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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  Will NEVER buy Dodge again - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By mrreviewer - December 2 - 9:05 am

  2009... Dodge has hat in hand looking for help to stay a float.. The Government bails them out.. Being a proud Canadian who loves to support our workers.. I decided to go with the Dodge Journey R/T. Well, with a piece of garbage like that no wonder they needed a bail out. I also hadnt realized this vehicle was assembled in Mexico.. Who knows, someone may have poured tequila in the engine or something as this was a 5 year nightmare. 2 rebuilt engines, new drive train, Hubs, bearings, 4 sets of brakes, problem after problem.. Chrysler would have been in the $40-$50k range in warranty work... Myself, I figure my bills hit the $20k range over 5 years!!!

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  2015 Dodge Journey - 2.4 liter model - 2015 Dodge Journey
  By railguardian - November 29 - 12:47 pm

  It was unfortunate that I read the reviews after I purchased the vehicle. All the negative reviews regarding the 4-cylinder model are true. The salesman said they improved the 4-cylinder engine since the days I owned a PT Cruiser with the same engine. The PT ran great, but then add on the extra weight of the Journey and then you have problems, slow, slow slow. It seems its on overdrive every time you accelerate. The price was right, the looks are OK for the price, but open the hood, everything looks like its plastic, and Holy Cow, check out the location of the battery. I got what I paid for, I went cheap and cheap is what I got.

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  Death Trap - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By scle0501 - November 26 - 1:07 pm

  I was in a severe accident and hurt very badly - not a single airbag went off. No recalls on the VIN, just a terribly unsafe vehicle.

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  2012 SE V-6....not an option above - 2012 Dodge Avenger
  By imports4ever - November 26 - 10:50 am

  I am very disappointed in this car. It is just shy of 3 yrs old and I have put $1200 in to the car in two months. All electronics or emissions issues that are not covered by the warranty. The engine, 3.6L Pentastar, is the only good thing about this pile of flaming poo. The transmission is so lazy Im amazed it even bothers to show up. Rattles and creaks. Quiet and above average in comfort. Mileage is horrendous! Ive never gotten more than 19 mpg combined. On long drives (flat highway 65 mph) you can get up to 29 mpg, but that only happened one time. Chews up tires like Rolaids. 47,750 miles as of this morning and Im just so disappointed. Going back to VW. Diesel.

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  Pleasantly surprised - 2014 Dodge Durango
  By chewmt - November 25 - 11:45 am

  I bought this vehicle for my wife solely for the comfortable seats. Out of all the vehicles we tried out the Durango was the most configurable by far. We now have 22k miles on this car and I still cant believe how good it drives. There has only been 1 issue and that was a loose bolt on the steering shaft that caused some play in the steering. Quickly about me, Im a little pickier than most when it comes to vehicle quirks. Ive done all the oil changes myself on this car to this point and do like the unique filters this engine uses. This is easily one of the best vehicles Ive ever driven. Id put it in the realm of an Audi or the new Cadillac though not as nice of an interior obviously

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  Yes, It Will Tow - 2014 Dodge Durango
  By califas - November 23 - 6:04 pm

  First off, like all the other reviews, I was surprised how good this vehicle is. We are a family of 5 and use it for daily driving, winter trips to the Sierras, and towing a 5000 lb boat up to a mountain lake. Dropping around 400 lbs of tongue weight on the hitch, it sags only 1.5 inches at the center of the rear wheel arch. The V-8 has plenty of torque and the 8 speed transmission is just amazing. Elegant power-on downshifts without the usual jerking at the hitch. Utterly planted and stable while cruising, as good as my previous Denali XL. No bouncing and swaying typical of an overstressed tow vehicle. Backup camera is awesome for hitching and it even has a transmission temp gauge.

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  Dodge Nitro 4.0L R/T 2008-BLACK W/ red seats (the drop down made me pick SXT, but thats not my car) - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By jenns1 - November 21 - 4:41 pm

  I love my Nitro!!! We bought it back in 2011. Its the best vehicle Ive had. Great Navi. system, great sound system, Uconnect is excellent and very convenient when doing interstate driving. the R/T red seat package looks sporty, 20inch wheel with rims look nice exterior. It doesnt have the best MPG, but reasonable for an SUV. NO PROBLEMS, at all…..other than basic maintenance (break pads, fluid flush) I recommend using BG or AMSOIL products. My husband maintains my Nitro and hes never complained about anything being hard to reach or work on. Too bad Dodge stopped making it. :-) I would love to have a 2015.

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  Highway miles - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By tedman2 - November 15 - 11:48 am

  I got 61,000 havent had a single problem with it bought new February 2013 had 6 months off of work so I really piled on the miles work construction like have the seats fold down for the menards trip and to carry my tools awesome gas mileage comfortable to drive knock on wood I read a lot of bad reviews so I dont know If it is the people or the car Ill keep my fingers crossed for another 60,000

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  Durango Has Musscle and Cool Factor That Beats the Rest - 2014 Dodge Durango
  By deerob - November 13 - 2:08 pm

  I recently bought a 2014 Dodge Durango R/T. Have only put about 500 miles on it, but I thought I would share some impressions and minor gripes. Overall, I love this car and am very happy with it. I looked at the Highlander, Traverse, and to a lesser extent the Pilot, Pathfinder, Explorer, Acadia, Santa Fe, and Mazda CX9. Things that mattered to me were 3d row seating and towing, since I would like to get (but have not yet gotten) a boat. -) The Durango is far and away the class leader w/ tow capacity.

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  Should Have Shopped Around - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By sbrazee - November 8 - 10:32 pm

  I bought my Intrepid last summer and paid more than I should have. I have had the car for a little over a year and I have had to replace the water pump, radiator, thermostat, and the fuse for the transmission that kept blowing. I wanted a car that was roomy and could be comfortable to drive. Instead I got a fix and repair daily pretty much. DO not buy this car for the 2004. Its not worth it.