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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  Fastest FWD Car Ever Made. - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By RTShadow - February 16 - 4:12 am

  I purchased a commemorative edition version, one of the last made. I had wanted this car for some time. I like Dodges, and when they came out with this car it was exciting. If you want a quiet car, a super luxurious cushy car, look elsewhere. If you want throw you back into your seat and scream down the road at astonishing speeds with a throaty exhaust, this is the car for you. This is the fastest FWD car ever built, and at the time, fastest new car you could buy under 25k. I highly recommend this car to anyone looking for a run reliable quick car. Youll find most people with problems have them from doing poor modification jobs.

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  DODGE DAKOTA- 2004 - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By DON KREITZ - February 15 - 10:00 am

  I HAVE HAD MY DODGE DAKOTA FOR ABOUT 4 MONTHS . LIKE THE BODY DESIGN AND THE COMFORTABLE RIDE. THE 85 DEGREE OPENING OF THE BACK DOORS IS GREAT. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL IS SIMPLE AND EASY TO OPERATE.

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  All you could ask for - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By stuffingmonkey - February 13 - 7:47 pm

  The truck has been solid if not spectacular during my ownership of about 85,000 miles. If it has received $1000 in repairs, that would be a lot. The cat was replaced early on (covered by warranty), and the alignment went awry early such that I only got 15,000 miles out of the two front stock tires (alignment fix was warranty). Other than that, no serious issues to report. Power with the V6 is good with some pep when you need it, and MPG has been right around 20 with a bias toward highway miles.

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  A throwback - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By JC - February 12 - 12:16 pm

  If you are looking for a 70s muscle car (albeit four doors) with modern features this is it. I love the cars looks and the 420 ft/lbs of torque at the rear wheels. This car can double as a muscle car or family car as long as gas mileage is not an overall concern. A very safe feeling car with crash test results to back it up. You either want a car like this with these attributes or you dont.

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  I love my Stratus - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Billie - February 11 - 8:35 pm

  I bought my Stratus in June of 2005. I bought it used and it has been a wonderful car for me. At first it took a while to get used to, because my previous car was a roomy 4 doors Grand Prix. I love the sporty design.

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  Cant believe I bought a Dodge - 2016 Dodge Durango
  By Jonathan Schade - February 11 - 9:06 am

  Compares and wins against Tahoe, Acadia, Explorer, etc

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  Go Mango! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Greg - February 8 - 3:03 pm

  Best car Ive ever owned, It never stops amazing me as to its abilities, I cannot count how many "awesome car" comments Ive received. Goes like stink, handles great, Great highway fuel is excellent over 30 mpg (I have switched to synthetic oil and relaced the air filter with an K & N)

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  Great car- 1 year ripe - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By stonewt - February 8 - 10:00 am

  This has been a like riding on air. The drive and handling is so smooth. Would like some extra oomph in hard excelleration, (but its a minivan) and have had fit and finnish problems. Had to take it to the overstaffed dealer to replace a weather strip on the top after a week. The dealer sent me to a bodyshop which looked at the strip that came off, and called the DEALER to order the part which would take 2 wks to arrive (we didnt get to pick the part up. The piece eventualy drove us mad so a more helpful service man stuck some doulble sided tape on and fixed the problem.....

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  Be Prepaired - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Brian - February 8 - 6:37 am

  If you buy this car be prepaired to spend over a $1000 a year in tires. The F1 Supercars only last about 18,000 miles. At $250 apiece it gets very expensive to drive. The fuel was a surprising factor, it actually does very well if you keep your foot out of it. I get 20mpg on the highway and 17 in the city. Not bad for 425hp. Dont even bother driving it in the winter or real cold weather, you litterly wont go anywhere. Tires stink in the slightest bit of snow. Overall, I would buy this car again, but only if you can finance it for 3 years then trade it off.

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  Beast Unleashed - 1993 Dodge Stealth
  By The Bullet - February 7 - 10:40 pm

  Ive always wanted one so when I had the chance to get one I had to get it. Once in it I experienced overwhelming joy as I pushed on the pedal. Its handling and performance are all that I expected it to be.