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 would recommend this to anybody! - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By DodgeMan - September 22 - 3:44 pm

  I Bought my 2001 Stratus SE Coupe last year at 100,000 miles for $7,000. It runs still to this day with no problems. Sure there are oil changes every 3,000 miles, but nothing else! Runs beautiful still to this day, and now has 203,000 miles Wow!

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  Love My Maggie - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By bradyboy1 - September 19 - 11:09 am

  I have had my silver Magnum SE for almost 20 thousand miles and have not had a single issue. I have never taken it back to the dealer for anything other than oil changes. I have not encountered any of the problems that other people have posted on here. It is super quiet and very solid. Everything has worked perfectly! I love the styling. I get a ton of envious looks from both men and women, even with two carseats in the back. It is the coolest "Dad" car on the road in my opinion. It is very easy to load and unload kids and all their "equipment." I feel very cocky on the road in this car and I dont even own the Hemi. I live in El Paso and I have only seen a handful of others.

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  SE is a good Common Sense Car - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By HMK - September 18 - 11:33 am

  Wanted to replace our compact care with something more practical. Was impressed by the low base price. You get a lot of car for the money. Lots of extras and safety is standard (ABS, ESP, Airbags). Good car for driving around town. Car handles and drives well.

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  The Flame - 1991 Dodge Daytona
  By deaconwise1 - September 18 - 8:17 am

  Great car to drive. I have a five speed with a V6. It still competes with the best of them. This has over 250,000 miles on it and it still gives any car in its class or higher a good run. People still ask me whats under the hood. I say just change the oil every 3000 miles and tune it up with some plugs every 5000 miles. The car is great on gas. The best part, I brought this car for $300.00 sitting in someones backyard with weeds growing around it and wasp nest in the door jambs. I was told it hasnt run for years. "One day it stop running." So I hook up some cables to the battery. It turns, but didnt start. No spark. I change the coil, turn the key...Voom! on the first crank. What a car!

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  superman - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By Ron - September 17 - 5:49 pm

  The power is unbeliveable, and it handles great. Lots of leg room. The seats are very comfortable. Trunk storage is real nice

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  Impressed - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By DCJ - September 15 - 5:50 am

  Great car, first week I had it I took it on a 1100 mile trip; out performed the EPA sticker for gas mileage. Even in a 35 mph headwind I was able to get 24 mpg and 28 mpg after the wind died down. Love the large cabin, some friends rode with me and they couldnt believe the leg room. This car doesnt look that spacious but WOW. I expected it to have about 4" of backseat legroom like the Mustang, but very comfortable for my guests to ride in without feeling cramped in the back. I traded in a Audi A4 for this and I will never go back to a small cramped car again.

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  Dont let bad apples ruin your taste - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By kelcan - September 14 - 5:46 pm

  I bought my Stratus in the summer of 2004. It was a fleet vehicle. Which meant to me that it was basically a rental and we all know what people do to rentals. Nevertheless, I got it for a great deal. Although the car is a base model with a few add-ons, its quickly become one of my favorite places to hang out. Ive heard people complain about bad trannies in these cars, and there is some truth to the statment in that Dodge in general has unrealiable trannies, not specific to the Stratus. Furthurmore, if you buy from the dealer, the car comes with a great powertrain warranty. In every car company there are lemons, but my Dodge is a peach.

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  The original is still the best. - 1990 Dodge Caravan
  By Vince - September 14 - 8:30 am

  We dont drive this vehicle except for church and on longer trips. It is now sixteen years old, and I expect that we could very well keep it until it can wear antique tags. I have been through many other vehicles since we bought the Caravan, and none of them have been such a pleasure to drive in a relaxed manner. No it is not a race vehicle, but with the 3.3, getting on the highway even at sixteen going on seventeen model years old, it still can merge onto highways without hesitation or causing others to slow down. I wouldnt trade it for a friends Honda minivan even if he threw in an extra $5000.

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  Touch of Exotic Class - 2006 Dodge Viper
  By WINSTON LAXAMANA - September 13 - 7:31 pm

  When first looking at it, it seems to be too wild. I never expected it to be very pleasant and smooth, but it is very, very comfortable as far as the shifter and the way the angles of mechanisms are placed. It has a very nice smooth tone to its speed. The cornering is excellent. I used to have an M3, never felt happy with it, now I am very happy with my Viper. I havent come across one like my car. It is fast. I went up over 60 miles per hour just in second gear. The critics are wrong, maybe they are too old to drive this beast of the road

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  Great Car - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By Dublin89 - September 13 - 5:37 pm

  I bought my Stratus SE 4cy a little over a month ago, and so far Im very pleased. Im getting about 28mpg, and thats with mixed driving from highway and city. The only things I have had troubles with so far is about a week after I bought the car, the engine light came on and they cant find the problem. The car still runs great.