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:

• 

  Affordable and easy - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By Piktograf - June 16 - 2:00 am

  Just got this one. Previosly owned: Subaru Justy ("lovely" ECVT)91, Buick Skylark86, Mitsubishi Eclipse00 (masturbationative Tectronic???). This one is for 9-to-5 commute and for $2100 with working AC its just perfect. Hard feelings over railtracks but hey - its driving!

• 

  First New Dodge - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By Lacaha - June 16 - 2:00 am

  Purchased new (1999), delivery was excellent. Would have appreciated knowing that front wheel ABS is an option. Didnt really need 5.9L but has been a blast to drive, but not fillup! Biggest complaint has been the replacement of two of the four electric door lock motors (two months outside of warranty). Really liked the cargo capacity and the flexible seating arrangement (3 kids & own business).

• 

  Dodge Neon - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By Robert McLacklin - June 15 - 2:00 am

  I have had much fun driving this vehicle the last month. I purchased it from Regency Dodge and am very pleased with it thus far. I plan to purchase my next car or truck with them in the future.

• 

  Great Value - Awesome Ride - 2016 Dodge Journey
  By J Pizzo - June 14 - 9:38 pm

  Great car for $$. Upgrading to 3.6L engine was so worth it. It has very quick exceleration, hugs the road and has a fantastic (touring) suspension system. You can barely tell when you go over a bump. Love the interior with leather upgrade, full power & heated driver and passenger seats, heated mirrors and larger touchscreen in dash. Tons of storage in rear floor, inside front passenger seat and trunk area, especially when 3rd row seats are folded flat. You can fit lots of boxes, lumber and anything else you desire in there. Just wish it had a little better gas milage- abt. 19mpg. for 3.6v engine. Only regret is that I didnt get navigation but I got it a great price with rebates @ 24,995.00 for the Crossroads Plus- 3.6v upgrade and bought what they had in stock and unfortunately it didnt have navigation. Still worth it considering all the upgrades, ie. leather, power heated seats, larger 8.4" touchscreen, 3rd row seats, etc. Definitely feel it was a great bargain for what you get in comparison to the competitors. Overall a wonderful ride.

• 

  steps review - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By stephan - June 13 - 2:00 am

  excellent quality for price excellent choice for people looking for sports look with some of the performance without the price

• 

  I love my Stratus - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By ladycook - June 11 - 10:00 am

  I absolutely love my Stratus. It is beautiful! I get compliments on it almost daily. And it is one of the most fun to drive cars Ive ever had.

• 

  good car in the city - 1996 Dodge Stratus
  By todd recker - June 11 - 2:00 am

  ive had this car for a year and have not had one problem. i am the second owner and i bought it w/ 65,000 miles and have 78,000 on it now. the paint quality is awesome with no rust spots. the car still has the original battery after 7yrs. the car is beautiful inside and outside. the 1st owner only had regular maintence plus a new A/C UNIT put on it and a steering pump. NO HEAD GASKET PROBLEM AND NO TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AT ALL!!!!! the only two problems i have is that the door rattles everytime i hit a bump and the tires stink too.

• 

  A pretty good car - 1994 Dodge Spirit
  By emfelter - June 10 - 2:00 am

  Aside from the well-documented transmission problems (Im on my 2nd rebuild in 103k miles!) this is a very comfortable car to drive. It gets good gas milage and is easy to park. At this point in their lives, a handymans special.

• 

  00 Dakota 4wd - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By HLC - June 9 - 5:13 am

  Good

• 

  Great car for the money - 1996 Dodge Stratus
  By bfulmer - June 9 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my Stratus ES for almost 4 years now and I absolutely love it. Even though I had to put a new tranny in it at 115K, its been extremely reliable. I put at least 25K on it a year driving from MD to Cape Cod several times a year plus to clients as far as 150 mi. per day. Its strong, great in the snow and the Auto Shift is awesome. Very spacious inside, room enough for 5. I have 171K on it now and its still going.