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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  4.7 engine bad Tranny worse - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By mike - February 14 - 10:19 am

  Truck has only 52000 miles on it. Has electrical problems and the tranny slips and jerks like there is no tomorrow. With mileage this low I should have no problems, I take very good care of my vehicles. I was extremely disappointed. I traded it in yesterday!

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  A problematic vehicle - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Canada Dry - February 14 - 7:00 am

  Having purchaed a 1993 Dodge Caravan that gave us 8 years of trouble free service we did not hesitate to get a new one in 2001. However, while very comfortable it has proved to be a mechanically poor buy. We have purchased a new alternator, many rotors, the A/C is gone, and it now needs a new transmission, water pump, and a number of other more minor repairs. I would not recommend this vehicle I am sorry to say.

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  Best car Ive had for gas mileage - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By mopar4ever - February 14 - 2:52 am

  I bought my Neon in June of 2005 with 5,000 miles on it. It is now Feb of 2009 and I have a little over 105,000 miles on it. There has never been anything wrong with the car except routine work like oil, spark plugs, wires, etc. I did however have a transmission cooler liner split when it had 104,000 miles but that is a normal wear and tear item as well. My passenger CV shaft is acting up as well now but it has 105,000 miles on it plus with me doing the burnouts I do with it doesnt help. Overall it is a great car all in all.

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  Dream car - 2009 Dodge Challenger
  By Gene - February 14 - 2:38 am

  Ive been watching these since the concept car in 06 (owned Cudas and Challengers as a young man). I finally drove one and left the lot with it. Ive owned Vettes and Saabs and this car blows them away. I cant wait each day to go fire her up. Manual transmission is fantastic. Sometimes forget it has the 6th gear. Very comfortable, smooth ride. Handles like a dream. With current incentives it made this car more affordable (comes with lifetime drive train warranty). Having owned old style Cudas and Challenger the upgrades done on this modern Challenger are superb. Many people give the thumbs up or stop me to ask questions. This is a keeper.

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  Its an OK van - 1995 Dodge Caravan
  By naimskyline - February 13 - 11:51 pm

  This car has been in my family for like 9 years and it was passed on to me as my first car until I graduate high school. Its a mostly reliable vehicle the only issue is the paint on the roof peeling in large pieces and I remember when I was 12 my dad had the transmission rebuilt after it failed. When I started to drive it my horn and wipers failed and had it replaced. In spite of the problems this car has had in the past its actually pretty dependable and Im sure it can go another 75k to 100k miles with 120k on the odometer without a major powertrain break down.

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  Highly Disappointed - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By Christine - February 13 - 1:34 pm

  I love the look and performance of my 2007 Dodge Charger SXT. However, transmission problems have come to light that make this vehicle very unsafe. While traveling on the highway and accelerating to pass, the transmission has locked up or something and the car loses power. I have had to coast to the side of the road, stop the car, and restart it to reboot the computer.

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  Junk - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By bjstarnes - February 13 - 11:46 am

  I bought my Magnum with a hundred miles, first year out. I would not recommend this car or any other Dodge product to even my worst enemy! I have had my car in the shop at least 20 times in the past 2 years. 4 times in one year for the transmission! I have called Chrysler Corp about this issue and they do not stand behind their work, they will do nothing for me. If you know whats good for you do not buy this car!

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  Frustration with my Nitro R/T - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Chafin - February 13 - 8:52 am

  I wish that Dodge put more thought and time into making their cars. I love my Nitro but cant stand the fact that it has to be repaired so much. My transmission is being repaired possibly replaced, this is the 4th time it has been in for that, my rear latch on my lift gate went bad got that fixed but was not repaired correctly had to return it for that, my rear speakers had to be replaced, my a/c has not worked properly since I bought it. Honestly Im very afraid to buy American cars again

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  Going broke from suspension problems. - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By hubberd - February 12 - 3:13 pm

  Tires wear every 15k miles. Car pulls to the right, dealer says every thing is OK after 3 alignments. After warranty expired, I have major issues with front end noises. Spent lots of money on tie rods, stabilizer links, tires, bushings, etc. I still have front end noises. My mechanic says get rid of it. Says car has multilink suspension. Too many parts that can break. People wonder why American car companies are going out of business. Im buying a Toyota next.

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  Not Happy after 3 years - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By Ken - February 12 - 9:09 am

  At first I like our minivan. Some things are cheaply made like the seat covering. But it rode nice for 2 years. Then the sway bar links went and had them replaced but that didnt fix the noise that I hear still. My mechanic said the problem is with bushings on the sway bar and costly to repair. Now the transmission is going. After 67K miles I should have these kinds of problems. So overall Im not happy with my Caravan