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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  Great car! - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By Peter - July 17 - 9:53 pm

  I purchased a Caliber RT AWD 5 months ago and I really enjoy this mid car. It rides great, AWD and ESP are awesome, its perfect for Quebec winter conditions. The Caliber is fun to drive, specially in snow.

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  236,000 miles of reliable usefulness! - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By joejackson - July 17 - 5:16 pm

  Bought this Grand Caravan new in 1996 and have put 236,000 miles on it so far. Fabulous vehicle for hauling people and stuff. Great comfortable highway cruiser too. Averaged 22+ mpg at 75 mph on long trips. Hauled kids to school and events, college kids belongings, 4x8 sheets of plywood, and apartment loads of furniture easily. Many ski trips in the snow. The much maligned transmission has been great. Worked perfectly for 140,000 miles, then had it rebuilt (for $1500) and it has now gone another 100,000 miles and still working fine. If that is a bad transmission design, then I sure hope I get something as good on our next vehicle! No other major repairs.

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  My Neon - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Blueram13 - July 16 - 10:50 am

  Decent pickup power and roomy interior for a small car. Like the new styling and color over the 1998 Neon that was traded in. Seats also more comfortable over the 98.

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  Was a Great Car for Me - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By JimW8 - July 16 - 9:20 am

  My experience with my 1998 Dodge Stratus (2.4 liter 4 cylinder engine) was very good. The car was completely reliable and gave me only one problem at about 40K miles (transmission cooler hose leaked and was quickly and inexpensively repaired) until it hit 143,800 miles. Then the transmission went bad, so I sold it rather than spend the $1800 to have a rebuilt transmission put into it.

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  My SRT4 - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By stumpzr - July 16 - 6:46 am

  I have had my SRT-4 for about two months now. I love the car. It is an absolute blast to drive. I bought it used, so I have had a few problems to fix, but I believe those to be the previous owners fault, not Dodge.

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  All Tens to me. - 2007 Dodge Magnum
  By Kali_P - July 15 - 12:47 pm

  I had to decide what kind of car I was gonna get. I was more than surprised to realise that I was going to be buying an American Car (that wasnt a Jeep). After owning 3 BMWs, I was sure a European car would be sitting in the driveway but wow. The Magnum has been a favorite design since they hit the streets. After driving it, the handling, the fit and finish, the interior, the solid feel of well thought out construction, and most importantly, the way I feel when Im driving this car. How did Dodge manage to keep the vehicle so tame and peaceful on the inside. It kinda feels like a Mercedes... OK, maybe it is the Daimler influence on Dodge.

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  Great vehicle - 2009 Dodge Durango
  By Israel Apodaca - July 14 - 11:31 pm

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  Will own this car forever! - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Paul - July 14 - 3:15 pm

  Will never sell this car. Best/favorite car ever owned. Cheap to fix or mod up. Beats many other much higher priced cars on road and track. Use mine at Road tracks like Pocono and Watkins Glenn every year and found with various Mopar and Non Mopar upgrades the car is able to contend with cars like Lotus. Car is truly amazing. Even in winter months you can take car out in worst conditions and it performs better than any other 2wd on the market. Granted I have studded snows for car, but never had a car with snows that could go up any icy/snowy hill and stop on a dime up or down hill. Dont drive car in winter anymore though. Gotta get another stock SRT-4 for winter.

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  Better then most will admit - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By longhornfan1 - July 14 - 10:36 am

  Regardless of what is said online I have seen more dodge vehicles with over 200,000 miles on them then any other manufacture and that includes everyones beloved Honda. Dodge makes the best van for someone who wants reliable affordable transportation. This van has a great ride solid build and will not require a second loan if something does go wrong like the Honda would. My neighbor has one with 195K on it and plans to put 100 more. I have 36K and plan on 200K myself.

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  Used 04 Neon -84000 miles - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Gary - July 12 - 5:44 pm

  I got this Neon used. It was time to get something in better shape than my 94 Camry. After a second trip back to the Dodge dealer for electrical issues (it died periodically for no apparant reason) it has been pretty much flawless. It was a bit sluggish - but it is only a 4 banger, so I tried putting in a K&N air filter and what a difference that made. It is not the quietest interior, but just turn up the CD player volume a little more. Ive been very pleased with getting this as a second vehicle for running around town in.