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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  A VERY BAD CHOICE - 1995 Dodge Caravan
  By Christine - February 2 - 1:44 am

  We bought this caravan at 170000km.... And it has been giving our family numerous of minor and major problems.... minor problem such as the jumper opening the rear has broken twice already. Major problem is the transmission.... According to technician of BCAA, caravan have 11 weakness that can makes the car become broke down on the road.......

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  Would not recommend - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By Ruth - January 28 - 5:52 pm

  I really needed a vehicle and preferred a van due to all the running around I had to do. However, buyer beware. Was not aware that Dodge still built 2.2L size engines. MY MISTAKE. What a piece of crap. Brakes have had to be replaced 3 times. The drums rotated, the shocks are bad (off the lot) the transmission modulator evidently doesnt last more than 28,000 miles and on our second one. Airbags didnt deploy when we hit a deer and had almost 6,000 dollars damage - otherwise we would have been able to total it. Heater doesnt work all the time. The dealer even sold me a bogus warranty. Again women... be aware when buying your own vehicle for the first time. Take someone who knows. Avoid DODGE

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  Mommy Mistakes - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Sarah23 - January 25 - 8:52 pm

  I bought this car thinking it would be fantastic for when I had a baby, boy was I WRONG. The infant car seat made the front seats sit so close to the dash I could barely drive, now with the upright her feet have to squish between seats. Ive had to replace the tires the defrost makes an awful smell the brakes have been replaced twice. I went to start my car,lights and radio came on but it just clicked. To no surprise, this happens to calibers and now I have to buy a new battery for a three year old vehicle. Its awful in the snow, I slid of the road with my newborn several times with brand new tires! DONT BUY THIS CAR!!!!! Biggest mistake Ive ever made! P.S. the "cooler" doesnt cool.

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  Transmission Unreliable - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By cheevo - January 14 - 10:53 am

  This car ran just fine for the first 2 years of ownership. then suddenly the automatic transaxle overheat light came on and the car was forced into "limp mode" which doesnt allow the car to go any faster than 10-15mph. ive read a lot of reviews saying people have to get the trans replaced at a cost of approx $4000. i personally dont have money for that. BAD CAR with HORRIBLY depreciated value. would NEVER buy again

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  WORST VEHICLE I HAVE EVER OWNED - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Bobbie_J - January 5 - 7:48 pm

  After I discovered I was pregnant + realized that a 2 dr vehicle was no longer an option, husband + I started looking for a nice looking, fuel efficient 4 dr, went lots of places, read lots of reviews that talked so highly of the caliber we were roped in + decided to buy. THAT WAS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE WE COULD HAVE EVER MADE !!!!! I do commute 90 mi. 4 dys/week + expected a little wear + tear boy was I ever wrong. Ive now had this car for 3.5yrs + have had to have new tires put on (x4), new tire rod ends (X2), brakes, struts, alignments up the wazoo, + now I have the very costly transmission problem that will cost 6k to fix. R U KIDDING ME, Dodge needs to scrap the CALIBER!!!!I miss my chev

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  Not for families - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Alyssa - January 5 - 12:45 pm

  Got this because of the hatch back, the outer appearance, & at the time the reviews for this car were high-praising. Now, though, this has been my biggest regret. The back seats have absolutely no room. It is difficult to install my sons car seat properly without having the front passenger eating the dashboard. Ive had to replace tires 8 times now, brakes 4 times, and windshield washer fluid "sprayers" twice. The high-beams turn on by themselves, the "drink cooler" doesnt cool anything, replacement parts are expensive, drives terrible in the winter, & the value diminishes so quickly that youre basically stuck in the sale. Dont buy it! Definitely not family-friendly.

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  last neon I will ever own - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By kandi - December 29 - 5:23 am

  Not very pleased with the overall performance of this vehicle, I had a previous 96 Neon that I enjoyed driving, was a fun and fast car with great fuel economy, especially for a Dodge product. This 02 has been in twice for the transmission, and the same part is broke again, it has developed an oil leak since my last oil change, and the value has dropped greatly in the past few months leaving me upside down in a car about the break.

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  I GOT A LEMON - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By rtimbs - December 28 - 3:02 pm

  I just want everyone to know that my 2007 Dodge Nitro SLT is the worst vehicle I have ever owned. Not only is it the worst vehicle I have ever owned Beaman I is the worst place I have ever received service. They do not completly fix the problem they just fix in enough so it will run. I have a problem with the ABS light and the speedometor not working. It happen last year and the service dept. at beaman did just enough to get it working again and now that the warranty has run out it has gone out again. I will neve own another Dodge product nor will I ever send anyone to beaman dodge to buy a vehicle. They talk a good game but when something goes wrong they want fix it.

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  SXT Rental-200 miles of driving - 2009 Dodge Avenger
  By Howie - December 28 - 12:42 pm

  This car feels like something that should be sold only as a rental. That or a car you pick up used a couple years old for 1/3 of its original price. But compared to the competition, this car feels way behind. I drove it 200 miles the other day on all kinds of roads. Summery: Pros-decent comfort, good fuel economy, relatively smooth ride on straight roads, looks pretty good Cons-TONS of body roll in turns..ride is very bouncy like an old Buick, everything in the car feels and looks CHEAP, center console is too close to the drivers right leg, 4 cyl engine is WEAK, noisy and sounds primitive and shifts slowly.

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  FAIR - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By sc4880 - December 24 - 10:00 am

  After I purchased, I was disappointed in the van proformance.