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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  Nice fast fun car to drive - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By Jacob - June 3 - 4:21 pm

  Bought car with 140,000 miles now its 145,000 miles, interior dash is pretty cheap. Fuel goes pretty fast if driving city Car has no major problem besides maintenance Things.

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  Loaded 2015 Limited for econobox price - 2015 Dodge Dart
  By Ed - January 14 - 6:58 pm

  Just bought a 2015 Dart Limited with every option available for 2015 for $7000 off MSRP. Put 500 miles on it in 4 days. I didnt give 5 stars because there is always room for improvement. The gas mileage not so great in city. and back seat is cramped. My last Dodge was a 1974 Charger 400 Magnum w/pistol grip 4- speed. But the Dart feels like a luxury car. You will have a difficult time finding a car equipped like it for under 19K

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  Excellent catch!!! - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By rodris@mail.ru - January 4 - 5:30 am

  I bought my car with 90,000 miles on it and today it has 132,000 miles. The repairs are new battery, new engine serpentine belt, oxygen sensor, regular synthetic oil changes and ceramic brakes. The car runs like a champ!!! Excellent buy!

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  102,000 and climbing - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By Christopher Caswell - December 31 - 8:54 pm

  I bought this 2013 in July of 2012 and have driven it every day for three and 1/2 years. I love the sytling, handling, acceleation and the way its layed out inside with instrumentation. It handles weel and, with its exceptional response and acceleration, its kept me safe and gotten me out of some near accident experiences. All Ive had to do is replace tires and change oil. If I oredered another one, Id get the leather interior and have lumbar support. I certainly love the large screen for the garmin and sound system. I also love the race trace tail lighting. Its been a great little car ! ccc

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  2005 Dodge Dakota SLT Quad Cab 4WD (3.7L) - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By Bill Smith - December 8 - 10:42 am

  I have owned this truck for 5 years now. Picked it up used threw brand new set of michelins on it and was set. I like the truck due to the high feeling in the truck even though its not. I got the 6 Cylinder not expecting good performance and better gas mileage. The 4WD works terrific and the motor is in great shape. One thing i have noticed with these dakotas is the right rear fender rusts. The only money i have put into the truck is oil changes, brakes, sound system, and gas. i enjoy the truck like you would want to. Now to the negative side. The trans has started to act up like a year ago. It slips every now and then but is not bad atleast yet. 6 months ago i put this substance to help the trans and i havent felt it slip yet. I dont have a v8 but my point of view if your going for a v8 just get the full size. i can still tow my trailer and have tools in the back. Now it would be nice if i could get the long bed. I may have a long bed fabricated in. Ive seen a review complaining about gas mileage. What do you expect with a v8?

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  2013 srt8 plum crazy purple - 2013 Dodge Charger
  By dmitri - December 7 - 9:33 am

  great car could be a little bit nicer shifter bezel and instrumentation, actually gets great mpg on Highway driving, great sound system Harmon Kardon, and definitely get some good all season tires if driving year round.

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  dodge journey - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By Jen g - December 1 - 6:41 am

  I have had my journey for a month now brought with 30,000 miles. Have not had any problems with it others then its a 4 cylinder so take off is like a old lady running after a bus with a walker lol other than that and my music from my phone like Pandora wont play without an axillary cord its such a shame I wont keep this long about a year and Im moving on to the car I wanted. Its a nice SUV all the bells and whistles its just a dodge there not built to last long

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  Honest Opinion - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Vinh - November 30 - 10:01 am

  Overall this car has served me well. I bought it brand new back in highschool ,in 2004 for 11k thats including taxes. When I first got it the O2 sensor needed to be replace which isnt a good sign around 20k. Luckily it was still under warranty. Since then there has been no major issues until now but right now at 220k its expected. At the moment, the reverse cable probably has to be replaced or at least one of the pins or bushing. The drive shaft also needs to be replaced which is normal for the a vehicle with the amount of mileage this car has. Both issues occurred around 219-220k. I had to replace the CAM sensor at 110k and oil switch at 185k. Changed the battery twice .Other than that no major issues. I have drove this car from -CA-TX-MT and CA-FL with no problems. I hit a deer at 40mph with only hood, fender, bumper damage, but nothing was damaged under the hood. The car gets good MPG on the highway but not too good mpg for its class in the city. I usually get between 35-44 on the highway and 25-29 in the city. Since its high mileage the values have been 25/35 unless I go on a long distance trip. The interior looks good the only thing a bit worn out is the arm rest and front driver seat.Acceleration and handling is also good and I do like the tow capacity this vehicle has. Overall I got my moneys worth but at this point its time to move on.

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  Ive had mine for 17 years some work but shes my - 1998 Dodge Avenger
  By michael hammann - November 19 - 12:10 pm

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  Impressed until recently - 2014 Dodge Durango
  By Amy - November 14 - 8:53 am

  Overall, we like this vehicle. It drives great, is comfortable to ride in and bucket seats for the 2nd row are a great feature. It was recently when we noticed things we did not like. Changing a turn signal bulb is impossible. The whole front bumper needs removed in order to reach the light, it is not an easy fix as other vehicles. Nor is finding the battery. My husband needed to jump his work truck and he could not because the battery is not easily accessible. There is a blind spot for the driver on the right side between the 2nd and 3rd row seats, the head rest is in the way and the area between the 2 windows is very wide.