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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  What a wonderful car! - 2009 Dodge Caliber
  By ejman - July 30 - 10:48 am

  I purchased after test driving the Scion XD, Nissan versa, Nissan Cube, KIA Soul, Chevrolet HHR. The Caliber is a far more substantial car, not "tiny" feeling at all. I got the 1.8 engine with the 5 speed manual transmission. What an outstanding combination. The car feels wonderful, corners really flat with great handling. Just took it out yesterday to the coast on a really windy hilly road. Great passing ability, pulls up just fine on hills. (Also 35+ MPG). It hit 111 yesterday, the AC works just great no problem at all keeping up with that heat on next to the lowest setting on the AC.

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  Great Truck-Poor MPG - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By MARMOPAR - July 30 - 9:22 am

  Bought this truck in 2006 with 60K. Currently at 84K. I have replaced the AC evaporator & compressor, PS pump, brake lines (rust), brake pads & rotors. I run synthetic oil (change at 3K) and trans fluid and have had none of the sludge problems that I read about. It has a full tow package and I pull a 20ft travel trailer. I love driving this truck - it does anything I need it to do and is easy to drive in traffic. I just wish the fuel mileage was better. I have gotten as high as 16 on the highway @ 55mph w/o the trailer (12 @ 70mph) but drops to 7 w/trailer. In town is 8-9. I would love to see if I could get the Hemi with cyl deactivation retrofitted to this truck.

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  Surprisingly Great Little Car - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Luann - July 30 - 9:13 am

  I bought this car because it was a super clean, low-mileage trade-in at the dealership. It fit my budget and commuting needs. This car corners well and has good giddy-up when I need to excel to get onto the freeway or pass another car. It turns on a dime so parking is a breeze. Great stereo sound is a plus. I love this car! The reading lamps are great too, housed within the rear-view mirror, like those a lot!

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  Best SUV - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By Rob - July 30 - 5:35 am

  I have owned three Dodge Durangos and they have always been dependable and fun to drive. My 98 Durango has 237,000 miles on it. I do not plan on getting rid of it any time soon. I own a 2008 Dodge Durango also and love both of them.

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  Love it - 2009 Dodge Avenger
  By Bobc - July 29 - 2:43 pm

  Not sure why Edmunds slammed this car so bad??? I Love it! I test drove the Malibu and then the Avenger, and liked it better. It is roomer, just as smooth a ride, and had a little more pickup to it. Plus the Malibu still has the Grampa car look to it, but not the Avenger. Awesome sound system!

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  Durango!! - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By gtbdevs - July 29 - 10:00 am

  The Durango drives great, excellent power, quiet, very comfortable. Good build quality.

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  Great Value - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By DaveMB2 - July 29 - 10:00 am

  Weve had the minivan for 4 months and have put about 3,000 miles on it. Not the slightest hint of a problem. My wife drives it most of the time around town and she loves it. The power doors/liftgate are indispensable. I get to drive the car on the highway and find it smooth and comfortable. Power is fine for us, but we are not aggressive drivers. Gas mileage is about advertised, we get 25 on road trips, but 18 otherwise. We bought the minivan over a sedan mainly for hauling things and its great for that. Its hauled a bulky NordicTrack treadmill and a ton of building/landscaping supplies from Lowes. Much more practical than a SUV.

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  Good Looking Van - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Julie - July 29 - 7:20 am

  If you need a van, I like ours. Weve had this for about 3 years. No problems except power window went out on passenger side. Average mpg 20 plus. Power is good, enough get up and go. I think its the sportiest van around.

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  Expensive to repair - 1998 Dodge Avenger
  By LeoV - July 29 - 4:33 am

  I bought mine used with 125000 miles on it, owned it for a year, the private party i bought it from didnt tell me that the water pump needed replacement@$700.00 (they have to lift the engine to replace it). Head gasket was gone, window buttons fell apart, clearcoat on paint peeled, front struts break, leaks oil everywhere, luckily i was able to trade it in for what i bought it for, ($1100.00).

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  FUN!!! - 2009 Dodge Challenger
  By groovymcawesome - July 28 - 10:48 am

  Ive never had a car I look forward to driving more than this one, and Ive had a lot of cars, including a 1970 R/T. Just a blast to drive. Very responsive for being so heavy. Great sound system.