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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  From Cherokee to Charger - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Tulsashag - December 5 - 3:10 am

  17mpg in town is hard to obtain when something is this much fun to drive. I average something closer to 15 - 16mpg. With 4 doors and a huge trunk, my wife and two small children have plenty of leg room.

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  SRT-10 2004 - 2004 Dodge Viper
  By alex655321 - December 5 - 2:00 am

  Car is very fast, a handful to handle (vs. my z06) and overall I like it alot. Puts out alot of heat, but stays cool inside, so far. It requires a good driver to drive it fast.

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  No problems so far... - 2000 Dodge Caravan
  By Mountaineers - December 5 - 2:00 am

  We purchased the Sport edition due to the curvy mountainous roads we have to travel, and have found the handeling to be very good for a vehcile that weighs two tons. In almost four years, the only time weve been back to the dealer was due to a loose connection at the transmission fluid cooler. They did acknowledge that it was fairly common to have to tighten those. No engine or transmission problems, and no complaints. We have taken the van on the 2,000 mile round trip between home and Florida several times without incident, but the seats are not all that comfortable after 10 or 12 hours.

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  MY DURANGO - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By ROTHMI - December 5 - 2:00 am

  WELL EVER SINCE I BOUGHT IT I HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT AND IT IS ALWAYS THERE FOR ME WHEN I NEED IT. IT HAS BEEN THE BEST THING THAT I HAVE EVER BOUGHT AND I AM HAPPY WITH IT.

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  1998 Grand Caravan LE AWD 3.8L - 1998 Dodge Caravan
  By Jeff - December 4 - 2:00 am

  Excellent running and driving vehicle. Even though used with 75,000 miles runs like my brand new truck.

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  Safest car on the market - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By Elliebean - December 4 - 2:00 am

  Well I dont really know if its the safest but when I got in an accident with my dodge stratus, it saved my life. The car took the impact in all the right places and the driver and I walked away just fine. If you could see the picturesof the accident, youd be amazed. Im buying another one.

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  SRT-4 - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By G unit - December 2 - 10:00 am

  very fast .. beats a rx7 TT stock .. v8 mustang .. ride is very nice turns very smooth .. loud exhaust stock .. fun to drive

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  Clifford, The Big Red Dodge - 1997 Dodge Ram Van
  By Mike - December 1 - 6:23 am

  To set the record straight I bought my 1997 Dodge B1500 from a private party for $300 when the vehicle is worth $2500. It is a conversion van made by Primetime and I fell in love with it as soon as I drove it, though it stalled from a dry gas tank and the serpentine belt snapped, I felt like I had to have it. It is reliable for it has a small block v-8 and my father and I were shocked to see it still running strong with the work it needed and how bad the oil in it was. I.E. in severe need of a tune up and brakes. It still needs a bit of work but it preforms great! Gas economy is good too: 17-21, no lie! It is my first car and I love it greatly!

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  Well worth the $$$$ - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By SARCARS - December 1 - 2:00 am

  Owning over 20 different vehicles, none Dodge before this one...Im a converter. This van 112K and going stron has absolutely been excellent! Usually I avoid 1st year new model runs, and especially a Dodge! The ride is smooth - good performance & gas mileage and no Major repairs thus far. The few recalls have been minor stuff and we are just very pleased! I would highly recommend this 96 Grand Caravan SE 3.3Litre to anyone who asks.

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  Fan - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By jukeinc - December 1 - 2:00 am

  The car is very solid and could be a blast to drive but my feeling is that there is insufficient air flow to the engine. I am working on ways to improve this horesepower issue and would welcome any ideas. In the future the car should be built with dual exhaust to help a little with whatever drag is occuring in the engine.