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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  Most fun driving... ever! - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By ScarletKnight - January 6 - 2:00 am

  Cheap fun in plain clothing is the Neon ACR. The 150 horses moves that car faster than a Neon should, and it handles like cars costing three or four times as much. The only giveaway to your ACR status is dual exhaust tips. That, and showing your taillights to nearly any Honda that tries to pass you.

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  2000 Dodge Dakota - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By jmbudde - January 6 - 2:00 am

  The only thing that I do not care for in this truck is the fuel economy. The truck fits my lifestyle and what I need it to do. The interior is roomy and comfortable for the over all size.

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  Long time fan - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By urbanrob - January 5 - 2:10 am

  This is my third Dodge Caravan and the best of them. Ive been driving this 1997 for 80k+ miles and I keep it in good condition with regular maintenance. The steering rack is the only major part that needed replacing. With 4 kids and a lot of very local driving, this is perfect for mom. The car is spacious, comfortable and easy to drive. Mine is AWD, which brings additional comfort in traction during wet or snowy weather. Very happy with it.

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  2001 Dodge Stratus SE - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By Bridget - January 5 - 2:00 am

  This car is a great car. It has a sleek style and it is fun to drive. I feel safe driving in it and very comfortable. Even though it isnt exactly a family sedan it offers extra safety features for car seats and individual cup holders and reading lamps. The power mirrors and cd and cassette feature is very nice!

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  Wont sell my Durango - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By scott r - January 4 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Durango a little over 2 years ago and have been pleased. The 5.9L is very thirsty but great power when needed. Ride is trucklike but agile. Too much wind and road noise at highway speeds. Only problems have been a tough-to-fix tranny leak that has added up to $400 and a drivers side power window motor(vehicle now has 87000 miles). Great size but would be nice to have enough for 4 x 8 sheet of plywood/sheetrock. Aesthetically appealing interior and exterior. ABS system poor on snow/ice I could stop faster without. Have been thinking of selling for less expensive payments but it is too fun to drive and too handy to get rid of.

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  Great Fun Driving Car - 1999 Dodge Neon
  By mactart - January 2 - 2:00 am

  Fun to Drive, Peppy, 4Doors a great asset, back seat plenty of room, back seat split also used quite a few times. Love the cloth seats, and sun roof when it worked. Its broken twice, fortunately broke closed. Use my MP3 Player in the cassette player slot which I cannot do with a CD. Had a blown head gasket, and two sun roof failures. I still love driving it the head gasket was repaired after warranty ran out, but actually started to leak before warranty was up, but didnt realize what it was.

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  2002 Dakota SLT Plus - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By vettemanpc - January 2 - 2:00 am

  Great truck for day to day use, however it is lacking in the following areas. Fair interior, lacks style/plain. no white face guages,red tail lights,amber turn lights, Could use some restyling to reflect a more ram like appearance. Dodge should also offer more choices regading performance & handling options on the 4 door truck. Ram Air option would be also a good idea. Disappointed with fuel milage and performance with 5.9 approx 17mpg on highway dispite several modifications. For a 5.9L I expected a lot more power in this size truck.

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  Why such a bad Head Gasket - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By Ziggy99 - December 31 - 2:00 am

  I have been happy with the car except for the engine work required. Head Gasket failure at 80K was rediculous even with reqular maintenance. (Major failure came after coolant and oil change at the dealer.) Did they cover it under a recall no because i had more than 50k on the car. If it wasnt for the big ticket repair bills i would be very happy with the car. Nice interior (best in its class if you ask me)

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  The van likes the shop more than me - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By PT - December 29 - 2:26 pm

  I really like this vehicle but it spends too much time in the shop. Too many issues (window motor, door motor, AC, radio, trans) to mention here but the high end extended warranty 7 yr/100K mile was worth it. We received $8-10K worth of work via the warranty. It has a sports handling package & rides well but with some noise. We take this to FL from DC every year. Interior is nice, somewhat plasticky but solid. Exterior is very sporty & one of the nicer looking vans on the road. I enjoyed the van but even with the warranty, it sucked the life out of me going back & forth to the dealer. We replaced it with a Sienna. This was our 3rd Chrysler, dont buy one without a warranty.

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  Classy, Snappy Performer - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By 2Evil4U - December 28 - 2:00 am

  Love the car so far. No problems at all. Plenty of power and 30MPG to boot. Stock, Ive gotten a 15.178 @ 89.99 mph at the drags. Fun to drive.