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:

• 

  Bias - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Dodgeboy - March 11 - 10:00 am

  The best car money can buy. Car handles like dream. Cheap thrill. Laughing all the way to the bank (use the difference toward saving at 4.3%). I never believe in the hype of Japasnse cars.

• 

  transmission 1st 2 go after 110,000miles - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By e - March 11 - 9:20 am

  very nice for your first car.pretty good size sedan. just shy of 30mpg.

• 

  One happy Intrepid owner - 1994 Dodge Intrepid
  By W. Coffey - March 10 - 8:06 pm

  very roomy,great mileage,good ride,great highway control,good performance,great visability in traffic,its just been a great allaround automobile.

• 

  Significantly better than I expected. - 1996 Dodge Dakota
  By Jack - March 10 - 6:16 pm

  I got this truck for utility functions in addition to going to work and back. The engine purrs like a kitten, which truly amazes me. The tranny (auto) is a little slow to shift in extreme cold, but warm her up and she does just like youd want. I replaced the brakes in their entirety and all 4 shocks (Rancho). It handles like new... and I got it at a great price. The heat is a little weak when it gets cold, but otherwise, you will have a hard time finding such a wonderful truck at such a great price. Id drive this thing over a same aged Toyota any day. The engine sounds just like new and I have 113,000 miles on it. It has minor leaks, but, not enough to require servicing between maintenance

• 

  Where is the quality? - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Xpender - March 10 - 4:08 pm

  Bought my Magnum RT with only 30K, black, fully loaded, heated leather seats, GPS, CD changer, sunroof... Love to drive, lots of power, but a bit sluggish when driving in the city. The front end seems to be weak. Had a clucking noise from the front and it ended up being the both strut arms, and the sway bar bushings. Was also told that the tie rod were a bit loose. For that kind of low mileage, I would expect more durability. Winter driving was great. Traction control is almost always on, but had no problems. Would I buy another one, maybe, but it would have to be a car with a Hemi. Once you drove one (Hemi), you will get bored in any other vehicles.

• 

  I have the RT version 4X4 4litre engine - 2008 Dodge Nitro
  By fast_dude007 - March 10 - 6:26 am

  After reading a lot of negative reviews from auto journalists about the Nitro, and reading positive comments from owners, I bought a 2008 RT for a very good price. Yes, the ride is a little bit choppy in the RT version, but I do like a firm suspension. I also love the interior of the RT, look and feels so much more superior than the base models. Fuel economy is okay so long Im easy with my foot. However, my gas mileage is horrible when I step on it and release all its power. Im not too crazy about the square look of the vehicle, than again it has a lot of room inside. Bottom line, I love this vehicle so far.

• 

  Sportiest when it comes to minivans - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Chris M. - March 9 - 5:00 pm

  These vans are pretty cool when it comes to a minivan. I like it alot and theres plenty of room.

• 

  Skip the Dodge - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By oh77 - March 9 - 10:00 am

  Bought my SXT used, but only 1 owner. Liked it at first as cars didnt provide enough room for kids. Then everything went bad: motors on auto sliding side doors broke, not under warranty, dealers want $1000 or more to fix. Theyre still broken. Power locks didnt work right, motor defects, etc. and it had clean carfax. Always owned Honda/Toyota. Now I know why. Save your $ for something with a much better resale value. Its worth less that what I owe so I cant even sell it.

• 

  Irmas Dakota - 2006 Dodge Dakota
  By Bob Kay - March 8 - 11:04 pm

  3 years old, only the plastic parking brake pull inside clip broke. glued on a metal L, drilled hole to match and good to go. ZERO problems. Running syntheic oil, getting 18-24 mpg from around town to 70-75 on open road. 3.7 OK, not same power as my 318 Ram Van but does well vs milage improvement. Love the truck, especially around town. Would get another in a minute. Wife will not let it go, loves 17" wheels for traffic and trailer towing package and posi-tracking make a big difference. Corners flat without a lean. Spend the little more then just standard, worth it. Dynamite sound system. Three part folding back cover is recommended for mpg and the Dodge heavy duty bed mat keeps back quiet

• 

  Never Again - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By Steve - March 8 - 7:14 pm

  I bought my 2 dr with 30k miles, had transmission problems @40k. Turning radius is horrible, the front bumper catches on just about every curb you get to close to. I had the passenger window motor replaced twice in one year, sun roof sticks for no reason at all. Alternator died 6 months after i bought the car, road noise was horrible, the engine never wants to start in very cold weather. Aside from ALL the defects, it was a very fun car to drive, very fast, very nimble in turns, great traction on snow/ice/rain..