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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  The dodge Neon SXT 5M - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By steve V - August 28 - 10:00 am

  This car gets me where i want to go. Its safe, stylish and fun to drive

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  Stratus - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By JennW - August 28 - 10:00 am

  Excellent choice of vehicle. Great for any family....very spacious backseat and trunk area.

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  2004 Dodge Durango - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By flail - August 28 - 10:00 am

  My family and i love this vehicle. we owned an Older GMC Suburban, a 1993 Plymouth Voyager and a 2002 Dodge Intrepid. We sold them and the Durango replaces them all.

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  2004 Dodge Durango/5.7L Hemi - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By cmccfp - August 28 - 10:00 am

  I own a 1998 Durango and always enjoyed driving it. But, the 2004 5.7L Durango with Hemi and L package is driving heaven. This vehicle is responsive, comfortable, drives like a fine automobile, is loaded with features and just looks great.

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  Awesome - 2006 Dodge Durango
  By mcoon - August 27 - 9:08 pm

  I have always liked the Durango. I purchased one a week ago and just love my Durango. It has the best ride and is very quiet and smooth. The SLT model is great. I just cant say enough about the handling. Its like a hot knife going through butter, very smooth. Dodge has come along way with the Durango. Its the best ride in town.

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  dodge rule - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By desiree - August 27 - 2:00 am

  i think that the car is porfect the way it is. thanks for making such a great car

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  Tuner Friendly - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By davidicus - August 27 - 2:00 am

  I have 7000miles on mine. All in 5 months, I cant stop driving it and I love it more everyday. I am a tuner and I feel like the car was aimed at me. I have swapped out performance parts with ease as if it was made for them. I am putting out 280whp on the dyno and making 13.3 quarter miles passes all day with $700 in performance modification. My engine warranty is surely voided however this engine is so strong I am hardly worried. Normal drivers will never break this car.

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  Fun Fun Fun - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Wolf - August 23 - 3:41 am

  I also drive an 01 Mustang GT and I must say that driving this car is almost as much fun and maybe sometimes more so. I bought this car for a fun daily driver and that is what it is. It is fast for sure and easy to modify. There are many parts available to make this car a Corvette killer! For the price of this car, the performance can not be beat hands down!

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  Initial Impressions - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Robert Gallop - August 22 - 12:56 pm

  My initial review of the van we just took delivery of. I will update this as time goes on... First off, this is one substantial "mini"van. Its big, inside and out. Its quiet on the road, the 4.0L engine puts out plenty of grunt when coupled with the 6 speed auto transmission. The ability to manually shift the transmission might have some actual uses out there, but for me, its just there to make dad feel like hes driving something a bit more sporty. There are so many features available for this van its impossible to list in this space, however, we got every feature we could except the 9 speaker system and power fold rear seat.

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  J RICH - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By jakeb richards - August 21 - 10:00 am

  i love this car!