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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  2015 Dodge Journey Crossroad - 2015 Dodge Journey
  By mikey9515 - January 28 - 1:42 pm

  I recently purchased a 2015 Journey Crossroad AWD 6cyl. I was interested in an SUV that also featured the AWD ability as I live in an area with frequent snow fall. I was initially impressed with the response and ability of the vehicle to handle minor snow conditions, 3 inches or less. However, during a recent snowfall where 6 inches of snow fell in a relatively short period of time, the vehicle turn out to be less than sufficient. The combination of AWD, Electronic Stability, and Braking brought the car to an almost standstill. I had to get hard on the gas to make any progress, and when I switched off stability control, the tires just spun, first front then back and vice versa, terrible.

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  I Am Finished With North American Cars - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By tammyflores - January 28 - 10:46 am

  First sign of trouble with my engine was a carbon build up issue at 40K. I took pride in my vehicle and followed the maintenance schedule. They tried to tell me that I had to use higher octane gas when the specs didnt call for that. I did it for a while, but just after my warranty ran out, my EGR Valve went and then my transmission at 120K. Both bearing went in my front wheel. One while under warranty, the other just after. IÂ’m at 170K and because of carbon build up again, my rad reservoir blew and they just replace my cylinder head because their heads are made from aluminum and guess what now?

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  Great used car value - 2007 Dodge Durango
  By mikey281 - January 26 - 9:39 pm

  The low resale value of these cars can be a real advantage when buying used and planning to keep it for a long time. I have had my Durango Adventurer edition now for about a month and in that time Ive put on about 2000 miles. The ride is smooth and quiet. The 4wd system worked well for driving on the beach to go fishing. I havent had it long enough to know reliability but with most modern cars if you keep them up it should last 150k miles ++ Overall, especially for the price paid I am very happy with this vehicle.

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  Enjoyable car to drive - 2015 Dodge Charger
  By charger8 - January 26 - 11:59 am

  Traded my Honda Accord in for the 2015 Charger SXT, Redline, Rally, 8.5 media, navigation, 20 in wheels. Liked what I saw on dealer lot but fell in love with it during the test drive. In fact, I drove it a second time to my home to see how it would fit in my garage and there was plenty of room even with a second car. The car is exciting to drive and the 300HP is more than enough for both city and highway driving. Acceleration is great, but the car would be super with a turbo. Handling is very nice, seats are comfortable, there is plenty of room, visibility is very good, and media center is outstanding.

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  Wish I Had Never Bought It - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By brandeeboo_92 - January 23 - 10:14 am

  I just bought an 08 Dodge Caliber in August of 2014. I have put almost two grand into it since then...freaking thing breaks down it seems like every six months. Ive had to replace the clutch, three starters, buy a new battery, and have had countless issues with the axle and tires. Its not worth the money to buy this car because its so unreliable. Its comfortable and drives good but mechanically it sucks.

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  Was love at first sight, but then... - 2015 Dodge Durango
  By zoomzoomn - January 21 - 4:57 pm

  We traded in an awesome 7 year old Nissan Armada with over 150,000 miles on it. Our needs have changed a bit we were looking to downsize. Priorites were comfort (including the 3rd row), capability and and gas mileage. The V6 pulls strongly enough and the 8 speed trans is nearly flawless. Gas mileage has been spot on at 19.6 overall in its first 4000 miles. Sadly, the love affair went awry a week after we bought it when I was left stranded 2 hours from home. The car was repaired. Eventually. Now, though, I find myself nitpicking every flaw of which there have been more than Id like. Unfortunately, my initial experience has left me with reservations about recommending this SUV.

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  Money Pit - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By moonfairy - January 21 - 2:26 pm

  I bought my Dodge Intrepid on February of 2013. Iwas just under 100,000 miles when I bought it and in a year and a half of driving put about 13000 miles on it... it started leaking radiator fluid and then oil and power steering. I tried fixing those problems but never could fix the radiator, I couldnt get the fluid to actually go down into the engine as its routed weirdly and it started over heating. Next thing I knew I was getting a knocking noise in the engine and when we checked there was water in my oil. I tried getting that fixed but the fix didnt work and in three days my engine was shot. it has the craziest engine I have ever seen. I would never suggest someone buy this car ever!

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  Great Car to drive - 2014 Dodge Charger
  By joelyjoel03 - January 20 - 12:13 pm

  After driving the car for 9 months now, Ive been able to greatly assess the vehicle. What it lacks in acceleration it makes up in top speed. Its a very quick muscle car. My car is fairly "factory" on the mechanical side with the exception of an aftermarket K&N Air intake system. This simply added 2 or 3 horse power off the line and a more muscle sound from under the hood. The car has great handling on the high end, since being a bit more heavy than usual sedans, while the car is going slower. Its a heavy car (5100 lbs not including the gas and passengers) so you feel it greatly when trying to maneuver quickly. Lets just say I smoked a V8 Mustang with all the bells and whistles.

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  Good value for price - 2013 Dodge Avenger
  By deanhudgins - January 19 - 7:17 am

  I have the basic se model with the 3.6 engine. I did look at a few other cars but was able to get this one in my price with the v6 vs others that only had a 4 cylinder. The v6 is nice and much better than the 4 cylinder in the avenger. I also did not give up much in MPG vs the 4. The ride is not bad at all and the seat are just find for my wife and I. MY son likes the pull down cup holders in the back seat. The Avenger is only a little smaller than some of the cars in its class but its because of this that I liked it. It makes it much easier in parking lots and tight spaces. Be careful backing up because of the blind spot which is bigger than most cars. Overall I really enjoy this car.

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  DONT BUY!!!!!!!! - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By nwhite26 - January 17 - 4:19 pm

  I will save you a lot of time and money by simply saying do not buy this car! Im serious. Days after driving it off the lot, it has stalled on me, died on me, service transmission light comes on constatly, check engine light comes on, and Ive taken it back to the dealership continuous times for repair adn the issue keeps occuring. The dealership refuses to trade me into another car and now has said I have depreciated the value due to keeping it for too long. The two previous owners both had the same issues to, I checked the records. I was tricked into buying this car or else I wouldnt have! For a 2 yr old car this should not happen! Save yourselves, run!!!