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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  Love the power [non-permissible content removed] - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By Shawna - August 1 - 4:44 pm

  Fuel sucks but comfort and power is awesome!!! Added exhaust and cold air intake to add more horsepower,overall, I would recommend to anyone.

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  Best Vehicle Ive Ever Owned - 2011 Dodge Journey
  By Chris Schumacher - August 1 - 1:32 am

  We bought our Journey used (2 years old with 18k miles.) Weve put 10k miles on it in those 2 years. We put Toyo tires on it about a year ago. The tires they put on all the new cars are crap. We put Toyos on our last vehicle, a 2002 Dodge Intrepid and they lasted five years. We also just put new brakes and rotors on. The rotors had warped. Apparently thats a common issue with the Journeys. We put cross drilled rotors and ceramic brake pads on. Well worth the money- keeps the rotors from getting too hot and warping.

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  Beware of Electronics! - 2012 Dodge Charger
  By jjski78 - July 31 - 9:02 pm

  I had my 2012 R/T for 3.5 years and 65,002 miles. Here are my final thoughts on the car: The performance is spectacular. The 5.7 Hemi is more engine than most drivers will ever need (but then again, so is the 3.6) and is really a gem. It is smooth and docile when driven gently, and turns into a snarling monster when you put your foot down. Combined with a cold air intake and a Flowmaster dual exhaust it really became quite an animal. Lets just say I never needed much room to pass a bad/slow driver, and the sound coming from the exhaust was more than enough to let them know I didnt approve of their driving style. The car really was a bit of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Again, driving gently the engine was very docile, and the ride was borderline supple. Though the 20" wheels never allow it to get too soft. When youre driving it closer to the edge, the engine is right there with you and the suspension seems to tighten right up and allow you to take corners at speeds that would have been suicide in a car this large 20 years ago. On top of the craziness, it was not uncommon for me to obtain 30+ MPG on the highway and low-mid 20s in the city. Make sure youre using mid grade fuel though. The interior is fantastic. The seats are probably the most comfortable I have ever sat in. With severe back issues I could easily drive this car for 12+ hours and not have a problem. They are supportive and comfortable. The materials used on the interior are also great. Is it Audi great? No. But it is definitely a fantastic place to be. Everything is laid out intuitively, and access to most controls is through the touch screen or through the steering wheel. So why did I get rid of it? One word: electronics. Simply said, the electronics were complete trash. When youre making bets with yourself over how many of your 12 speakers are going to work on this start, theres a problem. When the radio decides you really didnt want to listen to that song, and then literally refuses to play that one song until the car is shut off and restarted, theres a problem. When it decides you really didnt want to connect your bluetooth, mid call, theres a problem. And finally, when the bluetooth call quality sounds like old tv static being transmitted through an olympic size swimming pool, its just time to move on. The dealer said they would basically replace the entire system, at a very substantial cost to me due to the fact this all happened after the warranty was up. So it was time to walk away. Ive been told mine was a rare occurrence, and that may be. Still doesnt change the fact that it happened and those horrifyingly bad electronics ruined the entire experience of the car.

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  1998 4dr poor man sports car - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By daniel lipe - July 30 - 12:41 am

  hi I own a 1998 4dr five speed manual dodge neon its absolutely amazing well one its not your typical neon I have your standard 2.0 DOHC 16v but the difference is its got stage 2 fuel injectors and stage two fuel pump and stage 3 racing clutch and I hollowed out the caddy and cut off the muffler and installed a 200$ exhaust tip on it and it truly sounds amazing no not a car fartin in a tin can sound its fast and furious sound quality but one thing I cant figure out is it gets 48 mpg highway and 39 in town but according to the specs its 41 and 32 my neon is so fast it suprizes me ive never lost to a race best example I can think of how fast she is I smoked a 08 mustang gt and 2014 jeep and and suv mercedezes and 2001 turbo charged five speed Toyota celica ive thats just some examples here is a good one this guy has a 90s model hatch batch civic or accord not sure but we raced one day and he didnt win or loose we stayed neck and neck and after the race we pulled over and talked and he asked how much cash I put under the hood he said he has dumped 3gs so far and I said none I bought the car with 112000 on body and 60,000 on motor for 1400 bucks I used to have all the paper work on all the performance parts installed but 12/08/14 my house burnt to the ground lost everything and even two of my dogs but long story short I can do 0-60 on a good 4.8 secs flat but average is 5.3 to 5.0 secs fastest ive had the car is 135 rev limiter is set at 7500 I cant do 90 in third gear with tac at 6500 rpms yup super high geared oh and one more thing I have a aftermarket racing spoiler on it 700$ bought off a friend for 100$

