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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  Roomy car with pep. - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By Tall Guy, tall kids - August 24 - 2:00 am

  Smooth riding, with lots of pep. Very roomy in front, back, & trunk. Great visibility. Very reliable. No disappointments. The only thing to fail in 7 years is an ABS sensor on a rear wheel, although the radio buttons have become erratic while still being useful.

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  Walker Review - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By ACW03 - August 24 - 2:00 am

  Over All very good.

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  love it - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By moose2 - August 24 - 2:00 am

  This is my second durango love the vehicle for the most part,had to many brake problems.froze up in winter time,never had my ford truck brakes freeze before!Gas milage should be able to be improved.

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  Buyer beware - 1996 Dodge Caravan
  By Robert Dennington - August 23 - 2:00 am

  The car has been trouble from the beginning. Chryler couldnt fix the problems while it was under warranty and now since it is out of warranty the problems keep growing.

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  No Value - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By newpwrsol - August 22 - 2:00 am

  Even after I said I would never buy an american made veichle I was forced to after the terrible high resale value of a Toyota. I got the truck and have been very impressed with everything but the value. I got the truck just over a year ago for 14,500 and now i am begging someone to take on trade if for 8000.00. This is why Ill never buy american again.

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  GOOFY - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By Lou Costello - August 21 - 2:00 am

  Roomy, fun to drive and reliable.

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  Dakotas for life - 1994 Dodge Dakota
  By Dakotasforlife - August 20 - 2:00 am

  Fun to drive and the most reliable vehicle ever built I haved owned an 87 Dakota and ran it for 396000 miles it was still running when it crashed but not worth saving so I moved on to a 94 Sport with extended cab and have had no problems in my 45000 miles.

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  Front end issues - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By skibum616 - August 20 - 2:00 am

  Every thing is great but the front end of these trucks. At 89000 miles I had the upper driver side ball joing literally blow apart. The dealership, under my extended warranty, replaced all 4 ball joints on the truck and both upper control arms. After further investigation I found that Dodge Durangos from the years 1996 to 2000 are under investigation by the National Traffic and Highway Safety Administration for this problem. Also, the rotors on these trucks are undersized for the trucks weight. In the 95,000 miles I have had the truck the rotors have been replaced twice and I have replaced the front breaks 3 times.

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  a - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By alec - August 20 - 2:00 am

  Nicest car I have ever driven, and it is used. This had to be the prettiest truck made.

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  Great first car - 2001 Dodge Neon
  By HavasuNeon - August 19 - 2:00 am

  This was my first car. It is great. Very reliable, a/c works great (a huge concern since I live in an area that regularly sees 105). The only problem I have with it is that it does not have an interior trunk release, which makes it a hassle to drop people off at the airport/ pick up a person in front of a store, etc. No maintenance problems as of yet.