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 it - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Caryl - October 17 - 9:38 am

  Love my Hemi. Although I have had a couple of issues...tie rods, navigation, and windows/sunroof electrical problems. But no car is perfect, especially when its a new model. I am sure the list of complaints will be taken care of. Considering the size of the car I cannot complain about the gas mileage- I think it does well for her size and power. We took it to Florida and we were very comfy and it did great on gas. The ultimate "Mom" car that Dad loves to drive to take advantage of the get up and go. Mom is guilty of that too. Its a very roomy, family car that is really sharp looking. I swore I would never own a wagon. Congrats to Dodge for creating the cool and fun family vehicle.

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  Better then my 2006 Ford Explorer - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Elke and Al - October 14 - 11:03 pm

  I test drove the Nitro three weeks ago and found it fun and super to drive after my husband already took it on a test drive the week before. Its easy to handle, parks very easy, and for a short person has good view points. I drove it already in snow and ice and it handles very well. Love my sunroof and the leather seats. Controls on the steering wheel are cool too. I like better the old 2006 Ford Explorer I had. More sporty and sassy, a Grandma with and attitude and grandchild on board. I get between 17.8 Miles to 18.5 mpg and hope it gets better when I have more miles on the engine,

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  Welcome Back from Iraq Present - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By SFC_Charger - October 13 - 10:09 pm

  Got Back from Iraq and the wife let me get a new car..Got me the Black RT. Just added a K&N Cold air...wow..31 Highway 19 city...looks great, room for the family, with the intake this monster growls. I have the B A speaker package and the stereo sounds great, still need the Kicker 10" for the trunk. Move over Mustang this monster is for real. Should have gotten the Nav system. After market upgrades are plentiful and cheap. This car has totally erased any possibilty of a mid life crisis. I get looks from everybody. Especially all the cute lite 2.7L and 3.5L/SXTs...gotta have the Hemi Best bargain out there. The price per enjoyment ratio is awesome....get one today!

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  Caliber - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Richard Castle-Hacke - October 13 - 5:56 am

  I live in England and bought the two litre Diesel SXT Caliber and so far I have been pleased with my car. For a small family car it is one of the safest cars here in Great Britain. I was amazed with how well the car performs, the two litre turbodiesel gives all the right power at the time you need. I would advise any to buy the new Dodge Caliber.

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  A car for the ages - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Joe O. - October 12 - 10:13 am

  What can I say, this car is exceptional because it is what it is. That being an American name plate car that eats the imports for lunch and dinner. In these times of too many Camrys and too many Accords, this is whats needed. Yes its reliable, yes its fast, yes its comfortable, and it doesnt look like it came out of a cookie cutter mold. The car gets stares and a lot of questions asked about it. And I tell everybody who asks that this is the best car Ive ever owned. It always seems that old stereotypes about "bad" American cars keeps the public buying wishy washy foreign cars. I just say, bring em on!

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  Excellent............... - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Mr.B - October 11 - 8:56 pm

  Just a great handling SUV. In snow or on the beach, it never bogs down just motors along. On the parkway or open road it flys and handles like a dream. Exterior and interior are great everything at your finger tips. Sound system with the navigation aid is excellent love the radio and the Satellite radio too. All around great deal for the price.

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  Solid Ride! - 2008 Dodge Dakota
  By Blue truck - October 10 - 9:54 pm

  It has a firm, borderline stiff ride, much less spongy than the previous model years. We have many 2006-07s in our fleet and you can tell the difference. The console and cup holder layout is great and much improved. All controls are easy to reach and use. The ride is quiet. I would recommend the V8 if you need serious power. So far, my 3.7L accelerates good enough and maintains highway speeds adequately. We have had very few quality issues in our fleet so far with Dakotas, and hopefully this series will even be better.

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  The best truck weve owned - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By moo - October 9 - 8:02 pm

  This Dakota has best the best vehicle weve owned. In July, Savannah, GA flooded and we had to drive through the waters to get home. We have the 2004 Dodge Dakota SLT 2WD pickup. We were one of the only vehicles to make it out of the 4 foot running waters. We owe Dodge for our safety and their reliability.

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  World class exotic - 2003 Dodge Viper
  By shaftnmn - October 9 - 1:50 pm

  This car has no equal for its price and performance. I waited for 6 long years to buy a Viper and I was not disappointed. This car is a street legal race car but at the same time, it is no harder to drive than a Honda Civic or a Saturn. There is this thought out there that this car is hard to drive, it isnt - only drivers who dont understand or know how to drive a true sports car. The performance is unbelievable. I understand now why everyone who drives this car has such a big smile on their face. There are certain cars that invoke emotion by just looking at it & this car is one of them. If you are a car nut and you get the opportunity to own one, do it. You will not be disappointed.

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  Superb Design Inside & Out - 2008 Dodge Nitro
  By Dustin - October 8 - 9:48 pm

  I have recently purchased the 2008 Nitro and I have to say it was a great purchase for me. This SUV is a great buy and Im not sure why there are so many compliants about the handling. I think it handles great.