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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  Junk - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By missy - September 8 - 6:40 am

  I have the SXT, 2.7 V6. This car is the biggest piece of junk I have ever owned. 3 1/2 weeks old, only put 200 miles on it. The lifters in the motor were bad. Water leaking onto floor, seat belts kept getting wet inside the door. Trunk leaking. Stereo speakers stopped working. The inside of this brand new car has all been taken apart, roof, doors, moldings, sunroof & nothing fits the same way as from the factory. This car has been back to the dealer 2-3 times every month since last June. Not enough space to list all problems. Now,the ignition switch sticks/stays in the start position (trying to start the car) BUT the car is already running, JUNK ! LEMON !!! Back to the dealer again !

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  Great Car! - 2009 Dodge Caliber
  By KBentley57 - September 7 - 8:53 am

  The review is actually for the SXT with the 2.0L and CVT. After trading in my old Dakota and taking advantage of a $5,000 rebate from Dodge, I purchased a new orange Caliber for $11,500 out the door! After looking at a fit, I decided to go this route instead. It is much larger, roomier, and better looking in my opinion. The gas mileage is great for a car of this size! I get about 32 mpg on my daily commute of 90 miles, traveling at no more than 60 mph. One year of free Sirius radio was also a plus! Dodge needs to do a better job of advertising their offers.

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  Quite Surprised - 2008 Dodge Charger
  By Sina - September 7 - 8:41 am

  This is my first experience with American cars, so far despite what I had heard before Im pleasantly surprised. Charger is at the front and back, very quite engine, smooth transmission and extremely good on gas for a heavy muscle car. Interior has average quality, lots of plastic everywhere you look...One of the biggest problems I have wit this car is the stability, poor is the only word I can think of. There was some vibrating of the engine which is still there and some sort of strange problem wit tranny which i have been told all of them have (it kind of unsmooth at the beginning of movement). Over all if you can find it for a cheap price, I would definitely say go for it.

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  Big Blue - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By moyeti - September 5 - 11:34 pm

  Bought when my kids were young and I couldnt drive a mini van. At 96K only a water pump has gone bad. Ive taken good care of it though, bu it has chewed thru 3 sets of tires. Otherwise it runs every time and the 360 V8 sounds and feels great. I use it to pull my motorbike around. Taking it to the state park next March with the entire family. Itll be "the car" we all remember. Tough, American, strong and heavy. Dependable and true.

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  cash for clunkers - 2009 Dodge Caliber
  By erin - September 5 - 10:31 pm

  I guess compared to driving a 1998 Jeep wrangler for 8 years a moped would seem more economical. Im not knocking my hot little black convertible it was just time to put it down. And it came at the absolute perfect time. With 218,000 miles I traded that Jeep for a brand new 2009 Dodge caliber. I got 3,500.00 for the clunker and then Dodge matched it with an additional 3,500.00. Best deal ever! I love it. I have air conditioning, speed, good gas mileage, and its so quiet. I have to admit, I did cry when I had to give up the first car I had ever bought with my own money, and I still have the key, but what a difference. It really makes me appreciate the road. I love my new caliber

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  Disappointed - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Nancy - September 4 - 10:23 pm

  We bought this van new and within the first year the driver side sliding door mechanism broke and wasnt covered under warranty. Year 2 the air conditioner stopped working and air bag light came on and has perpetually been on since (no one cn figure out whats wrong with it)and year 3 its been in the shop 3 times; brakes replaced, broken water pump and bad EGR valve. Its so disappointing to have such a popular and common vehicle have so many issues.

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  Nothing but problems - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By kris - September 3 - 2:45 pm

  Bought it used a year ago and have so far replaced: fuel pump, 2 oxygen sensors, catalytic converter and the automatic door lock mechanism. total so far is around $3,000 in repairs.

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  Great Car - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Great Car - September 2 - 10:50 pm

  This car is great,style a true muscle car the deal I had gotten on this car was fantastic over 7500 off plus another 2000 for my trade and only 100 miles The car looks and rides great I average anywhere from 31 to 36mpg on the highway all the downfalls that Edmunds has said are not true I often catch myself cruising at 75mph with out even realizing interior is nice and very accessible my 14 year old son thinks the car is awesome and wants it in 2years when he starts to drive overall a great value I drove the honda accord and chevy and this is much better for room and performance

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  Great looking, fast, fun and comfortable - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By noj - September 2 - 8:07 pm

  The Magnum is an relatively amazing. It does haul, stuff inside, trailers, and ... It gets great gas mileage, 18 city/24 hwy MPG, for such a big vehicle with so much horsepower. You can take it to the drag strip and run the 1/4 mile anywhere from just under 14 to 14.3 at around 97 MPH stock or run it on a road course. 4 people can easily ride comfortably, 5 if needed. People frequently compliment the car when I am out.

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  This Avenger is Great! - 2009 Dodge Avenger
  By Mike W. - September 2 - 6:09 pm

  I bought this 09 Avenger SXT at the end of June. I was trading in an 03 Intrepid that had been great for me but it was time to go new. And I was ready to go back to 4-cyl. The car looked great and handled the test drive much better than what I had read about its performance. No complaints at all two months later. Love the satellite radio! Love the interior room! Love the easy handling! Love the smoothness! Have figured out the blind spot issue - no problem at all.