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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  Runs Like a Champ - 1999 Dodge Stratus
  By Andrew - November 23 - 12:17 pm

  This was an amazing first car. it has 140,000 miles on it and still runs great. Its about to get towed off though due to hitting a deer at 65mph, but it was still able to get me safely back home. GREAT GAS MILEAGE if you take this on the highway going 65-75 u can get 400+ miles to a full tank of gass. Other than keeping up the maintance,this car has always gotten me from point A to B. Never left me stranded or finding another way to school, work, a date, or any other venue. Almoast feels like a tank in the snow. Getting plowed in i thought it would never make it out put a slight touch on the gas and i was on my was just like that. Though im getting a newer vehcile i hate to part with it

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  Love/Hate My Caliber - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By CarlaJo - November 23 - 12:13 pm

  My 2007 Caliber has just 48,000 miles and its crap. Tires are expensive to replace and wear out quickly. Interior is cramped. Blind spots everywhere. Turn signal comes on randomly (without using blinker) and wont go off. Front suspension is shot. AC only works well on high. It has been plaqued with one problem after another. I know many people who own Calibers and have yet to find anyone who is even remotely happy with theirs. Tried to trade it in but will only get about half of what I owe. They dont hold their value at all and depreciate quickly. Looks great, fun to drive, but very unreliable car.

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  Tons of Vehicle for the $$ - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Doug - November 23 - 9:41 am

  Bought the Durango used nearly 3 yrs ago and initially had several minor issues with some trim pieces. However, mechanically its been nearly perfect and very reliable. Great tow vehicle and good for family of 6. Not quite as large as Expedition or Tahoe but much less expensive, tows as much or more (Ive got the HEMI) and drives much better - especially in the city. Mileage also hasnt been bad as expected. I consistently average 15.5 to 16.0 combined and easily achieve 20- 22 on the highway cruising 80. Not the prettiest vehicle out there but one to seriously consider if buying used. NEVER buy one of these big SUVs new - youd be throwing $1000s out the window for no reason!

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  Way better than old Nissan 370 - 2010 Dodge Challenger
  By George Kipper - November 23 - 5:52 am

  Man I love this car! I had a Nissan 370Z that was just plain aweful. The interior bits were falling off it daily. This new Challanger is tight. I love the outside looks compared to the bland "upside down bathtub 370" too.

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  Checking - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Enrique - November 23 - 2:13 am

  As owner I like the car but as an automotive employee the car has a lot of defects. Build quality is not good. The paint color did not match between the fenders and the bumpers. The doors are not align with the body car. The gaps between doors and body are not good. The gap between the hood and the grille is awful. Looks like the hood is open. The plastic parts (in liftgate) did not cover what they need to cover, and other details.

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  Buy something else--- run run - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Shelly - November 22 - 9:13 pm

  I recently got rid of this vehicle after owning it for 7 years, anxiously waiting for the day we could get rid of it for the last 3. The transmission failed at 147,000 miles. The worst part of it was this was the 3rd transmission. We had one replace right after we got it at about 38,000 and another at 87,000... both were covered by extended warranty purchase.

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  We LOVE our caravan!!! - 1999 Dodge Caravan
  By Bud - November 22 - 7:43 pm

  This has been the most reliable vehicle Ive owned in my 46 years of car ownership. The only maintenance other than routine was the left rear wheel bearing went out at 35k miles. The van was a program car never titled with 29k on it when I purchased it in Dec. 1999. It has the autostick automatic transmission which is very nice on mountain roads as you can downshift just like a manual transmission to save the brakes. I have changed the transmission fluid every 30k miles as recommended and the engine oil every 3500-5000 miles and still doesnt use a drop between changes. It is very comfortable and roomy on long trips. I still get 25 mpg on trips with 141k miles on it. Its been a pleasure!

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  Good van for the money - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By N8ECH - November 22 - 6:40 am

  We bought this 05 Linen Gold Pearl SXT to replace my wifes aging 97 Grand Caravan. It was still running strong at 133k, but since we use her van for family trips it was time. Kudos to DC on the Stow and Go. Our 05 was a factory exec car and came with 13k on it. Pretty well loaded except for sunroof and leather which we did not want. Love the power of the 3.8 motor, but the 97s 3.3 gave us 25 vs.22 mpg hwy. Love the power rear door, but the power side doors seem like overkill. Also, 05 was last year for 7/70 power train warranty which is a good thing and influenced the purchase. Pretty darned good for the price. $19k tax and title out the door.

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  A Helluva Car!!!! - 2016 Dodge Challenger
  By Nate - November 22 - 4:01 am

  Well after reading all of the reviews and listening how people were raving over there RT Plus, or Shakers, Hellcats etc, I decided to do a review on the SXT which is what I have. Not everyone can afford $40+k for a car, so I decided to go for the base model SXT in white, with Blacktop package, 20" wheels, black aluminum rims, 8.4" Uconnect with Nav, and premium speakers. First off for being the base model even with just a V6, its awesome. The entire care is white and black which together go beautifully. But the fact that the car is white, rims, spoiler, stripes and fuel door are black, just makes it look amazing!!! Then you have the inside with the huge 8.4" screen, the beautiful instrument cluster, awesome sound system, I mean you cant go wrong. Yeah it is just the base model with extra ad ons, but it suits me just fine!! Im tired of reading all the reviews and how people are slamming the base model saying it doesnt offer much. BS!!!! For someone wanting a muscle car, but who is on a budget like myself, its an awesome model to get, especially if you opt to get some of the ad ons like I did, which kept it at around $31k. The V6 engine at 305hp is nothing to be disappointed at, and realistically where are you gonna use more horsepower than that??? 305 gets the job done for me!!! I wish there was a way I could post pictures of my baby!!! She definitely gets a great deal of looks and compliments, and again, is only the base SXT model which I am extremely happy with!!!

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  Worth it - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Food Library - November 21 - 2:40 pm

  This car has great acceleration and a sporty design with tons of room inside. It handles in snow and can pass like a beast. Mine has no problems and its at 65,000 as of today. My only complaint is the tiny gas tank. By the time your gas light is on youve usually gone through only 11 or so gallons of gas. I feel like a kid that has to go to the bathroom every ten minutes when Im stopping for gas every few days.