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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  My Purple Lilac Car - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By btbowl - June 27 - 2:00 am

  My Stratus is a 1996. It has over 164,000 miles and running great. It is my second home. I did not travel far the first several years but then my job took me to farther away places. My car has been my magic blanket taking me there.

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  Love This Van - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By beebell - June 27 - 2:00 am

  Just love this van!!! Have only had it 2 weeks but it is the best....so far!!! All the fold down seats are the best selling feature. As an older driver this was such a great selling point. Taking the rear out was a chore. Still learning about all the bells and whistles but so far we would suggest that everyone buy this van. The price is right, the comfort is great and the convenience is awesome!!!

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  LOVING IT!!!!!!!!! - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By t-bird - June 26 - 10:00 am

  just purchased and the main selling point to me was the price. got everything I wanted except for the entertainment system (but will be buying that soon) and saved over $8K on a comparable Honda Odyssey. Inside is spacious and with 2 small children, it really helps. i would reccommend this car to anybody!!!!!!!

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  Best Truck - 1995 Dodge Dakota
  By travis - June 25 - 1:41 pm

  I bought this as a lot leftover in 1996. It has 193 thousand miles on it. Never broke down on me. Lots of power and torque. Exterior still shines. Well worth the money. The only thing it has ever had done was oil changes and the condenser replaced, nothing else. Most miles were around town. The only thing hat I don’t like about it is fuel consumption. Interior is built to last forever. This truck will never die

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  I absolutely love my car! - 2000 Dodge Neon
  By Rosie - June 23 - 11:49 pm

  My Neon is the first car Ive ever had and I love it. Its as standard as it comes, no power windows or locks, no overdrive, and it had been a rental car as well. Ive had this car since 2001 and I have not had one problem with it. The obvious things like spark plugs or changing a bulb in a light but thats it. It gets me where I need to go, and it looks good in the process. I would recommend Neon to anyone, and Id buy another one if given the opportunity.

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  4th minivan - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Hemi - June 22 - 10:00 am

  By far the best we have owned. Chrysler finaly hit the home run with the stow and go seating. We liked our Pontiac Montana but the intake manifold gaskets started leaking radiator fluid into the engine at 62,000 miles and so it was time to consider another van or very costly repairs and we returned to Dodge for the third time. S0, the SXT looks like we are in for some fun from everything from the seating to the power liftgate and the 3.8 engine. Go for it!

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  A great family car - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Nick H - June 22 - 10:00 am

  This is a great family car. We had it for about a week and I cant believe how perfect it fits into our lifestyle. With all the storage and room inside we can fit our kids and there toys as well as go grocery shopping and still have enough room for anything else. Definitely suggest getting the SXT model with the DVD player because the kids have never been so quiet on a trip. It also feels like your driving a luxury sedan its so smooth to drive and the outside noise is virtually eliminated. Great family car.

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  Rollover - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Pat - June 20 - 11:10 pm

  I recently had a horrible accident in this van and miraculously survived! I swerved to avoid an animal on Interstate 70 in Utah and when I tried to correct, it didnt happen. I was traveling at 75-77 MPH on cruise and the wheels caught the concrete and I was accross the freeway and hit a large light pole, then rolled 3-5 times as I was told and somehow came out with only a broken clavicle, severely sprained back and lots of cuts and bruises. The recovery is slow, but the air bags and seat belts must have saved me...or a guardian angel? Whatever it was, Im sure something helped me survive. I would buy another of these vans ASAP. Insurance said this was an excellant rated van for this crash.

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  Indy Red R/T - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By jacob - June 19 - 10:11 pm

  I ended up test driving a lot of cars and the Stratus R/T had style and speed to back it up and it wasnt too expensive. Ive owned the car for about two years already and I still love driving it. The leather interior and Infinity sound system make the ride all the more enjoyable.

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  Got to Believe ! - That Dads Wagon ? - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By Jellobrand - June 19 - 4:33 pm

  The car is a car, a truck, a wagon, a SUV. But inside the heart and soul is a sports car trapped in a wagons body!