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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  cute but effective - 1995 Dodge Dakota
  By R_Erickson - August 24 - 2:00 am

  Have the 4 cyl sport in white, sharp looker. Drive it like a truck, hard and fast for 75,000 miles. Not a high horsepower vehicle but fun to drive and never felt underpowered hauling or towing so long as you keep her in 4th.

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  Decent van to haul kids and packages - 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Pete K. - August 23 - 10:00 am

  Overall, I am pleased with the vehicle. After putting 12k on it, here are my thoughts: all city driving mpg is overstated. I average 14 mpg (12 mpg with A/C on). This is total BS as Dodge claims the car should do much better. So far, the vehicle is fine, except for several well documented issues and I experienced both of them. After 7k, front rotors had to be machined and that was taken care quickly. At 11k, front wheel bearings were replaced. The car sounded like a jet at speeds above 30 mph. Also, the rear windshield wipers were making a screeching sound. The part was ordered and replaced. At stop and go, the tranny hunts for 2 and 3 gear, mostly guessing wrong but you can manually shift.

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  a car that gets you there - 1990 Dodge Spirit
  By Alfredo - August 23 - 2:00 am

  an all around good car

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  Solid vehicle for the $$$$ - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By mitchell lee - August 23 - 2:00 am

  We just bought this caravan sport and we are very happpy with it. A solid well rounded van with a very quiet comfortable ride. The 3.3 6cyl is exceptable but we wish we had paid a little more for the grand caravan which comes with the 3.8 liter engine and 30 more horsepower. The worst feature is the lack of dual climate control.

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  Pleasant surprise - 1999 Dodge Neon
  By sofarsogood - August 20 - 2:00 am

  Fun little car with Honda like reliability. Purchased as an alternate fuel efficient "tow" vehicle for my jet ski and it performed beyond my expectations. Pulls a 500 lb jet ski with ease using manual 5-speed. Has over 60000 miles on routine oil changes and a battery replacement. Dodge did something right with this car.

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  02 Stratus - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By CA94080 - August 19 - 2:00 am

  Bought the V6 2.7L 2002 Stratus SE. Love its powerful engine and acceleration. Its AT is not as smooth as my GM car. The paint job is poor. The plastic interior looks cheap. The battery is at a very odd position (not viewable under the hood). The work room under the hood is very tight, which makes many maintenance job more difficult. The headroom for the front folks is too small, regarding the size of this vehicle. It has a huge blind spot at the drive side. Have to be very careful when change lanes. Fuel economy is about 21-22 mpg for mostly highway driving. The trunk is narrow, but quite deep. Reliability: after 8000 miles, no any problem so far.

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  1999 Dodge Stratus STD 4 Dr Sedan - 1999 Dodge Stratus
  By purplerose_22603 - August 16 - 2:00 am

  I have been overall very satisfied with my Stratus. A few things that need improvement are seats need to be more comfortable, more head room, and get rid of the motor tap. I love having the power options of windows, doors and mirrors. It has great pick up for a little motor.

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  Great Value - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Anonymous - August 16 - 2:00 am

  We purchased this van to accommodate our growing family. It was far less expensive as a used vehicle than Japanese competitors. The bad: the interior plastics are cheap, the 3.3L engine is only adequate, and fuel economy is so-so. The good: we bought it with less than 20,000 miles for about $10,000 off what it would cost new. It has been very reliable, with one air conditioning problem fixed under warranty. Best of all are the stow n go seats, which are incredibly easy to operate even with one hand. It carries an enormous amount of stuff, and is pretty comfortable to drive. I dont mind the cheap interior so much, since kids only make a mess of it anyhow.

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  Good Truck - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By Autolycus - August 15 - 2:00 am

  Extended Cab 4x4, 4.7L with auto. So far the truck has preformed well. It handles good, rides smooth, accelerates great, turns sharp and is comfortable for a truck. It hauls and pulls loads as well as a full size. The 4x4 works good. The fit and finish is very good. No problems with the truck.

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  95 Dodge Intrepid - 1995 Dodge Intrepid
  By Trisha - August 14 - 2:00 am

  I have replaced belts, oil changed frequently, new water pump put in last week.