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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  NOT TOO BAD SO FAR - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By ROB R - November 30 - 10:00 am

  I HAD ONLY ONE PROBLEM SINCE PURCHASING IT USED..I HAD A SENSOR GO OUT THAT KEPT THE VAN IN 2ND GEAR..IT HAPPENED 2 DAYS AFTER PURCHASING IT SO THE DEALER REPAIRED IT AND GAVE ME A RENTAL CAR..10,000 MILES LATER..ALL IS OK

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  Recently rented this car for two weeks - 2015 Dodge Dart
  By Rhonda Z - November 27 - 3:33 am

  I rented this car for two weeks. I thought the seats were very comfortable, and it was easy to get in and out of the car. Overall I was quite impressed with the car. It was spacious, the trunk held all of my and my daughters luggage with room to spare. And our luggage tests the limits of the checked and carry-on dimensions. The controls were simple and easy to figure out, the mirrors were easily adjustable, and the ride was smooth. The car was not afraid to go very fast on the highway. I was shocked to see how fast I was going (over 100) at one point because it was gliding over the road so smoothly. I had to set the cruise control to keep myself in check. The only negative things I can say is that it is slow to respond if you want to rapidly increase your speed. But for a four cylinder it is more than acceptable. And the car has such a low clearance that it kept scraping on the pavement. I live in the Rockies and no matter how slow I entered and exited my driveway, it scraped. And no matter how slow I creeped through intersections in neighborhoods, it scraped.

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  2003 Stratus R/T Coupe - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By bilmato - November 26 - 2:00 am

  Handles great, smooth and quiet. Could use another 25 - 50 HP, but the performance is adaquate for most drivers. Im a bit disappointed in braking performance, but after driving an IROC Daytona for ten years it would be hard to find a car that stopped as well as that one.

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  love this car - 2003 Dodge Viper
  By how - November 25 - 2:00 am

  traded in my 2002 vette z06, this awsome car is more fun in all ways to drive then the vette.where ever i go people always ask me about it.thais is bnot a car for the faint of hart. the only thing negative i can say is that my licnese is not going to last long

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  dependability and standard accessories - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By HUBERT - November 24 - 2:00 am

  The durango is the best buy for for your money The drivetrain is excellent and the 5.9 engine has plenty of power for towing gas msileage could be better, however, it is better than a lot of competors

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  RT - Best deal in 2005 - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By MagnumMike - November 21 - 10:00 am

  This is the smoothest, fastest, and quietest car Ive ever driven. I can forgive the malfunctioning CD Changer, jammed rear seatbelt, and finicky tailgate for a ride like this. I keep thinking of reasons to go run errands. The engine is effortlessly powerful and the tranny is silky smooth. The 5 Speed Autostick is even becoming fun. I never really understood the appeal of a fake manual, but its fun to downshift to slow the car. You will never need to downshift for acceleration. The car can do it better without you. Ill admit Im enjoying all the people stopping to admire and ask about the car.

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  My Used Avenger Experience - 1995 Dodge Avenger
  By voradtralundir - November 19 - 2:00 am

  One major issue during my time with this car: the PCM had to be replaced and took a long time to diagnose. I have driven 80,000 miles on this vehicle since I purchased it used. The previous owner did not take good care of it and even went curb surfing with it. Despite that, the car has been very reliable and resilient. Excellent performance from the 2.0 litre engine and economy that shames some other four cylinders: A personal best of 37 mpg on a 200 mile trip to Virginia Beach. I love this car.

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  Love the Caravan - 2001 Dodge Caravan
  By msweet248 - November 19 - 2:00 am

  We will definately buy another Caravan. It is the best car we have ever owned. Extremely happy.

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  What was I thinking? - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By mommymobile - November 19 - 2:00 am

  I liked it at first, dont get me wrong. Ive had the car for a year. The sunroof has already broken once. My volume radio gets louder when I try to turn it down. The brakes squeak something awful. And whats up with the rattling? It sounds like my used Cavalier I had seven years ago!!

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  My Durango - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By kphillips2000 - November 18 - 2:00 am

  I have loved my 99 Durango in the three years I have owned it. It adapts from traveling to work, to carting kids to the game, to hooking the camper behind and going on a trip. Its never let me down with any sort of maintenance issues.