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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  i give it 8 gold medals - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By kylenewc - July 17 - 11:25 pm

  Not only is this the best mid size truck ever, no other comany has anything like it. powerful,fun,sound,comfort,room,and 4X4 is all amazing. to all the complainers about fuel millage, take a full size truck for a spin and tell me if its any better. the truck has given me some minor problems that about any truck would have.

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  No wonder Chrysler went bankrupt. - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By tavella - July 17 - 10:44 pm

  From the first day I had the car it jumped forward at a deadstop almost rearending people. PCM and TCM reprogrammed six times. Now Speedometer is off. Had a caliper bolt fall out while going 70mph on a highway. Caliper came free, locked the front passenger rim. Cheap plastic parts inside car CONTINUE to break, cheap plastic cooling housing separated and started leaking, various codes kick for no reason. A/C lines clogged and flooding passenger side. Stay away from this peice of junk.

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  What fun - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By jose1951 - July 17 - 5:50 pm

  Best car I have ever owned. Turns heads. Fun to drive and very useful. The RT city gas mileage isnt great, but coming from a large SUV, its just as good or better. If I could afford it I would get rid of my other car and buy another one just like it.

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  Lots of storage, lots of problems - 2001 Dodge Caravan
  By Soringfield Dodge - July 17 - 4:27 pm

  Purchased this vehicle new, and maintained it to the letter. It has received much better treatment than it has provided us. We have kept it because the value plummets as soon as you take ownership of it, and its trade-in value tanks overnight. Mostly steering/front suspension problems have been reoccurring although the cooling system has been problematic as well.We will never buy another Chrysler product again, although other consumer reviewers have had much better experiences with their Caravans. So much for quality control.

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  best car ever - 1996 Dodge Stratus
  By first time dodge car - July 17 - 3:05 pm

  I have had this car for over 13 years, and I hate parting with it. It has been very reliable, but, since I am getting older, and my knee joints ache, I will have to part with it for a vehicle that has higher seats, such as an SUV. However, if they were still making them, I would buy another one in a second.

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  2009 Dodge Caliber SXT 2.0 CVT - 2009 Dodge Caliber
  By Dodge Man - July 16 - 3:55 pm

  All I can say about this car is that it has everything you need and more and for 2009 they have really cut down on wind and engine noise from 2007 and for 2010 they are getting a new interior.

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  love the car - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By LOVE IT - July 16 - 6:58 am

  i bought this car in May 2008 and have had for 14 months now. i have 34,000 miles on the car with a longgg commute to work and have never had a problem (knock on wood). yes i have the 4 cyl, but you cant beat the gas mileage. one of the comments above said that they got compliments on their car. i get the SAME thing. everyone loves the look of the car. take care of the routine maintenance and you shouldnt have any problems.

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  Buy extended warranty - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Jeff - July 16 - 6:52 am

  Traded a 99 model for this 05,mainly for upgrades.At 19000 miles the temperature gauge quit working.Gauge is part of $515 instrument cluster. Had Chrysler max care extended warranty so cost me $100 to fix. These cars were after all the cheapest Chrysler made,so an extended warranty is a good idea.Also they were most likely the only cars Chrysler actually made any money on and stopping production was kind of stupid in my opinion. Not saying it would have kept them out of bankruptcy procedings but who knows. Maybe they will bring it back as a Fiat!

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  Awsome - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By roger - July 15 - 10:47 am

  Bought my Durango in March 07. It only had 49000 miles, it now has 64000 miles. good power and reliability, i drove from MD to PA on several occasions the ride was very comfortable. drove cross country from MD to KS towing a nissan PU and the towing and power were excellent. the best SUV i have driven. better then the ford and chevy lines. the MPG is something to be disered about 12.5 to 13 miles to gallon, but i knew this when i bought it. the body still is tough looking but also classy. best SUV out there.

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  Wouldnt buy it again - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By jackrelax - July 13 - 9:40 pm

  Car was bought new and had no significant motoric or electrical problems for several years. The first non-driver related issue (that I can recall) was a cooling fan stopped working. This came about in 2006/07. The alternator seems to be going out now, 2009. The oil has been changed on a regular basis. A new battery was required, for the first time, a few months ago.