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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  Some problems but I still love It!! - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By Frank OH - November 18 - 2:00 am

  I drove my new truck home. I had it towed back to the dealer an hour later. The radiator hose came off in my driveway. Ive had the heater core replaced,it leaked on the floor of the cab. I had the steering column replaced, the tilt wheel lever came off in my hand. Other then these problems I love it. Thats what warranties are for.

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  Good vehicle - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By znn94x - November 15 - 2:00 am

  No problems with my Durango other than the gas mileage, but that is to be expected. Excellent build quality and fun to drive - plus it has the offroad capability if you need it.

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  97 Dodge Caravan - 1997 Dodge Caravan
  By cnoyes - November 12 - 2:00 am

  This has been an excellent vehicle for us!

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  Dodge snuck a sports car ina family car! - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By TAL2GK - November 12 - 2:00 am

  This is a company car for me, but the Intrepid has me truly enjoying the many miles I spend behind the wheel! The 234 ponies really like to be pushed hard, and youll surprise more than a few stoplight dragsters out there with its agility. Styling may be subjective, but this one has the sporty appearance, too. Its a large car, no doubt about it - but it sure doesnt drive like one! The trade-off for sporty handling is that its not very good in the snow with the wide tires its dressed with. Pick up some snow tires, though, and youre in great shape. (Then again, I live in Upstate NY).

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  Great Reliable Sporty Car - 1998 Dodge Avenger
  By Shantheman - November 10 - 2:00 am

  I am surprisingly impressed with the Avenger. Only thing that worried me was I heard bad things about the transmissions in them, but I installed a cooler and just changed the fluid regularly. I have 140,000 on it now, and I have NEVER had any problems- Engine, tranny, or otherwise. How many cars are like that now days? Cant say the same about other import/domestic hybrids I owned...Good job Dodge/Mitsubishi!

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  Not bad - but .... - 1998 Dodge Caravan
  By Krestoff - November 10 - 2:00 am

  Had this car for 5.5 years. No major problem but had to get the algniment fixed twice and complete brakes repalced at 35,000. Transmission is rough but is still going. Have 51,500 miles on van. For price not bad, but wondering how much longer it will go before major problems. Selling car just for that reason.

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  Our Hemi Magnum - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Terri and BIll - November 9 - 6:13 pm

  Being the first brand new car we owned, we were very impressed with the performance of this car. It is a fun car to drive, and it really gets going when the need is there, especially when getting on the freeway. I love the feeling of being at home in our car. It is very comfortable. It is very special to us as our son purchased it for us, and he monitored the growth of it from beginning to end on the internet.

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  Almost 2 years and 32k later - 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By stekicar - November 9 - 3:59 pm

  No serious problems so far. There is a profound wind noise next to the upper doors corner when windy. Also, when raining, water collects inside the cavity of left side rear view mirror making "running water" noise. Performed M38 transmission update and it shifts better. Needs more improvements though. Noticed a small stain of oil sediment text to the head gasket 4th cylinder. Will keep monitoring. There is a vibration on steering wheel with moderate braking. With heavy braking there is no problem. Michelin tires are good match for this minivan. Drives very good. Quiet inside. Everything in working order. Average MPG: 19.5 (city). On freeway, best was 24.3 at 75mph. Overall - very satisfied.

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  SUV with Style - 2016 Dodge Durango
  By Sparky - November 7 - 10:32 pm

  The Styling is great. the interior lights and tail lights are great. the headlights are a bit dim compared to my Toyota Corolla and Ram 1500. Seating is great, comfortable, love the heated seats. love the autostart and keyfob for unlocking the doors. I just have to get close and the doors unlock for me as I reach for the door. The climate control auto adjusts. The Navigation SUCKS! I use WAZE instead. I do like the traffic and weather( although it gives me a Danbury weather report not putnam county) The GAS price checker is not very accurate.. still shows HESS and not the new name. In summary, car is great, Uconnect needs work to be more relevant. I was also wondering how they address Security on UCONNECT and was told I would be given a USB drive to update it. Working in IT security, I know there are problems that have still not been fixed on UCONNECT (well unless they can push it down to my car)

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  Dodge Durango RT - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By kinserdrift - November 7 - 2:00 am

  Truck looks great motor rpms fluctuate at syeady speed dealer never could make stop overall good solid truck great for towing gas milage sucks at least 30% worse than my 98 eddie baur explorer cant wait to try out a 04 w/HEMI