste - December 31 - 6:53 am

  When I traded in my Grand Cherokee I thought I would miss it, WRONG!! I love the Magnum. The 3.5 provides plenty of power and sounds great. It handles like a dream and is comfortable. I have 3 kids and it has the room I need more than the Jeep did! The kids have a ton of leg room and I feel safer. The gas mileage I get averages 24 mpg around the city and 29 on interstate. The a/c cools it down quick when we were at the beach in 115 degree weather. It has the pickup you need to get on the interstate or to pass. Did I say it was FUN to drive? LOVE IT, I hate mini vans and this is the perfect alternative to a SUV & Minivan. Not only in performance and roominess but in fuel economy. BUY ONE!!

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  SE with the Rallye PK - 2010 Dodge Challenger
  By Joe From Amarillo - December 30 - 9:27 pm

  I enjoy driving my new Challenger! Even in the snow it was still a dream to drive. I got the Rallye PK and the Nav Sys, Sun Roof and just added the T- Shifty and pedals and it is sharp. The way it feels when you drive it makes up for the cumbersome entry into the rear seat. All of my co-workers and family thinks this is the car of all cars. This is a car that everyone will notce you so if you are shy this is not the car for you. Driving from Amarillo to Abilene i only noticed one other Challenger on the road the whole 4.5 hours. So we are a special group and few. If you want the feel and look of old school this is it. The blind spot is the worst thing about this car, and I can live with that

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  1 of the best cars Ive had in 30+ years - 1997 Dodge Stratus
  By Ron - December 30 - 8:39 pm

  Just had to retire the car today, cracked the transmission case on a pot hole, repair more than the car is worth. It will be missed, it was a very comfortable car that handled well and gave me 24mpg city and just under 32mpg at 70 on highway. Rode like a much bigger car and handled quite well. Had just under 180k on it but didnt drive like it. Good in snow. Had to buy a car today, if not would have looked for another one, maybe a few years newer.

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  Great car, mostly. - 2009 Dodge Avenger
  By shicks - December 30 - 6:33 pm

  My vehicle has some defects, both in design and manufacturing. I place a baseball cap over the shifter to prevent sunlight reflections, bad design. The upper front door seals leak air at highway speeds, attempted to have this corrected at the dealership, they said there is nothing to do about it. I find that if I press the seal with my finger about 4 inches below the top of the window the sound of the leak goes away. I recommend not leaving cans of soda in the ChillZone compartment, I have had a few failures of the cans which are likely due to overheating of the cans (the compartment lid is dark). The avg. fuel economy indicator shows 1 mpg greater than actual, calculated on long trips.

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  Big Small Car - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By stonebear - December 29 - 9:50 pm

  A remarkably adaptable little car. Seems far more spacious inside than it appears from outside. Really, what most SUV drivers actually need. Handles great on the many dirt roads in the Southwest. Perhaps a little underpowered with the 2.0 liter 4cyl and the automatic trans, but dont opt for the 5 sp and the 1.8 liter (a bad match and very sluggish). Smartly designed interior. The story, my wife was rear-ended in a Caliber she had as a rental car. The Lincoln Town Car that hit her left the inpression of the front license plate frame in the rear bumper and that was roughly the extent of the damage done to the Caliber. Needless to say, we were sold.

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  Will Never buy a Dodge Again - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By jenghig - December 29 - 3:14 pm

  I bought this car used, and immediately started having problems with it over heating. Once I got that fixed, it ran great for a few more months, then it broke down again. This time with major engine problems. Ive had the car 3 years and have only been able to use it for 2, considering all the time its been in the shop. My brother had the Stratus and had nothing but problems as well. Would not recommend any Dodge vehicle.

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  last neon I will ever own - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By kandi - December 29 - 5:23 am

  Not very pleased with the overall performance of this vehicle, I had a previous 96 Neon that I enjoyed driving, was a fun and fast car with great fuel economy, especially for a Dodge product. This 02 has been in twice for the transmission, and the same part is broke again, it has developed an oil leak since my last oil change, and the value has dropped greatly in the past few months leaving me upside down in a car about the break.

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  Awesome car - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By ChrisSRT4 - December 29 - 2:00 am

  I own a 04 Electric Blue with the sunroof and Viper seats. The performance is just awesome! After 3500 miles, there have been no major problems. About the biggest complaint I have is the gas mileage. I can only get between 16-25 mpg. But thats not the point of this car...its all about the power!

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  I GOT A LEMON - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By rtimbs - December 28 - 3:02 pm

  I just want everyone to know that my 2007 Dodge Nitro SLT is the worst vehicle I have ever owned. Not only is it the worst vehicle I have ever owned Beaman I is the worst place I have ever received service. They do not completly fix the problem they just fix in enough so it will run. I have a problem with the ABS light and the speedometor not working. It happen last year and the service dept. at beaman did just enough to get it working again and now that the warranty has run out it has gone out again. I will neve own another Dodge product nor will I ever send anyone to beaman dodge to buy a vehicle. They talk a good game but when something goes wrong they want fix it.