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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  51k mile review - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By teejay1 - December 25 - 9:37 pm

  Well here I am again. After over 4 years of ownership and 51k miles I have to say I still am happy. With the economy in the tank like it is I am most likely going to run this truck till the wheels fall off. I plan on getting 200k maybe even 300k out of it. Skeptical you say? Well I have a car right now with 283k on it and I drive it most everyday. I am a maintenance engineering supervisor for the federal government. So you know that I take care of my stuff and so should you! So far only had to go back to the dealership once, and that was to replace a bad speaker on the passenger side. So not bad so far!

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  My SXT - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Bob - December 25 - 6:13 pm

  This is my first Durango. I was impressed with the quiet, comfort compared to my 97 Astro. We bought it for hauling the grandkids. A third row is a must have with 7, 4, and two year olds.

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  Hemi Orange & Orange Peel Paint - 2009 Dodge Challenger
  By Kennan Jay - December 24 - 5:29 pm

  Performance is fantastic. Fit and finish on par with the early 1970s. True retro in all respects. Hemi orange also means orange peel paint finish. Also, many other paint imperfections. Scratched windshield at delivery. Engine compartment and underside of trunk lid is painted but very poorly. This maybe part of retro feel.

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  My retirement present! - 2009 Dodge Challenger
  By Bear Cub 54 - December 24 - 9:14 am

  Ive been following this car ever since it hit the car shows years ago. Had to have one. Dodge did their homework. Bought a 5.7 with 6 speed, loaded.This was my 32nd car/truck purchase since 1970, and this by far is in a class by itself. Real sweet!

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  Mud buster! - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By Bradi - December 22 - 10:25 pm

  I bought this vehicle a while ago and havent been happier with any other vehicle. I love it! I now have 156,000 miles and havent done any major maintence on it. I change and rotate tires every 2500 miles. It has a custom 6" lift with 33" toyo m/t tires. It has the 5.9L in it, with the 4.10 gears. The only downside is, I now only average 10mpg in town and about 11.5 on the highway at 70mph. But this vehicle is a blast to drive! And now that gas is more affordable, I wouldnt trade it for anything!

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  An Ultimate Toy - 2009 Dodge Challenger
  By Scottsman - December 22 - 3:36 am

  Drove my brothers 2008 SRT8 & had to have one. This isnt a car anyone needs, but if you have money to waste, youll never waste it on anything thats more fun to drive. Because of its size, weight & Goodyear F1 SuperCar tires, it feels as if its actually attached to the road. No matter how fast that Hemi propels you, the suspension will control the car & those hugh brakes will stop you. You never feel as though you can lose it, except on as little as 1/4" of snow. If you must drive in snow, do not buy the F1 tires. Lets face it, if youre one of the "Green" people, or one of the "PC" crowd, youll find this car incomprehensible. If you grew up in the 60s, no explanation needed!

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  Driving the R/T - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Jeff - December 22 - 12:24 am

  We have owned our AWD R/T for a couple of months, and we absolutely love it. The bold styling is refreshing. We had looked at Mazda 6 and Camry, but found the styling cues old. The performance is bang on for the driving we do, the autostick works great and with so many features and comforts we are anxious to find a reason to drive it. While its a far cry from previous R/Ts I have owned (70s), its still an exciting car to drive in its own right. Quiet and well mannered day to day, it has great acceleration when prompted with a sweet exhaust note. The Nav system and MyGig is great, bells and whistles galore...Love it, my only problem is getting my wife to give it up

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  1991 Dodge Stealth ES - 1991 Dodge Stealth
  By Danahs09 - December 20 - 11:32 pm

  All around great car has great power through all the rpms. For only paying 1500 for my Stealth I feel I got a good bargain even though I do need to fix a couple minor things and since its almost 20 years old it may need a little bit of a paint job. Probably would not suggest for a inexperienced driver though I have been driving for awhile. The power this thing has compared to a Sunfire or a Cutlass Cierra is definetly noticable and will catch you off guard if youre not prepared for it.

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  Work Horse - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Ellonen - December 20 - 8:47 am

  I bought this car new and have put 145K (mostly highway) miles on it so far. Absolutely no problems whatsoever. Normal maintenance ie change timing belt at 100K, regular oil changes etc. Fun to drive. Now working in rural area and car is handling the rough terrain and dirt roads without a problem.

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  A Dangerous Vehicle - 1997 Dodge Stratus
  By shel - December 19 - 8:28 am

  I can not believe this car is legal to sell. The first week I got it, there was a pin in the transmission that was coming out and caused the car to only go in reverse and it cost me 1,000 dollars to have it welded back in. 3 weeks after that my brakes fell off! I have two kids that I transport in this car. My brakes literally fell off the car. The whole brake system had to be redone. So far I have put 4,800 dollars into this car. By the time I am done repairing it, it will be brand new. Oh, wait , no it wont because I am junking it. Did I mention how the steering just went out. I will never buy a car even resembling a Stratus.