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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  Believe it or Not - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By BIGBAIR67 - July 15 - 2:00 am

  In 11 months I put 40,000 km on this vehicle. It has performed well however there have been and are certain issues I believe need to be aired. First after only 3 months of ownership the computer chip for the fuel pump died. There were no chips in Canada so I had to wait for a whole week. The light switch broke off after 10 months.( The one you pull to engage the fog lamps.) Now Im trying to get Dodge to look at the breaks. When the breaks are applied with consistant and sudden pressure the brakes release after a fews seconds. This is especially noticable when you hit a bump and apply the breaks.

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  Mom, can I take the STRATUS?!?!?! - 1999 Dodge Stratus
  By mee-moo - July 14 - 2:00 am

  My Stratus ES (1999 w/ Autostick) has been a very good car. I only had one, minor problem with it the alternator cable to the battery came loose, which resulted in some arching and a bad smell. Nothing serious at all. It took no time to fix and was covered by warranty. One other problem--very, very minor--the print on the radio buttons seems to be wearing off way too early, and those shouldnt wear at all...ever.

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  Great cruiser - 1992 Dodge Stealth
  By el_travieso - July 10 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car a month ago with 80k miles on it. I loved the looks of this car with the air vents on the side and the sleek body. The interior is just as great with probably in my opinion the most gagdets of most any other sportscar. The performance is outstanding and the twin turbos will get you into some trouble because they will respond effortlessly to your every command. The car is so stable at high speeds that you dont realize how fast youre going until you look at the speedo. The gear ratios are pretty low and you will find yourself cruising along in 5th at a 100MPH with the engine humming at a tad bit above the 3k RPM mark.

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  My Dodge Avenger - 1996 Dodge Avenger
  By aickelin - July 10 - 2:00 am

  Ive loved my 96 Avenger. It has not given me any mechanical problems with one exception. In the first 30,000 miles the engine leaked oil. My Dealer was great and it turned out to be a wrinkel in the head gasket which was corrected under warranty. With regular oil changes and upkeep, the car has performed well for its price range. I wish they were still making that model.

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  Switched from a Chevy - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By merrifla - July 10 - 2:00 am

  Overall great truck but I feel like Im married to the gas pump. Love the sturdiness - doesnt feel like a tin can. Great for towing my boat and camper. Suprised that I got better gas mileage in the mountains than I do in the flatlands of Florida. I didnt realize how sturdy this truck was until a VW Rabbit rear-ended me at 45 m.p.h. while I was at a dead stop. My bumper was smashed but the Rabbit was totalled. I decided the poor gas mileage was worth the price of having a truck that stood up in an accident. Now I wouldnt trade it!

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  GTO of the 90s?? - 1993 Dodge Stealth
  By goody - July 9 - 2:00 am

  This is one of the greatest import sport cars produced in the 90s.Pound for pound it is better than the Toyota Supra, and the Mazda RX-7.The perfomance for the buck is unbeliable.The only flaw with the car is that it is FWD.The RT twin turbo is AWD and they should have made all models this.Great car,good power,great handling, but lacks torque.

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  1996 Dodge Avenger - 1996 Dodge Avenger
  By delon73 - July 8 - 2:00 am

  Good looking car and easy to modify!!!

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  Fun to Drive - 1991 Dodge Shadow
  By Dan Washington - July 6 - 2:00 am

  At 150K, this car runs like a Tiger! The 2.2 litter four-cylinder engine averages 25-city/30-highway mileage per gallon. The two misgiving on this vehicle are the air-conditioning and 0to 40 miles takeoff speed. The air- condition compressor and high-pressure side hoses need major design improvement.

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  Nice car...if it did not keep breaking! - 1994 Dodge Intrepid
  By Aaron Humberston - July 6 - 2:00 am

  Paint went to crap,the tie rods needed to be replaced, ABS sensor died,brake pads every year,Airbag quit working, cd works intermittently,trunk release busted,new hoses,power window broken,radio doesnt work, transmission stalls before shifting, A/C cooling fan broken, a dealer item only so you have to buy the five hundred dollar Cooling fan + A/C fan + grill, A/C doesnt switch from fresh air to recycled air, seams of seats coming apart,floor rust on carpet, mysterious intermittant stalling,Numerous recalls broken driver seat that just fell back while driving, power seat broken, parts expensive. Scary to drive! Be afraid!

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  Great Vehicle - 1994 Dodge Intrepid
  By Telemachous - July 6 - 2:00 am

  I have owned this car for about 4 years and have loved it. I placed a spoiler on the rear end which helps to offset the awkward appearence that the front end is much lower than the rear. I currently drive the car on highway construction and it has held up better than expected. It amazingly can drive through some rough land. However, it is starting to develop a rattling in the rear end, though I suspect this would not happen with normal use. A very tough car.