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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  Excellent for a young family! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Yellow Cube - July 23 - 5:33 am

  I bought this crossover to replace my good ol Plymouth Neon. I was looking for a Patriot, loved it in the test drive but waited a few weeks... and bam! The Journey went out! I just couldnt thank myself for waiting. For about $5,000 (Canadian) less, I could have about everything a Patriot Limited Edition could offer me (except for the leather finish, which I didnt want anyway). I was happy for being able to buy my familly a new vehicule, but with the Journey, I managed to get options I would never think of at this price with the SE Plus and the Family Pack options. I am very pleased with it and even made a lot of noise when going to friends a family with this beautiful beast.

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  Too many problems - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By mrsrob - July 22 - 7:06 pm

  I didnt experience any problems until almost one year after I purchased it. The car would just shut off at times while at stoplight, I took it to the dealer each time this happened and after the third attempt they were able to finally correct the problem. Next my brakes and rotors needed to be replaced, I couldnt beleive a car with such low mileage would need brakes let alone rotors replaced! Now the engine light comes on while Im driving, and starts flashing and starts riding really rough as if going to stall out. I pull over restart the car and it drives fine again. Not to mention the interior issues, water stains on seats and torn insulation that frames doors. Poorly made car!

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  Feel Like a Celebrity - 2009 Dodge Challenger
  By johndm - July 22 - 11:34 am

  This is a great car, probably the best I have ever owned. The car is quiet, runs smooth, gets a lot better gas mileage than I anticipated, and has power to spare. The most fun is that I feel like a celebrity. I have had this black Challenger R/T for about 4 months. I have met more people who just want to talk about the car. I constantly get the thumbs up. The Japanese cant design and make a car like a Challenger with this styling, power and performance, and at a great price. This is American automotive know-how at its best.

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  car is ok - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By jeni740 - July 20 - 4:43 pm

  I traded in a 02 Taures ses for my Avenger. The Taures had better speed and was much more comfortable. The look of the Avenger from the front is awesome!! From the back not so much. I am having problems with my Rpms going up by itself. Yesterday while in park in my driveway my Rpms shot up to 4 all on its own, I had to shut it off and that stopped it. My windows squeek if rolled all the way down and the steerling feels off. I am going to have it looked at Wednesday I hope the can diagnose the problems and fix it asap. For a new car I did not expect all the problems I am having.

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  The Worst Vehicle I ever owned - 2001 Dodge Caravan
  By TP - July 20 - 4:34 pm

  Bought new and have had nothing but problems - Heres a short list: Power steering twice Two Air Conditioning condensors Check Engine Light twice Heater Coil leak Arm rest fell off after 30,000 miles rear wiper does not work properly Radiator leak This car is 8yrs old but only has 103,000 miles on it. I changed the oil religiously and did not drive it "hard." How can anyone look at the above list and tell me this is acceptable. Next time its a Honda or Toyota.

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  Just what our family needs.... - 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By mikesr11 - July 20 - 3:32 pm

  We have owned a windstar, and odyssey in the past, this 2012 grand caravan has them beat. This van has everything we need without breaking the bank. The SXT package is well equipped for our daily needs. The van drives more SUV like, and seems a bit wider than our 04 odyssey. The stow away seats are amazing, and are easily labeled: 1,2,3,4 so anyone who is not familiar with the van can follow the steps to put them into the floor. The stereo has excellent sound quality and is voice activated. The black seats look really nice and modern, and I prefer not having the 8 seats, and keeping the traditional captains chairs in the middle- Its much easier for the kids to get around this way.

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  Very Reliable Car - 2000 Dodge Stratus
  By Jim - July 20 - 12:06 pm

  I bought my car in Fitzgerald auto mall in frederick with 77k on it. Now it has 156k on it and never had a single problem. I had a tranny replaced at 91k due to damages that occured in D.C. The car had minor replacements nothing major since the tranny incident. The problem with this car is steering system. I have replaced the tierods twice on both sides and replaced the bearings once on the drivers side. Also the alignment is a big problem for the car it easily gets off once you hit the rough roads. Long trip is a heaven for me. I am a big guy and driving the car on a long trip I could do lots of driving in a day without problems!

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  The Good and The Bad - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By Mr. Rogers - July 20 - 9:53 am

  I was given this car as a hand down. So it was not my first choice in a car. The intrepid is about to go to the shop as i am writing this review. Over all this vehicle has been reliable. For the size of the car and what you get it could be considered the 7 series of Dodge. (haha) There have been many parts that have needed to be replaced. The headlights especially, $500+ for the two headlights, and they are broken again not even 6months later. Steering is another huge problem. Basically its a great car if the proper time and money is invested, reliability is great. But I would have to say that i would not purchase another intrepid, but a challenger would look great in the driveway!

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  Excellent Car/Great Value - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Jim Pennington - July 19 - 4:10 am

  We purchased this car for our 17 year old son and have nothing but great things to say about it. Originally, we set out to purchase a used 2004/2005 Nissan/Honda/Toyota with less than 30,000 miles. The price range on these cars was $15,000 to $17,000. We then checked on the all-new 2007 Caliber and found we could get the SXT version for $17,800. That was three months ago and the car now has 5,000 miles on it. There have been no problems whatsoever; the car averages about 30 miles per gallon; theres loads of interior space; more than adequate power; and excellent bulid quality and design. My wife and I wish we wouldve bought one for ourselves!

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  I have 2.0L SXT - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By xjerseygirlx - July 18 - 2:19 pm

  Im also not sure why Edmunds hates this car! I have a SXT 2.0L CVT trans - red with black & red sport seats & red around the stereo. I LOVE MY CAR!! In my opinion, & also that of those whove been in my car, the interior DOES NOT look cheap. I took this car on a small road trip to go camping the day after I took it home & it was perfect for that. The seats were comfortable on the drive, it fit everything in it that we needed, we didnt even notice any road noise with the awesome stereo on (oh & to those of you complaining about not being able to see title & names on the radio/Sirius all you have to do is press the "info" button & it shows that stuff)...all in all this is a great car