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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  The Dodge Magnum - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Chris - February 1 - 9:43 pm

  Had the Magnum RT for almost 6mos now, and still always getting questions, comments, and thumbs up on the road. This car is as fun to drive as it looks! Made an 8hr trip in 6 1/2 without a single complaint heard from the passengers. The transmission is silky smooth.

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  Surprisingly good car - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Davert - February 1 - 2:00 am

  Have heard so many bad things I cant believe I drive the same car people talk about. I have a 1995 too and its been pretty reliable and lots of fun.

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  SRT-4 - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Hayden Baker - February 1 - 2:00 am

  Car is a blast to drive. When you get into it and feel that turbo kick it, you will probably need new pants. Seats make it very easy to take corners fast with the side support action. Yes the stereo system is not state of the art. But you have that exhaust to listen to.

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  Sport Cruiser - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By TL - January 30 - 5:18 pm

  Ive owned this car a year now and Ive grown to like it more and more. Great comfortable seats, enormous amounts of space front, back, trunk. Handles like a sport sedan if you push it. Still very tight at 87K. Good power I recommend the 3.5L. Ive found it to be great in the snow also. I read the car was top 20 in reliabililty somewhere. That made me feel pretty good. I like the dashboard and white instrument panel. Had a 93 Intrepid and a 96 LHS. This 2nd generation Intrepid has been refined. Much tighter than the LHS at the same miles.

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  Great car for the price! - 2016 Dodge Journey
  By tiago vasconcellos - January 29 - 10:38 pm

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  2016 SRT 392 is a great car - 2016 Dodge Challenger
  By Nick B. - January 28 - 11:09 pm

  Recently took delivery of my 2016 SRT 392, six speed manual. This is a very strong engine/gear box combination, much more than anyone will need for daily driving. The monstrous torque gets you addicted really quick because the car just moves so effortlessly in any situation. This engine is just perfect for this car. The exhaust note is loud from factory, at startup you know youre in for a treat. When cruising the car is quiet, there is some road noise but thats normal for cars like this - dont expect Lexus LS quiet. The manual gear box is very good, the ratios are close to each other and soon youll be in 5th gear cruising around town, and 6th gear at freeway speeds makes it really quiet without any drone. The hydraulic clutch is also pretty good, and after you get used to the car you wont even feel the gear changes. The infotainment system is upgraded for 2016, now you can customize the lower row of icons just by dragging the ones you want down there. I think this uConnect 8.4AN is the best on the market by a long mile. No German or Japanese system comes close in features and ease of use. The climate controls in the SRT Challenger work very well - I can leave it in auto and it will take care of it. This is a car to keep for longer than most others because not only it looks great, but it sounds great as well and the engine noises are pure pleasure. FCA knocked this one out of the park, this is an icon of a car, renewed and modernized and it feels absolutely great. If you get one you wont regret it for a minute.

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  Git er done. - 1995 Dodge Dakota
  By slt - January 28 - 2:42 pm

  I drive this truck to work every day which is over 50 miles round trip. I just love this truck. Not too big but gets the job done. I am a DIY person and is hauls everything I need. This truck has not let me down even one time. I keep the maintenance done and checked out regularly. I am a woman and this is my truck.

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  2007Caliber - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By me1934 - January 28 - 1:06 pm

  We have owned this vehicle for four weeks. We purchased it as a backup to our full-size conversion van, but are using it as our main vehicle due to the fuel economy and fun and easy to drive.

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  Not your average wagon - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By rick - January 28 - 8:57 am

  Dodge didnt waste any money on bling bling here. Everything you need is covered, but the magic is underneath. The motor is a split personality crazy man. quiet and smooth when you need it to be. Step on the pedal and you are in another dimension. Amazing torque and acceleration(especially for a heavy car). Handles tight and the SRT8 seats are perfection. If you crave attention buy another car- although this car gets a knowing glance from anyone who understands Dodges secret society. Generally you get the glance as you blast past them on straight AND twisty roads. Outward vision isnt great but you gain confidence in your mirrors after awhile. Build quality so far is excellent. Rock on

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  Good Deal - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By drey05 - January 27 - 4:56 pm

  I am a 18 year old college student. After hitting a deer going 60mph in my 1997 Intrepid I knew I wanted another intrepid. I found my 99 with 88k on it. That was 6 months ago, i know have 96k on it..it has power (mainly from 2500-4500rpm) My biggest complaint is gas mileage. I get about 19mph..but then again I do have a heavy foot and pick up speed fast. My other problem is it has a hard time starting (turns over but wont fire) but if you hold the key for like 4 seconds, it starts and runs fine.. So Im not to worried about it right now.