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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  Great Toy - 2015 Dodge Challenger
  By Aymenchtourou.a@gmail.com - November 17 - 1:04 pm

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  Only had this vehicle a month but so far so good - 2015 Dodge Charger
  By Gary White - November 16 - 9:40 am

  The Rallye edition with the 8 speed trans with paddle shifters on the steering wheel makes it a fun drive. The premium wheels give it good curb apeal. More power and better transmission shifting than the 2010 edition I previously had that I sold with over 100K miles with no issues. Best looking sporty 4 door car.

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  Awesome SUV! Buy it! Even though its a Dodge - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By Huge Durango Fan - November 10 - 9:46 pm

  I bought my 2011 durango citadel v 8 AWD brand new in late 2011. Ive had it 4 years now and have about 25,000 miles on it. (My commute to work is short). My previous suv was the Toyota Sequoia limited, and before that we had a land rover discovery. The toyota was very reliable and i was afraid with the poor reputation of chrysler/dodge products, i would be visiting the dodge service center a lot with the durango. I got every option dodge offered on the durango citadel: heated and cooled seats, blind spot monitoring, sunroof, all wheel drive, heated steering wheel, in ceiling video system, Nav, and much more. I assumed with all these gadgets i would see the service department on a regular basis. I really loved the redesigned 2011 durango /grand cherokee styling on the exterior and also the interior of the 2011 durango and i was willing to take the risk. We needed the third row seat so that excluded he grand cherokee. I didnt know about a lot of the neat interior lighting until i owned it and drove it at night. I passed on a new Toyota Sequoia and the land rover lr4, and im really glad i did. This vehicle is awesome. With around 380 HP IT WILL FLY. It drives like a sports car but can carry 7 people to the ski resort with ease. Its great on long trips with the heated and cooled seats, and it is real quiet on the road. The hemi v8 with dual exhaust also has a great sound. It carries our kids with ease, they can watch movies while my wife and i can talk, and it can tow a trailer/boat with ease. This truck has been near flawless. Its had better reliability than my Toyota Sequoia. The durango has just been to the shop for oil changes, tire rotations, and regular maintenance. Everything has worked perfect since day 1. The vehicle has surprised me with the quality, even with all the things on it that could go wrong. Dodge got this suv right, and i assume the models from 2012 to 2105 are great choices also. The only dislike is the width of the factory roof luggage rack. On trips, we use a Thule luggage box and put bikes on the roof. Its tight. I wish the luggage bars were wider. I highly recommend this suv.

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  LOVE MY ORANGE SXT PLUS - 2014 Dodge Challenger
  By Ronald Beck - November 9 - 11:20 pm

  Amazing power for a 6 cylinder car. Stunning orange color with sharp black graphics. Have gotten more compliments on this car than i did on my silver 1997 C5 Corvette. Smooth riding, corners well and has plenty of pep, considering that it is not a Hemi!

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  SXT AWD - 2015 Dodge Durango
  By Justin Sutherland - November 9 - 10:01 am

  I am a saleman for CDJR and love the Durango. I just purchase done for my wife. We needed a larger SUV and I wanted AWD this time around. For the price I couldnt find anything comparable. Its an SXT so its surely not "fancy". It has some nice creature comforts though. Back up camera(and sensors), NAV, heated seats ans steering wheel. The 8.4N is a great setup and very easy to use. We came from Ford and werent too happy with the easy of use on the Sync system. There is plenty of room for our 3 kids. Very pleased with our Durango overall!

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  Bought my 2012 Challenger 392 used - 2012 Dodge Challenger
  By Romulo - November 6 - 11:03 am

  The fuel economy of this car is quite good for the horsepower given that you drive conservatively. If you are an aggressive driver the gas mileage will not be as good but, this is what I knew I was getting into. This car still turns heads despite newer 2015 Challengers on the road. My model is Tungsten with Black Stripes. The steering is responsive and the power delivery is fantastic. It did not come with back up sensors which is what I wanted. Ive been driving for over 20 years so Im accustomed to cars with no aides. The interior has some lite rattling in the C pilar. Fortunately after reading forums its just a matter of the interior paneling coming into contact with the frame, a quick fix.

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  Love It! - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By Dallas Francis - November 6 - 9:16 am

  I love my 2000 Sport... First truck I have ever had for my first vehicle. I love it! Traded a ford ranger for it. The fords frame was rusted through, and the durango needed a new tranny that we didnt know about right away, but got that fixed and now it drives like a pro. Gets through feet and feet of snow. shoot, it even climbs snow hills.

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  221000 miles on her same motor and tranny - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By david - October 28 - 12:21 pm

  I got my 1998 dodge Durango 5.2 L at 20,000 miles on it first it was the only car me and the wife had so we had to be really nice to it then we raised six kids with it then we got a expedition el and the Durango had 100,000 miles at this time it became all mine I have a very heavy foot I treated it like a hot rod now for four years and 120,000 miles and still has the same engine,tranny,rear end,transfer case and front end and POWER that it did the day I got it takes snow rain mud very well I would never get rid of her I have money set aside just for her if anything ever did go wrong she WILL be fixed we have five cars and this is my go to ride for work or play the only bad thing is with me is I replace tires a lot (heavy foot)

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  performance meets practicality - 2015 Dodge Charger
  By Steve - October 26 - 10:32 am

  I went with the SXT AWD Rallye edition as this is my work commuter car and Maine winter roads can be treacherous and gas mileage was a factor. However, if the AWD was still available with the HEMI I probably would have gone with the V8, just because you know Im a man who doesnt want say "it has a Hemi". The Rallye editions comes standard with true factory duel exhaust and bumps the V6 up to a legitimate 300HP. Its no slouch and fun to drive. I love the active cruise on my daily interstate commute of 95 miles round trip. radio/navigation is easy to operate, much better than the one in my previous ford Taurus or the Rav 4 my wife had. Hands free is simple and intuitive. I have never averaged less than 25 mpg (heavy foot the first few weeks) in mixed driving and usually it hoovers around 27mpg, on one long 500+ mile road trip I averaged 29.5mpg, really great when you consider the cruise was set at 75 most of the time. the lane departure system works great on highway trips, but it can be disabled with a push button and on narrow roads that is relief as it can intrude on the driving experience. The breaks could be just a touch better if they went with 4-piston calipers, but they get the job with a bit of fade on the tail end of a hard stop. Build quality, material feel, ride comfort and ergonomics are outstanding, chrysler has come a long way from the cheap hard plastics of past vehicles. Overall no complaints and no buyers remorse after 5000 miles I still really enjoy this car.

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  Fantastic example of modern muscle car! - 2013 Dodge Charger
  By Michael Arnold - October 22 - 3:50 am

  Its a crowd pleaser everywhere it goes. Unbelievable driving characteristics and performance. Will certainly become a valued classic!