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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  1995 Dakota SLT Automatic with OD 3.9 - 1995 Dodge Dakota
  By stlramsfan - November 28 - 11:19 pm

  I got this truck about three weeks ago and I think it all ready deserves a good review. I got this truck from a friend of my grandpa, his grandson had busted out the cab glass and passenger side window, so he decided that he would give it to me for free questioning if it still runs. It had sat for two years, so I pulled it home, hooked up a battery not expecting anything but trouble and to my surprise with two year old gas it fired right up. Ive now drove it about 700 miles, and can say there are no problems with 189,000 miles on it. I can say it gets about 20 in town 25+ on the highway, I have either 323/355 gears the owners manual didnt give the exact gears but it has plenty of power.

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  2013 AWD Citadel - 2013 Dodge Durango
  By larod55 - November 25 - 8:50 am

  I have put about 1200 miles on this vehicle. About 400 of those miles were used to to tow a 17 bass boat through the Ozark moutains.I can find nothing to complain about. Plenty of power when I needed it.

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  Perfect car - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By raypierce - November 18 - 9:52 am

  This is a great little car. The dirty little secret is that the Stratus R/T coupe is built on the Eclipse GTS platform. So you get the American muscle body lines, with the Japanese reliability. I bought this car used at 100K miles, and it now has 210K miles with 0 problems. These are really built rock solid. Performance is also great and the suspension is a lot beefier than the eclipse. Please note, that these cars are completely different from the sedans. Which were built by Dodge. The only downside is that these cars are very rare. If you want a Stratus R/T coupe in manual....you are going to have a hard time finding one, since according to Dodge they built only 750 of these per year.

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  1 1/2 years later I still love it - 2011 Dodge Avenger
  By zones9 - November 15 - 10:18 am

  I have owned many dodge vehicles in my life time but this has to be the best for the dollar. I purchased mine in March of 11 the mainstreet heat series. I was at the dealership getting my Jeep serviced (vehicle that I HATED) when I saw the truck pull in with my Avenger on it...BlackBerry Pearl..she was pretty. Took a different color out for a test drive because that one wasnt even in the system yet and was super impressed!!! I went back after thinking about it and got the one I wanted! The list of features on this vehicle has no end therefore trying to "trade up" for the price becomes very hard to do! Love my climate control. Was very disappointed that dodge knocked down the 2012 model

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  Best Blend of Performance and Size - 2012 Dodge Journey
  By lightaddict08 - November 7 - 3:01 pm

  2012 3.6L Crew AWD w/Heated Seats. Although I do work for Chrysler I found the Journey to be the best choice for my lifestyle. As a young adult I was looking for something sporty, but cargo space was a must after my previous coupe. Looking for a blend of fuel economy, performance, and interior space the 3.6L AWD Journey fit the bill perfectly. Coming from a 5.7L F-Body I was very pleased with the acceleration and handling the Journey offered with much better fuel economy. Additionally I am now able to fit a whole bedroom furniture set in the back. The dynamics of the vehicle hold the tires firm to the ground even in the tightest turns. Overall I am very pleased with the vehicle.

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  GREAT SUV. - 2013 Dodge Journey
  By jbl0114 - November 1 - 9:47 pm

  I love my Journey kids love it and they have plenty of room.I have the crew and the ride and the feel is just awesome.I traded my terrrain for this suv and I dont regret it at all.That little 4cyl on it was already starting to scream and sound like crap.Just not enough power for the trk and I got it now.

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  Dart limited 1.4 DDC - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By shadowmica - October 28 - 8:59 am

  I knew I wanted one of these when they first were announced a year ago. After following the development of the Dart I went with a loaded Limited cause I wanted the leather and the HID headlights and the TFT display which is not available on the Rallie at this time. This car has lived up to all of my expectations. The build quality is superb. The options put anything from Japan in its class out of the League. The ride is awesome and even driving spiritedly I get 32 MPGs around town. I came from a 2008 Civic Coupe and while that was a good car this Dart blows it away. Honda felt tinny and cheap while the Dart feels solid and well built. Buy one Period

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  GREAT RELIABLE CAR AT 200K - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By haydenburtal - October 15 - 6:57 pm

  Ive had my 2003 dodge neon SE for 4 years and put 200,000 miles on it. Oter than replacing the tranny at 100k miles (under warranty) ive had nothing but great gas mileage, luxary, compfort, and everything.

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  A great truck - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By scott251 - October 14 - 2:20 pm

  I had a solar yellow r/t and it was a great truck. That thing had tons of power and was pretty fast. I never had any issues with it. I drove great, was comfortable, parts were cheap, looked great, an all around good truck. It had 142,000 miles on it when I sold it. I sold it due to the gas mileage and gas prices but I miss that truck everyday and plan on getting another soon.

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  2001 4.7L Club Cab - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By canudrivestick - October 14 - 12:04 am

  Awsome truck. I inherrited it from my dad after I recieved my license almost 2 years ago. The only problem was he had driven it 190k miles before it got to me! So for the past two years I have enjoyed driving the truck and its pretty much perfect for me because of it maneuverability, power, and reliability. Unfortunately after 209,132 miles it has reached the end of the line. Will need serious work to fix the manifold and likely more after that. But with 12 years of driving in four season weather (brutal New England winters) and 210k miles how can I complain. Will be very sad to see it go.