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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  Very underrated car - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Rick - May 3 - 8:56 pm

  I purchased this car for my college-bound daughter after much debate vs. a small Honda or Toyota. Could not be happier with the decision. This car is stylish, fun to drive, trouble-free, and we saved a lot of money on the purchase vs. competitive models. We had a 1998 Neon and this redesign is a completely different automobile.

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  2 yrs, 30k miles, still love my SRT-4 - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Scott - May 3 - 3:24 pm

  This car was bought as my daily driver after I moved to the UK. Stock it has great power and handling. After about a month though modified it slightly. Increased hp/tq. Now it is my daily driver and track car. I take it to the track atleast once a month & put down over 300 hp & 350 tq (13.0 sec at 110 mph in 1/4 mile) on stock turbo. Mods are fairly priced. So far this has been the best car I have ever owned. 2 yrs, track days once a month, over 300 whp and you know what the best part is, it runs with zero problems everyday. Reliability is outstanding. People joke about "its a Dodge" or "its a Neon" but in the end my Neon is more reliable than their own cars.

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  Very surprised new minivan owner - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By tweetybird - May 2 - 2:00 am

  Great ride & fun to drive. I thought that I would never own a minivan. But, having two kids I knew that I needed a minivan. After shopping for a while we bought it and I wish I would have gotten one a long time ago! Affordable.

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  Legacy Continues - 2007 Dodge Dakota
  By Scott Tarpley - May 1 - 8:03 pm

  I have been behind the wheel of Dodge Trucks, from the D50 all the way to the present truck I own, a 2007 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab SLT. I feel I have grown with the truck line. As my family has grown, so has the truck. I could not be more pleased with the evolution of this truck. The handling is superb with the heavy duty suspension. I had to get used to the electronic accelerator, but a small price to pay for technology. The interior room is awesome. Plenty of leg room and comfortable seats with real padding. I do miss the cloth interior my 01 Dakota had. The 3.7L engine is fine for my driving habit, but still has great acceleration for traffic and gets 22mpg highway. I love it.

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  Dodge Dakota the Best Mid Size Truck - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By justin - April 30 - 1:00 pm

  I think it is the best mid size truck you can buy. I have hade no major problems with it. It does use a lot of gas, but with a few mods and laying off the gas, the mileage goes up.

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  Get One Now! - 2006 Dodge Durango
  By Jeff - April 29 - 8:33 pm

  Best vehicle on the market for a family of 4 to 6 kids. Car seats fit great. Fun on the highway and off the highway. Mileage reasonable for the power. Ride is superb. Cornering is solid. Has and incredibly tight turning radius and is easy to park even for inexperienced drivers. The look of the vehicle is stunning in with the metallic black paint job. Roomy interior for tall people. Cargo room is breathtaking. Dodge made a mistake. The vehicle should be priced $10K more for something that rivals the drivability of a Lexus, Cadillac, or a BMW SUV. And oh by the way, the Durango can tow where these upscale SUVs cant.

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  "Sport" model for a reason - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By sebago588 - April 29 - 4:44 am

  We purchased our 01 GC Sport in the latter part of 2000 out of a 96 Sable wagon. We love our van. Not only can we tow our 20 ft bow rider with it, the cargo room when all the seats are removed is like a Uhaul. The engine has power and sounds throaty like a Durango or even a Charger. Reaching highway speeds is no problem for the peppy little 3.3 liter V6 even with 7 adult sized passengers. We had one power window motor die out on our son while he was at a car wash (horrible scenario) and once needed a new starter. All of which were not ridiculously pricy but, repairing anything on a Chrysler product is thankfully never a "remortgage the house" situation. Engine smokes my sisters Odyssey.

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  Love this car - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By blackmag - April 27 - 4:30 pm

  Head turner everywhere you go. Everyone wants to know what it is. Great gas mileage. I had a Dakota 5.2 that I traded in for the blackmag and the Magnum seems to have as much get up and go and looks great doing it

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  Top Notch - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By HammerMaster - April 27 - 9:07 am

  The Mercedes Benz based 4-matic is amazing. I will never drive another car without it. Wet weather traction like i have never seen before. All this on top of 340HP! Styling speaks for itself. Love it or hate it. Interior is huge. Turning radius is great for such a huge car. Speed, well there are cars that are faster but I dare them to do it in such a good looking car or loaded up with 5 people and groceries and still have power. Eat that import lovers. My only minor want is at $34k why could I not get the auto turning mirrors when the car is off like its German cousin. All together, I dont think you could get all the things this car offers from anyone else at the price its offered.

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  Great Truck - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By Moki - April 26 - 10:48 am

  This truck rides like a luxury car on the highway and in the mountains it is a very stable well balanced ride. I have towed a heavily loaded 20 foot trailor over many of the mountain passes in Colorado, handling is supurb and the V6 Magnum engine has plenty of power to assend these high passes - many of them over 10,000 ft.