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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  Lemon - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Jamie - September 1 - 6:28 pm

  Like I have read in other reviews, the issues with this vehicle are tremendous. The 5.7 litter Hemi has great acceleration and I have been very please with the gas mileage. Other than that, it has been nothing but a nightmare. It stalls when stopping all the time,the dealership has no idea what is wrong since their computer tells them nothing. The interior continues to fall apart daily. Not to mention the extreme loss in value in 1.5 years is huge! I look forward to trading it in as soon as I can afford to bail out!

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  Problems - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Andy - September 1 - 5:30 pm

  I fell in love with this car. Big mistake! I had a oil leak with 3-6 months after I purchased the car. It took 3 trips to service dept. to finally fix it.One recall done for latches in door. Shifter broke and front rotors have already had to be turned. Now they are saying back rotors need to be turned also.

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  amazing car for me - 1995 Dodge Avenger
  By draney - August 31 - 10:40 pm

  I got this car oct 9 2008 and sadly wrecked it a month later all my fault though. In the short time though I drove the car over 5000 miles. I loved it. When I got it it had over 199k miles on it and the motor was still strong.

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  Perfect - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By Jaeger - August 31 - 9:49 pm

  I bought my 96 Dodge Intrepid at Stans Auto Sales in Kearney Nebraska and absolutely love it. It dies every thing you would expect and more. It doesnt have all the usual 90s Chrysler drawbacks, The paint doesnt fade, the seats are in perfect condition, etc. This car is just about perfect. I would strongly recommend a Dodge Intrepid for anyone.

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  Great Small CAR - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By HappyTBAmerican - August 31 - 8:16 pm

  I was looking for a small car for by wife and test drove several. All most bought a new Chevy HHR. Went by the Dodge dealer and saw a program 07 Caliber. This vehicle had the most comfortable seats and drove better also the most fun to drive. I bought a 07 Sebring as well which is a great car but I like driving the Caliber more. It has more of a fun factor. The seats are a lot more comfortable as well. The CVT tranny makes the 2.0 quick of the line. The CVT is different from a standard automatic but that is not a bad thing. Road noise is about average for small car. The MPG is good. My friend bought a new VW Rabbit and he likes the Caliber better than his new car. I recommend this car.

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  Mr. - 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Al - August 31 - 3:30 am

  I have the 4.0 Liter. It is very smooth and powerful. The ride is a bit sporty which I like and the phone interface is great. I had really wanted the Chrysler limited but I couldnt justify the extra $$. About the only thing I dont care for is the fake leather seating which is mediocre vinyl.

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  Great Car...if you upgrade - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Jeff - August 30 - 11:17 pm

  I have had this car for three years now. Bought it with 44,000 miles on it and have taken it to 100,000. Really fun car to drive. As an experienced mech, i new that dodge parts are not even close to par, so i installed aftermarket parts for nearly every system on the car. Costly yes, but well worth it. The only original parts that have had to be replaced due to fault are the Cam position sensor (which all dodges are notorious for), EVAP canister(naturally due to mileage), and the timing belt(again, naturally due to mileage). Other than that, great car for the price. I would suggest you are at least somewhat of an experienced mech though. Parts are SOOOO cheap for this car. Labor is not.

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  173,000 miles and counting! - 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By amy47 - August 30 - 10:02 pm

  I love this van. No major problems other than replacing a few water pumps and the starter once and the A/C; otherwise, just routine maintenance. I have had absolutely no reliability problems until I hit 170,000 miles. Now I have occasional electrical problems that wont allow the car to start about once a month. So far the mechanic cant find the problem, but were working on it. I want to see how far she goes! She may not be the flashiest or the most powerful minivan out there, but she has my admiration for her longevity and relatively problem-free service.

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  I struck oil - 1996 Dodge Avenger
  By clout - August 30 - 8:11 pm

  I got my dodge avenger ES with no miles a 188000 miles latter Ive changed the o2 sensor twice the camshaft sensor once and developed a oil leak that seems no one can fix.I just recently paid 1200 dollars for a distributor and this is the third time Ive taken it back. it seems like the mechanics dont know how to work on these car,s or don,t like to. the drivers side window works when it wants to no dome light really a bright ideal. this car should be better quality.

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  Great choice for us - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By seveninavan - August 30 - 6:36 pm

  Overall, I have been very happy with my decision to purchase the Journey. I traded in a Dodge Grand Caravan and initially planned to get another one, then I saw that the Journey held seven passengers---a must for us since we have five kids. Except for one small trim issue, everything works well. I mainly drive to work, soccer games, and boy scout camping trips. Got the SXT with roof rack and Sirius out the door for $19,600 and 0% financing--- about $12,000 less than the Ford Taurus X. So far, Ive been quite pleased. Morning carpools are easy, and when I need to haul stuff it is great to have the ability to stow the seats flat so quickly. I love it!