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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  SXT? - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By JSlezak - February 1 - 10:27 pm

  We purchased our Caravan late in the 03 model year (there were already 04s on the lot) and paid about $19000 brand new. Our van is labeled as an SXT even though it is actually an SE with some extras. An end of year model change-up? I am really happy with the van and over the past year it has held up well. Only one small problem, the drivers side power window has failed on two occasions. It seems to happen during cold weather and once the vehicle is warm it is fine again. We looked at Toyota and Honda but both were much more expensive and didnt offer the same features without purchasing big packages. For the price you cant beat Dodge. A very good family oriented vehicle.

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  Big car room with small car handling - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By Jimo2000 - January 31 - 9:06 pm

  Im happy with my Intrepid so far. It handles very well in turns. I have a 3.2 liter engine and thought that with 225 horsepower the car would move faster. Its enough to get on highways with but off the line it takes a little bit to get going. I also drive a 98 Altima and found that the 4 cylinder engine in that is much quicker. Weight is an issue with this car

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  Awesome Truck - 1997 Dodge Dakota
  By the_koof - January 30 - 5:02 pm

  This is my first vehicle and am approaching 190,000 miles with relatively trouble free use. Only problems so far have been the water pump giving out, dirty sensors, and the power steering pump also giving out due to an accident early in the trucks life. Other than that it has been trouble free. I absolutely love the truck and will buy another when this one gives out except I would opt for the 318 V8 as the 3.9L V6 is gutless.

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  Owned this car for nearly 10 years - 1996 Dodge Avenger
  By ChipM - January 30 - 12:17 pm

  I bought this car new in 1995 and have been the only owner. Ive had an overall excellent experience with this car. Ive had to replace some belts, hoses, power steering pulley twice, battery, radiator, thermostat twice, and radio (once under warranty). All things I would expect to replace within a 10-year span on any car. I have no regrets about buying this car. Its been very good to me.

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  New to the Nitro! - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By New Jersey - January 29 - 11:33 pm

  My driving experience has been fun for the first month. I received a lot of compliments on the style of the truck. I did a lot of research before I decided to lease the Nitro. Ive been told that this truck was built for me. Cant get any better compliments than that. Rides nice and handles bumps very well.

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  I loved it, when I bought it - 1998 Dodge Intrepid
  By Les Lloyd - January 29 - 7:14 pm

  I really loved this car when I bought it, but at 61,000 miles, I believe it is going to be a service departments gold mine. Ive had the left front hub assembly replaced, it has been recalled 3 times, it has just started mis-firing when you start it up and when driving at highway speeds and the brakes are applied, the steering wheel starts shaking, I was told if the tie- rods have to be replaced, the engine has to be removed, Jeez..its time for it to go....

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  Best exotic supercar for money! - 2002 Dodge Viper
  By 2002GTS - January 25 - 11:10 pm

  Not only does this car get major attention but it has the performance to back it up. I originally bought this car as a weekend car, but it has turned into a daily driver (I cant not drive it). The car is car has been very reliable. It does have an inflated cost of ownership. Gas milage is bad, tires only get about 15k miles and cost $350 each. But this is to be expected on a vehicle like this.

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  Great Vehicle - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By hdm - January 22 - 6:40 am

  We are very happy with our Journey. We bought it out of town and on the trip home it got over 25mpg by the built in computer. Loaded with items that are options on other cars and at a very good price. Ride is great and people can talk without shouting over road noise. 6 disk CD player and 6 speakers are standard, rear air and heat an option that is not over priced. Great vehicle!

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  Awesome little car - 2000 Dodge Neon
  By neonknighthawk - January 21 - 3:38 pm

  I have had my 2000 ES for almost 5 years and 121,000 miles now and its been an awesome drive so far. The only thing I can think of that has gone wrong was the factory stereo has been replaced twice in 5 years. Other than that, I love this car. Its always got me there and back and has never complained doing it. It looks awesome (has won me several trophies in local car shows) and people love the color.(Salsa Red) I have had lots of complements about my Neon. Its been the best car I have owned so far (since I started driving in 1984). I would highly recommend the Neon. All you need to do is take care of the maintenance to the letter, and you are set. My Neon also has all the factory options

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  Okay car for the price - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Rob - January 18 - 1:25 am

  Bought this car in Oct ober, 2004 for $12k w/12k miles. I find the sedan fun to drive and comfortable, acceleration adequate with the 6 cylinder. Have already put about 6K miles on car. Kids complain on longer trips that the back seat is flat but I think the impressive crash tests override that. However, I have had problems with clicking and clunking sounds from the brakes and suspension. Dealership mechanics can never find it and I have heard the "We couldnt hear it" to "its not a problem" excuses although they have changed the rack and pinion steering. Also had a stalling issue that was corrected by a service bulletin. I feel these inconveniences are the price I pay for the lower sale price.