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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  Great reliable truck! - 1994 Dodge Dakota
  By Cormak - May 11 - 11:49 am

  I bought my Dakota in 2002 with 40K and it has dependable since the day I purchased it. It now has 108K and I still love driving it. Its had minor repairs only in the last year or so and they have been easy and inexpensive fixes. My only complaint is the clear coat is pealing in some spots, but clear auto spray does the trick to protect the paint. Great size inside (love the back bench seat!)Great size outside, perfect for hauling my hay and grain or furniture, no blind spots like the new Dakotas, great drive, good on fuel for the size.

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  BEST PURCHASE I COULD HAVE MADE! - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By Emily - May 11 - 9:57 am

  I bought this car right before my 18th B-Day and couldnt have chose anything better. It had 151,000 miles and now has over 200,000 miles on it and still running. Paid $1500 for it and need some minor repair. But with $4,000 (got all the work done at a dealership) into it I still have no regrets!

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  Love my Dart - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By Linda 944 - May 10 - 4:26 am

  Great little car!

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  OK For The Money - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By gon2kona - May 9 - 8:16 pm

  Bought used from private party with 36000 miles. Dealer allowed us to purchase extended warranty and its a good thing we did. My wife likes the van more than I but I tend to be more of a details person. For the money its probably the best way to go if you need a mini van. Japanese competitors are much better build and reliability but also twice the dollar. We have had several issues with this van and know the service people well. Steering, Suspension Components, Transmission, Trans cant find the right gear on grades etc. AC was a problem also. GET THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. Chrysler, no wonder you guys are in trouble. You build self destructing products. Take notes from competitors.

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  AWESOME AUTO - 2009 Dodge Challenger
  By catsmandan - May 9 - 1:52 pm

  We got the R/T with the automatic tranny. Great car for cruising with the family. Awesome power and drivability. Tried out a Mustang GT but the back seat was almost non- existant, so opted to try out the Challenger. Dodge really got it right with this car! Beautiful styling, great fit and finish, excellent power and handling! The 6 speaker sound system is great. The seats are very comfortable. This car is a blast to drive! A real HEAD TURNER!

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  Pretty good machine......... - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By ILIKEMOPAR - May 9 - 1:19 pm

  I have had this car for a year now and I must say I am pretty impressed. Although I have had a few little issues (fuel pump replaced to correct a rough idle in wet weather, front swaybar bushings and rear swaybar links replaced, some dirt in rear brakes cleaned up, fuel guage reprogrammed), overall this car is reliable, it now has 40 000 kms on it. Rides great, gets between 25-30 mpg overall driving, handles well. CVT transmission is a great setup and the 2.0 engine has planty of power. Nice sound when full throttle.

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  Good for 50k miles - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Bob - May 8 - 10:49 pm

  This vehicle is a maintenance nightmare. Go ahead and pull out the maintenance schedule and you will see what I mean. For example, plugs every 30k miles, axle flush ever 15k miles, transmission fluid every 30k miles, etc, etc, etc. This was a nice SUV for about 50k miles, but it has had problems with the steering and irritating clunking noise coming from the front suspension. The fuel tank has problems so it like to shoot fuel all over the place if you fill it up and allow the pump to automatically shut off. The transmission has started to slip and there is an idle problem that causes it to die. Has had this problem since about 30k miles. Just poor quality overall. We have the 4.7L Magnum.

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  A Blast From The Past - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Adele Skubic - May 8 - 9:53 pm

  This is a fun car. It reminds me of the 1968 Charger I drove in my 20s. I love the way it sounds and the way it handles and manuvers. I feel like a kid in the candy store. It is really a comfortable car. I put the spoiler on the back and chrome wheels. I get so many compliments on this car. I got the gun metal gray one. I was hoping it would have come in burgundy. My 68 was that color. I think if you keep creating cars with style instead of some companys making cookie cutter cars you will ahead of the game. I think the muscle car era was great, you could just look at the vehicle and know right away what it was. They had distinction not like many of the cars today.

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  Disappointed - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By highly disappointed - May 7 - 3:01 pm

  So, I bought this car because it was all I could afford at the time. However, I wish someone had told me how cheap it was, not to mention that they are hot cars to steal. This car is made so cheap the interior doors were coming off (plastic). Most 95 have problems with oil leaking so I was told by a mechanic. I had my car stolen the police said they are easy to steal. HE was right! I could easily pry my fingers behind my window and unlock my doors. Other problems I encountered with this cheaply made vehicle were that the driver side lock was broke so in order to lock my car I had to go through the passenger side to get into the car. The radio would work occasionally.

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  Biggest mistake Ive ever made! - 2008 Dodge Nitro
  By NoMoreDodge - May 7 - 12:39 pm

  We bought the R/T model with every option that you can get in one, except it didnt have a security system in it which makes no sense. From pretty much day one we have had nothing but problems with it. The A/C didnt work properly the first 4 months we owned it, Check engine light has come on numerous times, took it in they say nothing is wrong, passenger seat squeaks, parking brake dont work at all, rear windshield wiper breaks going through the car wash, now with only 26,500 miles on it the main computer (PCM) has to be replaced. Been in the shop for a week and part is still not in! Would recommend never buying one of these!