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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  Best of the Best - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By action_nad - February 18 - 11:02 pm

  Have had my Durango for over 4 years now, put over 50,000 miles on it, and to this day with over 148,000 on the odometer, it is still a monster. Never had any major issues outside of what is to be expected. Plenty of get up and go for a land yacht, more than enough room for 7 people or 2 people and some luggage. Perfect for joy riding or road trips. Towed a 26 trailer with no issues, and have never gotten stranded off road or in bad weather. The 360 V8 not only does a great job with working, but playing also. Have embarrassed more than a few ricers at stop lights.

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  2013 avenger - 2013 Dodge Avenger
  By bradyhenson - February 11 - 5:21 pm

  Fun to drive, performance is good, quality is excellent, cool car! Comfortable driver and passenger seats.

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  2013 Dodge Dart Ralleye 1.4l Turbo, 6 Spd Manual - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By tndodgeboy - February 6 - 6:20 pm

  I love this car. Very smooth on the road and fun to drive. The mpg is the best. The 1.4 Turbo is very quick for it size. I have everything on my Dart except for leather seats and a sunroof, witch I do not like anyway. I really love the support I get from the seats. This is a very sporty car. I also like the fact that you dont have to change the timing belt until 150000 miles. Dodge really worked in a lot of details in the new Dart. Nice dash, nav system & backup camera and oh yeah, the RaceTac lights. Gota have them.... Good job Dodge!!!

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  good car so far - 2011 Dodge Avenger
  By pwlowe61 - January 29 - 8:24 am

  Price and quality is pretty good.

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  Nice one, Dodge! - 2009 Dodge Avenger
  By mordo3232 - January 27 - 3:23 pm

  Wow! This car is AMAZING!! Love the heated seats and every thing! It has awesome reliability great MPG with 30 Hwy 25 City! Just amazing! Way to go Dodge!

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  After 1100 miles - 2013 Dodge Durango
  By waygrabow - January 9 - 8:12 pm

  It is everything I expected. The Durango got a good review from Edmunds staff, and I have learned to trust their reviews. Consumers Reports also rated the Durango tops in customer satisfaction which says something. This is the first Chrysler product I have ever purchased. I looked at the Explorer, CX-9, new Pathfinder, Highlander, and Pilot also. The Durango matches the others in most attributes and exceeds them in having the shortest turning radius (maneuverability), longest driving range, and highest towing capacity. It is also great looking.

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  Fantastic SUV, it just cant get any better - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By ggms16 - January 9 - 2:50 pm

  This is a fantastic vehicle.. And I have owned many many cars before, this is one of the vehicles I love the most. Ive always had BMWs and Mercedes (Still have) and I love german technology, I think Mercedes Benz ownership over Chrysler inherit a lot of nice features, this truck handles like a german SUV, its not short on anything, it is very comfortable, amazingly nicely equipped and very attractive, fantastic MPG. I get around 22mpg in average driving here in Orlando, FL. Dont ever think twice if you are buying one, this car is amazing. Similar cars owned before: - Chevy Tahoe 2007 - Ford Explorer V8 2007, Explorer V8 2010 - Toyota Tundra 08 - Toyota FJ Cruiser 08 - Grand Cherokee 07

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  Master Piece From Guys in Detroit - 2011 Dodge Charger
  By rudy_tx - January 8 - 11:06 am

  First of all let me give more information about my ride: Mopar Limited Edition, Transmission: Auto, Engine: 5.7 Liter I love this car. It is powerful, fast, comfy and attractive. Before this, I did not believe in American cars. Especially I was concern their built quality and reliability. Well, I was wrong! At least in this case, Chrysler made a masterpiece. Now I am driving this car for 8 months and 13000 miles. I have not had any problem what so ever. And it is so much fun to drive this beautiful car around and get lots of compliment for it. As you probably agree, this baby is a looker, especially with those pretty blue mopar strips.

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  R/T fun - 2013 Dodge Charger
  By sebastienp - January 3 - 10:39 am

  Lots of fun to drive with the R/T plus. Good balance of handling and comfort for those who commute and dont want to race this beast. Acceleration is awesome and fun, although its so quick you need to take it on a race track to really see what that Hemi can do. Long commutes getting 23 mpg, long freeway trips 25 mpg. Cruising in this car is a delight, quiet and cozy seats, good sound (no beats upgrade) and loud enough. Rear visibility is poor, but with the rear view camera backing up is easy. Blind spot is huge, but with the side mirror proximity sensors light, you get that warning that somebody is in your blind spot. My opinion is that that these two technologies are important.

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  Durango in Eastern Oregon Snow - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By davisranch - December 23 - 8:50 pm

  Tried the Durango in the snow and more WOW. Took it in doughnuts and couldnt even get it to slide sideways with the 5.7L hemi. And on corners there a 4x4 would be in the curb drove like on dry road. They took Subarus technology 6 years ago and took it 6 years newer even with Goodyear all season tires. Comparing subaru with Toyo Open county AT, sipped. I had it sideways in the same circle turning. Still in the WOW stage.