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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  Good, economical car - 1995 Dodge Stratus
  By Shewinked - February 14 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car with 50K miles on it. Ive had to replace the oxygen sensor 3 times (engine light stays on), and the electical system goes out where the radio, heat/ac and lights dont work. If I stop and turn the car off and then back on, its restored. Otherwise, its been a great car. It was cheap and great in-between car. It looks great, people always think its newer than it actually is.

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  Goodbye, Old Friend - 1994 Dodge Caravan
  By MinnesotaBob - February 13 - 2:00 am

  This was a great family car. Comfortable on long trips, yet nimble enough to drive around town. It sure came in handy, too, for those couple times a year when I went to the lumber yard, or my wife went to a garage sale. It treated us pretty well except for two cracked heads ($1600 each), one at 65K, and another at 103K. Just came back from donating it to a place thatll fix it up and give it to a needy person. Even with that major engine problem, theres more right with it than wrong. We thought about buying another minivan, but since our kids are pretty much grown now, we opted for a sedan instead.

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  Best mid-SUV - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By padodge - February 13 - 2:00 am

  This is my second Durango and I cannot say enough good things about them. Tons of room, good handling, lots of power. Only changes would be the sub- par original tires and the gas milage, I get about 13.5 mpg with my 5.8L V8.

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  Comfortable cruiser - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By peter - February 12 - 9:36 pm

  Ive had my LE for 10 years. Very comfortable on long trips, decent mileage and good power with the 3.8 engine. Seats are actually more comfortable than the stow+go seats on the new models, also interior much nicer on the 96LE. The new ones have an overall cheaper feel. Reliablity is only fair although the engine and tranny have not given me any problems. If you can find one thats been well maintained, especially with a 3.8, it might be worth buying.

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  A Good Purchase... - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By The Madd Bulldog - February 12 - 1:26 am

  Overall, I am very happy with my Journey... its put together very well, is comfortable, and has an "edge" to it. Was definitely worth the purchase price.

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  HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By TOI - February 10 - 2:00 am

  This is a wonderful vehicle my child thinks it rides like a rental car and all my children have long legs and love the fact that there is so much leg room and are very impressed by the feel and the ride of the car. We do alot running around and it is so nice to feel so comfortable in our new 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan.

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  4.7 very impressive 3:92 gear - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By wozz123 - February 10 - 2:00 am

  all in all a really good truck

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  Get rid of 19" tire option - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Mbardsley - February 9 - 8:53 pm

  My wife really wanted the 19" wheel package, giving the vehicle a bigger look. Wow, did we learn. This was a Demo unit, when dodge dealers closing, so got a great deal, almost 10,000 off. We have gone through 2 of the 19" Kumho tires. They are way to soft, cant get them aftermarket. Discount tires is Dealer for Kohmo, but fount like 1 tire in texas. New dealer does not care, since we did not buy from them, oh well. No warranty, take it up with Kohmo. They want $360 per tire for replacement. Only tire made in that size or even close.

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  impressive, first experience with the car - 2015 Dodge Charger
  By Ron - February 9 - 1:46 am

  very impressed and pleased with our choice. (wished I could have found the 5.7) but all is going great with the charger, and no complaints. went to the dealer to look around only, and 2 hours later we left in a sxt plus.

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  Wouldnt have anything else - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By depaulcrew - February 8 - 2:00 am

  63,000 miles and the only thing that has been disappointing has been the fuel mileage.We tow a 6500lb fishing boat and pass everyone else towing a boat and most other motorist on the highway.The 4.7 engine sounds awesome and has more than enough power. The interior is great.Leather seats are soft.Kids love the rear ac and third row seat. The stereo is unmatched for being factory. We did replace the shocks with Rancho RSX9000s. We also replaced the front disc pads long before neccessay because of all the brake dust. We put Ceramix pads on the front ($79) but no more dust. Its been extremely dependable and has only been to the shop for a defective power lock.