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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  Best Truck I ever owned - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By brown48047 - June 19 - 4:28 pm

  I loved the truck from the day I drove off the lot. Now 117K miles later I still feel the same. The catalyic converter went at 80K(warranty). A/C went at 115K ($875) which I paid because I still want to keep the truck. My brother works for GM, and I have a GM Card, but I still prefer my Dodge. I take care of my truck and my truck takes care of me.

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  Noise Nuisance - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By earnewil - June 19 - 1:53 pm

  General Design of the 2008 Grand Caravan is the reason for purchase. It has large cargo space when the rear seats are folded and stored under the floor with minimal effort.

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  Viper, unbelieveable driving experience - 2005 Dodge Viper
  By cebernstein - June 17 - 6:12 pm

  This is an affordable exotic car. More power than you will ever know what to do with. So far, Ive had no troubles with the vehicle. It is truly a pleasure to drive, and will get you noticed everywhere you go.

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  Caliber - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By jim - June 15 - 11:40 pm

  Drove in snow and ice for first time. Excellent handling on the ice with AWD. Getting up icy hills with no problem. Tows my small boat easily. Would like better gas mileage (22 mpg city). Is not crowded with five passengers. Like the SUV style-I call it a minie SUV.

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  Great Car, No Problems! - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Rey Rivas - June 15 - 10:00 am

  I bought my car in July of ‘03. Its an 03 SE model in Black (not much different from the 04 SE) Im a college student & I needed a car that was reliable & that could handle being driven on 6 hr long road trips between my school and home, aswell as a car that looked & felt good to drive. When I test drove it I knew this was the car I wanted. I’ve had no mechanical problems. Ive added a spoiler & CD player, plus other things that I will install shortly. Interestingly enough, if I had to do it again I wouldnt buy it, only because after I got my car I noticed other cars that looked sportier, but I definitely dont regret getting my Neon!

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  My Durango - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By Keith - June 14 - 6:53 pm

  My favorite of all midsize SUVs. Beautiful design. Its much more stylish than any of those boxes on wheels rolling around out there. It has great interior space for cargo and passengers. Best of all it has an incredibly strong and powerful engine. I have done everything from get out of 4 foot snow drifts to pushing disabled cars and towing large boats. Not as quiet as a luxury vehicle but definitely more affordable and practical. By far one of the best car selections that I ever made.

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  Worth the purchase! - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By Sarah B - June 11 - 3:16 pm

  We were in the market last August for a car, and came to Edmunds.com. Of all the cars we looked up that we were considering, the 2003 Dodge Stratus R/T coupe had the best review. So we made the purchase and have not been let down! I would tend to agree with the other reviews regarding the emergency brake placement, but other than that we cant complain! Definitely worth the purchase!

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  2005 stratus - 2005 Dodge Stratus
  By terry - June 11 - 10:23 am

  For the money, it seems to be a good car. We like the leather, and the sporty appearance of the chrome package. The fuel mileage was poor at first (19 Hwy) but seems to be improving.

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  2005 SXT after 9 months - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By ikarus - June 9 - 8:36 pm

  A couple of things with the interior design are irritating. Window and door lock controls are not back-lit. You cant see them at night. Ditto for the steering wheel controls for radio and cruise control. You cant see the hood release and parking brake release at night. Also, theres too much clutter on the radio and A/C panels. Just too many buttons. Power seats do not lower enough. Ive bumped my head many times getting in and out of the car. And the leather seats are not that comfortable. Mileage on a round trip to Arizona settled in on about 24.5 mpg. Of course this was at speeds between 70 and 75.

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  Could be great - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Dennis - June 8 - 9:46 pm

  This car certainly is an eye catcher which is why it sits in my driveway. My RT is black with chrome wheels and the spoiler. Lots of little goodies like the heat and cool cup holder, tire pressure monitor, fuel mileage monitor, remote start, autodim mirror with home link, Sirius satellite, and a few other things.