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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  Battery Issue - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By jaejae123 - May 22 - 1:43 pm

  I, like many of the other reviewers, purchased my Dogde Dart 2013 in December 2012 and am having battery issues. Today my car would not start, which has me completely baffled since the car is only 2.5 years old with only 57,900 miles. And, dont get me started on the gas mileage not being as good as reported/advertised!

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  WOW! - 2015 Dodge Charger
  By joner800 - May 21 - 10:44 am

  i went from a Chrysler w/360hp to the 485hp beast known as the Charger Scat Pack. all i can say is - WOW! i wanted the SRT, but dealers wanted to much for an SRT lease, IMO. the Scat Pack delivers the same performance (more or less, same engine/tranny, slightly smaller tires/brakes) for less entry fee, and it looks and sounds just as killer! for under $50k fully-loaded (w/everything except the black roof paint), i am instantly on top of the food chain you basically need an exotic car that costs twice as much to beat it! ive only got 1500 miles on it, so i cannot comment on reliability, but i love the car so much i had to write a review!

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  2012 DODGE AVENGER - 2012 Dodge Avenger
  By slowhand2 - May 12 - 4:53 pm

  I just love my 2012 dodge avenger r/t I have not spent a penny on it since I bought it.i get more double takes from people..wow nice car is it new? I would buy another again but they dont make the avenger anymore:-( still a damn nice car.

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  Worst car I have ever owned - 2014 Dodge Charger
  By zenchargerguy - May 11 - 8:42 pm

  Worst car ever, 2nd charger owned, 1st one died at 20k miles, transmission blew up, 2nd one, 2014 has horrible off gas odor that makes me sick and the car impossible to drive. Chrysler says the car is "operating as designed and that I am out of luck. Do yourself a favor and buy literally anything else but Dodge.

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  Great Car - 2014 Dodge Dart
  By nick4118 - May 11 - 10:01 am

  We originally had a 2013 Ford Focus. We hated it. We took it to Akins Ford Chrysler Dodge Jeep and Ram, in Winder Ga. We traded it in and they hooked us up with the 2014 Dodge Dart Ralley. We have been nothing but impressed! There are some minor things that could be changed, but overall it was a great choice. We recommend it to anyone looking for a small but powerful (with the 2.4 liter) car!

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  Great car! - 2015 Dodge Journey
  By nick4118 - May 11 - 9:49 am

  The vehicle is amazing! We were choosing between this, a Dodge Charger R/T and a Durango Limited. We loved them all so much, but we went with the journey because it was the middle size (not to big or not to small for our family) It has amazing options, plenty of room, nice features, nice look, and so much more. It looks sporty but yet nice at the same time. It is AMAZING! My sister in law has a Ford Expedition, and my other one has and Acura MDX, and they are both jealous. Everyone loves it!

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  2015 Challenger R/T - 2015 Dodge Challenger
  By nelson826 - May 11 - 12:48 am

  I have been having problems with the 6 speed manual. Im having problems shifting into second gear. I took the car back to "Anderson Dodge" in Rockford Illinois. I told them it wont shift into 2nd gear very easy. All the other gears are fine but 2nd is having difficultys. The transmission is also winding at constant speeds. They called me and said that they had 3 people drive the car put couldnt duplicate the problem and refused to fix it. The car only has 2500 miles and should not have these kind of problems. The problem is very obvious and happens every time I drive it. I guess they just dont want to fix it. Not sure what to do about this. The car is great other than the transmission.

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  I think i got the lemon - 2012 Dodge Journey
  By Nicholas Burke - April 15 - 11:49 am

  I purchased my Dodge journey used, it hat 29,000KM on it in march of 2013. Since then its been to the shop more times than I can count. The transmission has been rebuilt twice, had two gears replaced, all seals replaced in the front axle, rear axle and rear dif. The front bearings have been replaced both left and right. Radio, power steering pump, and reservoir have been replaced. Its currently in for an exhaust leak. There is only 66,000KM on the car, its not even 4 years old yet. In service date is November of 2011. I still have issues with the transmission hard shifting or just not finding the right gear to be in.

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  Ok... - 2014 Dodge Journey
  By peterrj - April 14 - 11:05 pm

  Things I dont like: Performance is weak. Interior is full of cheap, shiny black plastic. Its not badly designed on the inside, its just you can tell they cut corners on the materials. Seat belts look like something from the 80s - weirdly thin and insubstantial. Odd noise coming from the engine compartment on cold start at 32k miles. Truly horrible visibility from the inside with blind spots a-plenty. Things I like: Individualistic exterior design (love it or loathe it, its different). The seats are comfortable. Some neat storage solutions for all your familys stuff. The seven seat feature is awesome in car of this size and price range, making this car good value.

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  12 years old, 186K miles and still running like new - 2003 Dodge Intrepid
  By Jason Foster - April 13 - 8:59 pm

  Bought new in 2003, this car never let me down or left me stranded. Replaced generator at 121K (2011), front-left wheel bearing hub in 2015 (180K), total cost for both repairs $300 (self-replaced). Original exhaust system still solid. Replaced front pads and rotors at 120K, rear at 140K. Gone thru two batteries as well. A good, simple, cheap car.