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 truck - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By joe - March 15 - 6:15 pm

  This truck is fun to drive. The V8 is a must. Back seat is roomy for kids, but a little tight for large adults. The rear seat belts are the easiest Ive used for installing car seats. I replaced a poor fitting vacuum hose and need to take it in to take care of recall issues. Gas milege isnt the best. A lot of vibration when driving with the windows down.

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  Beats my Aurora hands down! - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By Trucklover - March 14 - 7:35 pm

  I had held off purchasing a Dakota Club Cab until they came along with the rear access doors and am glad I waited. The Dakota is a perfectly sized pickup, fits in the garage okay, and love the V8 power. Also am planning to purchase a travel trailer, so I got the towing package too. Good value for the tow package. Its a sharp looking pickup and sounds great with the dual exhaust.

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  Too many problems in such little time - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Keri - March 14 - 7:16 pm

  I purchased my Journey SXT in May and have had it in the shop three times. The first time was for a noise the car made when turning left. I got the car out of the shop and a hour later something went wrong with the transmission and I had to take it back. I then got the car back and noticed while driving home the car made a loud grinding noise when accelerating and then took it back the next day. It has been 3 days since I have received my car back and it is know making a loud popping noise every couple of miles. I would not recommend this car to anyone.

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  happy with this car - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By tam - March 13 - 10:46 am

  I love this car! I traded my Mustang for a more reliable vehicle as I travel often, and I love it, Ive had no issues with it since I purchased the vehicle with 28,000 miles, Ive so far put 12000 miles, traveled to las vegas and san diego back to new mexico with no issues! this has been a great car for me and my family

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  Map Light - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By 08sxt2.7v6 - March 10 - 6:26 pm

  Having owned this car less than a month, I couldnt say much about reliability. I can say that it is fun to drive, and has gotten me compliments from anyone thats seen it. The ride is smooth and great for cruising around over long distances or for short trips, but this car still manages a feeling of control and sure- footedness in the turns.

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  Good Car - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By Brian - March 10 - 2:33 am

  Weve had the car now for 5 years, we bought it 1 year used. We currently have 166,000 miles on the 2.7 V6 and its doing fine. Weve had Honda Accords in the past. Compared to the Hondas it rides smoother (except over sharp bumps), similar seat comfort, and is much larger inside and in the trunk. It is not as tight or refined as the Honda. Problems weve had include: Window motors, wiper motors, front ball joints (lower control arm), input and output speed sensors. Overall were talking maybe $1000 repairs over 5 years and 166000 miles. Though we had fewer repairs on the Honda, I would still consider the car to have been very reliable. Its still running strong and we love driving it.

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  Beware, stay away, run for you life - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Kimmy - March 9 - 1:43 pm

  Ive own this car since March 2007 and had a first great year, thats it! Ever since my car have been to the dealership almost every month. I had and still have the squeak sound in the back suspension, the mechanics seem to be clueless about it even after they changed from the chock to the bushings and some other things then the was and still is something weird. When I start the car, the RPM rev up and down about 5 seconds and if I try to put it in reverse the motor just stops and its hard to start it again and I have to wait until the car warms up about 15 mins to be able to leave and sometimes the motor even totally stops at a red light.

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  A little bit about my durango - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By Steven Jimenez - March 9 - 6:35 am

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  So far lovin it. - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By yng_byr - March 9 - 3:32 am

  Got this vehicle with lots of highway miles, which made me worry about the engine but so far I have gotten great mpg... It handles very well... Great power for such a large vehicle with a 2.7L V6. Only goes 115 mph tho, and cruise doesnt work when driving faster than 86 mph. Havent had any engine trouble. Big back seats and large trunk.

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  Its really a 3.8 V-6 - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By Ken - March 8 - 4:58 am

  So far, I am very happy with my Dodge GC. It is very quiet, very nice stereo and love the convience and flexibility of the Stown Go seats.With one middle seat stowed, I have plenty of room to stow a lot of stuff in the bin that the other seat is not stowed. Plus it makes it very easy to get kids in and out of the back seats and leaves room for the dog to lay down. The front seats fit like a glove and I like the eight way power drivers seat plus the lockable storage bin under passengers seat. I also like the above console, with outside temp.,compass and mpg used. I havent had one bit of trouble with it yet.