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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  A great pickup - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By DakotaSport - December 9 - 6:45 pm

  If youre in the market for a mid sized truck the Dodge Dakota is an excellent choice. I disagree the unhappy reviews. Most people dont write reviews if they are satisified. Ive had my truck for over a year, and although I have replaced a few things, the trucks overall performance and features well make up for the repairs you may need to do. The trucks size is far less bulky than that of the full size p/u, and allows for easy parking in most situations. The trucks ride, power, and curb appeal are all excellent. Prevenitive maintence eliminates numerous problems listed in other reviews. The Dakotas interior build quality far exceeds that of many other manufacturers, I.E no rattles.

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  First Dodge ever - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By rudy - December 8 - 12:53 am

  The car looks great. You get a lot of "thumbs up" when you are driving. Talk about a head turner, there must be a lot of people with sore necks watching you drive by. The car rides and drives like or better that a Lexus, with 340hp under the hood. Its great to have a rear seat DVD for the kids, nav system, heated leather seats, Sirius radio, room for the family, and all the performance you could want. Its also great to be able to take the kids to school, fill up the huge trunk at the grocery store, and still be able to blow away some punk kid in a foreign car. I never though I would ever own a Dodge. This car changed my mind.

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  2nd New Generation Durango - 2006 Dodge Durango
  By MNicley - December 7 - 10:15 pm

  This is the second new style Durango I have owned. I had a 2004 SLT with the hemi which I loved. Traded it in on this 2006 Limited Hemi. The MPS gets me about 2 more mpg city (15) and 4 more mpg on the highway (22). The Alpine sound system is geat as is all the other creature comforts! Cant beat the options, power, and performance compared to other SUVs of similar and higher price.

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  Happy? - 2006 Dodge Durango
  By Frank - December 6 - 2:06 pm

  I traded in my 2002 Mercedes-Benz S500 to get a truck. I have to say that Im not 100% happy but Im also not disappointed. I have to say the Durango is fun to drive and the interior quality is better than good. The six in dash CD player and steering wheel control are easy to use and the ride is like a car. I give this one a 9 out of 10 in the truck category. The third row seat is also well suited, and the quality of the leather is also well above average.

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  My 05 Dakota - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By mike Lovrinoff - December 6 - 9:19 am

  I purchased my Dakota almost 2 yrs ago I drive a lot of highway miles. I find the Dakota stable at high speeds, comfortable, and the fuel economy at sustained speeds of 75mph not bad at 21mpg. I have the 6 cyl engine. Its not the peppiest engine but does an adequate job. (the Dakota does tip the scales at over 4,000lbs) The body is tight, the ride is smooth, and the bucket seats are comfortable for a big guy like me. My only complaint so far is that the the dashboard and radio lighting is inadequate in bright daylight. I cant read the letters and numbers on the radio! Overall the truck really is reliable, comfortable, and well put together

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  Nice look - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By cm1212 - December 4 - 8:21 pm

  Ive had my R/T for 3 years. Only problem I had was bad rotors and my auto dimmer rearview mirror (just started disappearing) and the the wiring for the mirror is loose somewhere. But other than that its been a great car and looks good!

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  Great! - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Aj T - December 2 - 2:00 am

  Great best car of its kind!

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  Charger SRT 8 - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By jsdixon - December 1 - 1:50 am

  Just got the car and drove it about 500 miles in 3 days. I traded a Corvette for this car and am VERY happy I did. This car has more power, better transmission (5 speed auto), and a very easy to use navigation system. This is the best car I have ever purchased.

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  Very Cool Car! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Hard_Charger - December 1 - 12:13 am

  I bought my RT a couple of weeks ago and I love it. It drives nice and has a lot of power. I love the GPS system and the interior layout (although the cupholders should be larger).

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  Outstanding family vehicle! - 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By califamily - November 30 - 9:57 am

  We bought ours as our first minivan, coming SUVs, this was a big change. Ive been watching the 3.6l closely and it seems great in all vehicles so far. The engineering in this thing is genius, the top loading oil filter makes my life in the garage SO much easier! The level of attention and brilliance transfers to every part of the vehicle. We have 26k on ours so far and loved every minute. 0 problems. Its drivetrain is super smooth, it took a little getting used to but within the first day of ownership, any doubts that we had made the right decision were banished! This is an absolutely amazing family vehicle. We drive the competitors and this was by far most comfortable and most functional.