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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  Best car Ive ever had!! - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By abbsmarie - November 6 - 9:21 pm

  My family has had the 2002 dodge caravan since 2004 and its been the best car weve had. It is so safe and thats what Ive loved!! its been in a car accident with the front all dented in, its been hit by the side and had 2 deer hit it and its still kickin You will never find a more safe and reliable car in my book. I have over 225,000 miles on it and it still runs and drives great Too!!

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  Excellent Family Hauler - 2015 Dodge Journey
  By daigs - October 30 - 9:56 am

  Ive had the Journey for a couple weeks now and the initial quality and impression I have is extremely positive. Having a family of 4, I find that its the right size. Big enough of the kids and our stuff, but not too large. Right selection of features, quality and performance also make it a winner. While fuel mileage gets dinged by Edmunds, I find that its been better than expected. And considering the 6 cylinder engine and the fact that this isnt a tiny vehicle, Im satisfied with what I get. Plenty of storage and materials that make you say "wait, this is a Dodge!?". Im very satisfied with my purchase.

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  Performance with gas mileage you can live with - 2014 Dodge Charger
  By 0to60in15mins - October 28 - 1:39 pm

  I have driven my Black on Black Charger for 7000 miles. Great performance. The gas mileage I am getting on my mixed commute is about 21 MPG. On the trips it can range from 26-28 depending on the speed, wind and terrain. The car is a rocket. Depending on what state I am in, folks get out of the way. Car wants to run at 80 MPH. With a top speed of 140 MPH, I wish I was back assigned back in Germany so I could drive this car as designed. Car is very comfortable at highway speeds. Car is a bit too stiff at low speeds on rough roads but that to be expected.

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  2015 Journey SXT V6 - 2015 Dodge Journey
  By burdawg - October 27 - 12:48 am

  After much consideration I went with the Journey SXT FWD with v6/6 speed transaxle. Others considered: Hyundai Santa Fe: Almost 6K more in cost with a rebate of only 1K. Not 6K better in my opinion. Jeep Cherokee: Rougher ride, also quite a bit more costly but better incentives. Could be a better choice if off-road capability is your priority. You need to get past those ugly slit headlights though. Ford Escape: Smaller and more pricey, lower incentives. I was lost with all the buttons and levers on the steering wheel. The touchscreen display if complicated and difficult to navigate. Plus my wife didnt care for it. I read the Journey review on Edmunds and dont 100% agree with it.

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  A LEMON - RUN FAR AWAY FROM THIS CAR - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By chrishawk8 - October 23 - 8:53 am

  I have owned this car for 2 years and have changed the BRAKES/ROTORS/CALIPERS 3X, and they need to be changed again! This car also has an INTERMITTENT START. I received in August 2014 a Recall notice from Dodge regarding the "ON" position in the ignition but in the recall notice it states "THEY HAVE NO PARTS AVAILABLE TO FIX AND WILL CONTACT US WHEN THEY ARE AVAILABLE". Well its nearly 3 months later and still havent heard from DODGE on this issue - so the fact that my car still intermittently starts, DODGE COULD CARELSS! Today, the ESP traction light came on! In the first 4 months of owning this car, the thermostat and anti-freeze tank went out and had to be changed! THIS IS A LEMON

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  DO NOT BUY!!! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By ccknezevich - October 21 - 9:45 pm

  So I read the reviews before I bought my 2009 Dodge Journey in May of 2012. I have had this car now for 2 1/2 years and it seems there is always an issue. Multiple batteries, changing the brakes nearly every 10,000 miles, tires are awful, I have had to replace some type of wheel sensor, the key fob doesnt always works so sometimes my car wont crank right away. Electrical problems where the alarm goes off and takes a while to make it stop. This car has been a nightmare.. not to mention, the value. I still owe 15k and its not even worth 9k. It loses so much value every year.. and for good reason. If you buy this vehicle after reading this review.. dont say you werent warned!

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  40,000 hard miles later - 2013 Dodge Durango
  By lheckert - October 14 - 6:33 am

  Having owned multiple vehicles (cars & SUVs) I knew what I what on my must have list when I began my search. After extensive research I had decided that the Durango was it. My Durango SXT now has 40,000 miles, hard miles, and has never let me down. I have religiously changed my oil every 10,000 miles with synthetic and just put 4 new tires on it. Generally I would be considering to trade a year in with 40k miles but not with the Durango, I plan to keep her for the duration.

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  Best Kept Secret In Ride and Power - 2014 Dodge Avenger
  By joechevy1 - October 9 - 12:57 pm

  I traded a 2013 Dodge Dart turbo manual for a 2014 Avenger with the 3.6 Pentastar because I wanted an automatic again and the incentives were high. Best move on a new car Ive ever done on a new car purchase. All I ever read were so-so reviews about the Avenger over the years. But I figured Id take a chance on it since it had the V6 power and some extra styling Bling. (I did not get the R/T, but this site did not list the SE version with all the add-ons I got). What a car! Super Comfortable, capable handling, doesnt look like every other Asian cookie cutter sedan on the market these days and..... wait for it..... POWER TO SPARE. Best kept secret , the 3.6 Pentastar!!! Fantastic!

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  Steering wheel lock while driving! and car wont accelerate randomly on the highway - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By relentleshemi - October 5 - 6:06 pm

  I absolutely love this car, But when it comes to reliability it sucks. I bought this car 3 months ago @ darcars silver spring in maryland and had 3 incidents with my car all with the same issue and still not fixed. Dealer mechanics cant seem to get it right almost causing me three accidents two on the highway and one in the city while making a turn in the middle of the road!

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  Bad Transmission - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By baddude1 - September 30 - 5:52 pm

  I bought it used with 30000 miles on it but I am on my 5th transmission. One of the transmissions was the wrong one installed. Why would I buy another Dodge?