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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  durangogo - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By heatu - April 7 - 2:00 am

  very nice car just a little tippy in hard turns or hard braking

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  Love it after 5000 mile camper trip - 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Jeff - April 6 - 10:24 pm

  These vans do what they are meant to do, carry lots of stuff or people. We just finished 5000 mile trip in the Rocky Mountains and our 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT was great. It pulled a pop up camper up and down mountains without a complaint and got great mileage doing it. We had hoped for 20 mpg and got 24mpg(actually 23.7) traveling with the traffic at highway speeds. Now without the trailer mileage approaches/exceeds 30mpg at highway speeds. And our two dogs love it too. We buy and keep our cars for long periods and have always had great performance from Dodge grand caravans.

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  Was hoping for better - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By usmc - April 6 - 2:36 pm

  As soon as I drove this car home, there was a squeak on the drivers side undercarriage. I took it back and it was fixed in a jiffy .. something hadnt been tightened down. When I turn on the A/C there is a "shushing" noise. I need to get that checked out too. Also, it doesnt seem to me that the rear window defroster is working at all. I have put 3500 miles on it since I bought it in Feb.09, with no problems other than what I first mentioned. It is quiet on the road and has enough zip when I need it. The seats show dirt quickly so I have to stay on top of that. The wiper blades are not good quality. They squeak and streak, so Im not happy about that. Decent gas mileage.

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  srt-4 - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Boosty - April 6 - 2:00 am

  Best bang for the buck...literally.

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  IN STEALTH MODE!! - 1995 Dodge Stealth
  By klinger13 - April 5 - 2:00 am

  has been quite reliable. have only needed to replace the clutch for the air- conditioner, driver side window regulator and an o2 sensor.is very fun to drive and handles exceptionally well. i would love to buy another if they still made them.

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  Good Idea, poor execution - 1996 Dodge Caravan
  By JAZZ1151 - April 5 - 2:00 am

  The design is very innovative, however the quality and reliability left a lot to be desired. We purchased a 7 year 100k mile Dodge warranty and used it. Multiple major problems with the transmission (4) including a complete replacement, cooling system, A/C (5) and a belt tenioner that fails like clockwork every 20K miles since new. Many more less critical problems too numerous to mention here. Except for being beat to death with $50 warranty deductables after 36k miles long warranty enabled us to keep the car longer than we would have if we were footing the bills.

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  NICE AND STEADY - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By bigducks - April 5 - 2:00 am

  We still have our 93 caravan with over 154,000 mile and decided we needed the 2002 sport for our long trips back east to see our kids. We like the ride, style, and versatility.

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  My Magnum SXT - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By thegunny - April 2 - 10:00 am

  Absolutely the best riding car I have owned or even test driven. I like the fact that it uses supsension from Mercedes, and the ride is proof that it works as advertised. I have only 900 miles on mine so far, and have yet to take a trip with it. Biggest problem withthe car is the attention you get while driving it. People ride alongside of you just to look at it and they wont pass, or they take alot of time in passing you. Its one sweet looking ride.

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  I Keep Giving it One More Chance - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By neondeb - April 1 - 2:00 am

  This car is fun to drive, very sporty, great gas mileage (29-30). However, we had 22 service visits in first 3 years, 20 of which were for Service Engine Light! They never really knew why, but kept replacing things. After 50K miles, it mostly stopped. AC died at 50,300 after all our trouble, they did a courtesy adjustment. Sun roof has issues. One bad thing...slow- speed (20 MPH) front end collision (fender bender) completely crushed hood/fender/radiator/AC condenser! Too much damage to bother fixing, so sad to see it go.

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  Truck Guts with Beauty - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By AlphaDog - April 1 - 2:00 am

  If you dont want to buy one, dont test drive one - once you hear the guttural growl of the V-8 and feel this trucks ability to get you off the line, youre hooked. The retro, aggressive body style adds to the primal draw. But, this is definitely a truck. If you want the smooth and quiet ride of a land yacht, youll be disappointed. Less aggressive tires can help to smooth the ride of this beast, but its not domesticated. Nevertheless, if you want a go- anywhere, pull-anything workhorse with some family-friendly appointments, like a third row, leather interior and space to move around, this is it.