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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  First car I paid for - 1997 Dodge Stratus
  By kurtural - May 4 - 2:00 am

  This was the most expensive car i could afford on a graduate stipend and it turned out to be the most reliable car I have ever owned. I will keep it for a long while. I wish the interior design was a bit more flashy

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  Spirit good for 250,000 - 1991 Dodge Spirit
  By LNciholson - May 4 - 2:00 am

  Purchased the Car at 70,000. Parked it at 250,000 miles. Great car at 27- 30mpg. Temp was a problem on this 4 cyl. Suggest changing to a 3rd party radiator, all heating and cooling problems stopped. Had to replace head gasket and air conditioner due to high temp. Replace the radiator and this car will run forever at 75. Use injector cleaner to improve gas mileage. I would not consider a 6 cyl.

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  Great Truck! - 1991 Dodge Dakota
  By kristen - May 3 - 2:00 am

  So much power for such a light truck- handles like a sports car...many things break at same time...favorite vehicle ever owned-

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  Great so far - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By sfitz - May 3 - 2:00 am

  Ive had mine for just over a year now. 22k miles without any problems. Took it offroad in the snow and had a blast! Moved last year and loaded this thing down quite a bit, but it performed great. I love it and am looking forward to many more years of service from it.

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  Love that Dodge Van! - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Badger Red Blood - May 2 - 10:00 am

  My wife and I are in our 50s, the kids are gone, and this is the 1st Caravan we have owned. We should have had one years ago! We replaced a Pontiac Bonneville with this van, and love the convienence, comfort and versatility of this vehicle. We will replace it with another Dodge Grand Caravan.

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  My Dodge SRT-4 - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Harold B - May 2 - 10:00 am

  Fun car with plenty of pep. Handles like a Porsche and I had a Porsche in 1961

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  totally dependable - 1997 Dodge Neon
  By spin - May 1 - 2:00 am

  This car was well worth the low cost. I have driven in the cold and snow as well as the desert, it has always performed great for me. It handles nice and has a remarkable response. Hugs the curves and turns tight. The brakes have always been noisy but they still stop. I just got an oil leak but 3 different mech cannot find it.

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  Lots of Fun - Lets do it again - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By Glenn L - May 1 - 2:00 am

  My Neon was a late 1995 model so 95% of those early bugs were gone (it was introduced almost 2 years before it was originally intended). Wonderfully intellegent vehicle you can look and look at it and see (like it or not) the thinking that went into making it the best in the segment by a long shot. Excellent torque biased powerplant, comfort and quality of a much more expensive sedan

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  80K, 10 years old, and still going - 1992 Dodge Dynasty
  By johnb300m - May 1 - 2:00 am

  this has been one hell of a car. I inherited it from my parents when they got their 99 LHS. I know its not an exciting car for an 18 year old, but it is very reliable, comfortable, roomy for the friends, and Chryslers first ever V6 (3.3- 150HP, 190ft lb torque) is a powerful and bullet proof engine. My teen leadfoot is no match for this powertrain. The trans is rough around the edges at times, other times it shifts like butter. Its been a great car, and i set up my own Infinity sound system with Cd, and it rivals the factory Infinity systems. Love the car, will hate to see it go.

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  one tough truck - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By mailman - April 30 - 2:00 am

  I bought this truck for the 4 door mid- size, having kids when I need to haul. Love the way it rides, but it will jump up if you go fast over a bump, it may lose control. I have the maroon paint which looks nice, but all scratches show, so I would change colors next time. Had a linex liner sprayed in back, excellent. No problems yet, knock on wood.