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  Never Again!!! - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By luis - July 28 - 7:44 pm

  I saved up for more than 3 years to buy a car. I bought this one at a auction for about 3k4 and it was the worst choice so far. The car turned off of on me the next day. I changed the alternator thinking that was the problem. Not! I got stranded a couple more times. Then I changed the tps sensor for 60 bucks. It was working fine up untill the next 2 days. Problems usually start when the car is warmed up. The engine wants to turn off, the revs drop, the car wont get the gas, and it might be a 4 cylinder but with this problem going on it is wasting gas like a 6 maybe even an 8 cylinder. Till this point idk what is the problem with the car. This car is just going to be a headache, just get a honda.

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  05 Dodge Dakota 4.3 v8 4x4 - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By Jason Landen - July 28 - 6:54 pm

  Pos transmission has gone out 3 times in 4 years. I will not pay to have it "fixed" again.

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  Lemon of the Year Dodge Caravan SXT 2006 - 2006 Dodge Caravan
  By Bart Tur - July 28 - 3:18 pm

  Major problems with the braking system. Axel failed at 14k. Rack & Pinion failed 23k. 5 Alternators replaced last 9 years. Major engine problems, water pump 38k, head light cheaply made. Poor Fuel. Transmission failed 59k, Radiator replaced 61k. Great for taking kids to the park but after extended warranty expires you need a bank. Thank you Chrysler. These van have braking issue due to bad clapier pin not retracking. One final note, The heater cores are known to fail around 100k. My van is currently 95,. Never will I buy a DODGE /CHRYSLER. I am done. Close up shop guys.

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  disappointing first car - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Aaron.pat. - July 28 - 10:52 am

  Being a college student, I figured that I needed a car of my own. I looked around dealerships close to my location snd found my neon for $2,000. It ran smooth...for about 20 minutes. It broke down before I even got home. Ao far, I have owned this vehicle for 3 months and ive only been in possession of it for around 6 days total (due to breakdowns and long repair times). So far, I have put $1500 into fixing it, even took it to the best mechanic in town (really expensive) and it still broke down in a matter of 1 day. If you are looking for a reliable cheap car, GO FOR THE CIVIC!

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  Hemi with AWD, whats not to love! - 2014 Dodge Charger
  By J. Demkovich - July 28 - 1:03 am

  My wife asked about getting a Charger, and I knew owners loved them but I was surprised to see that reliability complaints were few and far between. So I agreed to look at one and I am so glad that we did! After 18 months the car now has 18K trouble free miles with two repairs: 1) the sunroof lost its mind after about a year - it refused to work until it was reset and reprogrammed by a dealer and 2) it came with a cracked panel in the trunk that was replaced by the dealer. We purchased the AWD version because I personally would not consider a RWD car (which most Chargers are) in Chicago where we live. AWD works great in snow and we feel very secure driving it in the worst weather. It switches into AWD when the temp goes below the upper 30s and the mileage drops in the winter - we get 2-3 mpg less in the winter vs summer. I do wish it had a switch to disable AWD but it does not. The AWD R/T has a softer suspension and different tires than the standard R/T. We like it this way because it is a family car for us and everyone is comfortable in the car. AWD also makes "burnouts" pretty much impossible, but if you are looking for acceleration there is no substitute for four wheels putting Hemi power on the road! The car is really fun and comfortable to drive in any weather. Last comment: 2014 was the final year for the AWD Hemi R/T so 2014 is the year to get if you want this model.

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  2 words..... Electrical Problems - 2013 Dodge Durango
  By Rats - July 27 - 3:06 am

  Our Dodge Durango Citadel is a beautiful car. Comfort and performance wise it is the nicest vehicle we have ever owned. Unfortunately the fun stops there. Dodge has several recalls out on this vehicle that they dont have the parts to fix. Our car currently wont start due to a recall issue and the dealership has no idea how to fix the problem because there are no parts to fix the issue. Imagine owning a 50000 dollar vehicle that wont start and has an unfixed brake booster recall. That is the Dodge experience.