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:

• 

  Keep looking - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By jim - March 20 - 4:23 am

  Our 2005 Grand Caravan sxt has had to have the air conditioning repaired. We also had to have new plugs and wires and the software upgraded on the computer. It also has a whine around 50 miles per hour.(Dealer has heard noise, design flaw, no fix as of yet) I am very unhappy with this van, we bought a new van, not a used one. This van has been in the shop more than our 96 Ford Windstar was in 9 years.

• 

  2004 Dodge Grand Caravan XLT - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By mrsvito - March 19 - 2:00 am

  Love my van but it does eat gas! Only complaint is having to remove rear seats instead folding them down as in the Japanese vans. Rides great and the kids love it!

• 

  Its nice for a van - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By stec - March 19 - 2:00 am

  Its ok to drive, the space is great, and it looks better than most MVs.

• 

  All Good - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By RLK - March 19 - 2:00 am

  I really have no complaint about this van. I have had it almost 6 months now and it has never needed to see the inside of the Dealers Service dept.

• 

  Best VAN on the ROAD - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By William KNIGHT - March 19 - 2:00 am

  I drive it to work ,I Drive it to play ,Go Shopping ,Trips , Haul things for people,And have check out the room it has ,you can not beat it for all around FUN/PLAY/WORK.BUY it you will like it The Dodge SXT is the best I have ever owned

• 

  NO Anti-LOCK Brakes???? - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Ed job - March 19 - 2:00 am

  This car is a nice car but i bought it so my wife would be safe on the road, back to work and home. When the bad weather struck, this is when the car slid off the road and i found out it didnt have anti-lock brakes. the sole reason on getting a new car....more saftey!

• 

  Renewed Confidence - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By FR8TRAIN - March 15 - 2:00 am

  I puchased this vehicle with 25,000 miles on the odo as a previous rental. The 3.5l engine is a delight to drive with plenty of torque on hand without unnecessary downshifting. The car handles much better than its size would imply and out on the highway its a cruising machine! The body feels very solid with no perceived twist or flex. No squeeks or rattles. I average between 21 and 24 mpg in mixed rural driving and fully expect I could get 26+ mpg on the open road. Leather seats nicer than I expected. Love the automatic climate control.

• 

  Jorney handles tough list of requirements - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By David Dewey - March 15 - 12:36 am

  I wanted 7 passengers capacity with high mpg. This car is a great answer to that problem.

• 

  Watch out for power steering problems - 1997 Dodge Intrepid
  By johng - March 14 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car used with about 60,000 miles on it. I LOVED the car but never expected to have to suddenly replace the entire steering system for $1,600. Still love the car and it gets great gas mileage despite the optional 24 valve 3.5 liter engine. Im getting 23 or 24 mph on the highway. POTENTIAL BUYERS: this car is reportedly notorious for power steering going out and taking rack & pinion unit with it. Mine went out at 70,000 miles, and my freind with a 1998 Intrepid had EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE, costing him about $1,600. The power steering seems to be undersized or something, but is great in every other way.

• 

  Love that HEMI - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By Riddler - March 9 - 10:00 am

  Lots of room and good power. DVD system is hard to see if you a small child. Wish it got better gas milage. Wish the drivers seat would go lower. Excellent turn radius and handling. Glad I bought it.