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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  We Love it - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Jolene McBurney - June 7 - 11:06 am

  The little car, which isnt that little handles well in all areas of driving, in town and on the open hiway..Gas mileage is improving at a good rate. We have noticed that in high wind(which Texas has alot of) it does dance a bit, but nothing that I worry about..We love it.

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  This is THE minivan - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Jay_dee_ess - June 6 - 2:00 am

  Nobody I know didnt like this. I know many people that own Honda vans, and I did too at one point. But this is so much better. Its much more fun to drive, and the sound system is by far the best I have seen in a minivan, certainly 100 times better than that in the Honda minivan. The liftgate certainly attracts eyes, and nothing has broken down so far (16000 miles). Certainly the best minivan out there, aside from the Town & Country.

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  Neon R/T - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By Paul - June 4 - 1:27 pm

  This is one of the best cars for the money. Even after 7 years, it cant be matched on a performance for the dollar and reliability basis. I drove the heck out of it for 132,000 miles without even so much as a wimper. No only did I teach two teenage daughters on the car, we autocrossed it hard for 5 years! What other car could be had for $13,000, 7.5 sec 0-60 15.9 1/4 mile and 130mph top end and gets 37+ MPG? To top it off its big enough to haul anything except a sheet of plywood. All I can say is wow!

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  2005 Dodge Dakota - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By NICK - June 4 - 12:58 am

  Plenty of room on the inside. More room than the competition, especially in the back seat. This truck is amazing. I have the 3.7 V6 automatic 4x4 and it has great power and sound. It drives like a car. The interior is my favorite, very comfortable, quiet, and smooth. I rate it altogether a 9/10.

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  Intrepid- well maintained - 1998 Dodge Intrepid
  By Randy - June 3 - 8:32 pm

  With synthetic oil and transmission fluid this car served me well for seven years. Problems seen with this vehicle are generally due to following the recommended oil change schedule. 7000 miles is too long for normal oil and will get you sludge buildup. I had no sludge with synthetic oil. It still looks good and goes reasonably fast.

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  Love it - 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By nateo2 - June 3 - 8:57 am

  I dont know why people complain about this van ours has 54,000 miles and never had a single problem besides the brakes squealing put better quality rotors on it and have not squealed since has plenty of power and we think its very comfortable all around great van

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  Love this truck! - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By Christopher - May 31 - 2:22 am

  Ive driven it in all weather conditions, on and off road, and it has taken it in stride. I moved to Florida and packed the biggest U-haul trailer to the gills and put my motorcycle in the bed. I think I could have added on another trailer full! The convenience of the four doors makes it even better. Its too bad Dodge made the new one so ugly!

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  Great choice! - 2017 Dodge Challenger
  By Danny - May 30 - 4:41 pm

  Ive wanted a Challenger since they were first brought back. Finally bought my dream car last year after earning a promotion. I went to many many dealerships and took my time and was not disappointed with being picky. I got the last new 2017 bare bones R/T Super Track Pak in the south Im pretty sure. Definitely get a V8 if you actually want to enjoy the drive, the V6 will never compare. Gas mileage in actual practice is lower than it was projected with factory setup. Car will feel slippery in the cold but thats because they decided to put 245s on them, definitely upgrade ASAP.

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  Good car - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Jo2knight - May 27 - 2:47 pm

  Ive had this car for approximately for 2 months. This car has been absolutely wonderful. I paid an excellent price for the car. If you look at the inside of the car, you can tell the materials that its made with are very sturdy and look like they will last a while. The performance of the engine is superb. The car is front wheel drive so you have to be careful to not accelerate too fast and turn at the same time. Overall Im very happy with the car.

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  Great Super Car - 1996 Dodge Viper
  By Domenic - May 27 - 11:56 am

  Car could not be better just got my 96 Viper white w/ Blue stripes a month ago and already put over 3000 miles on it I drove it home from Missourri 900 miles w/ the top off it was great. I can not drive this car enough.