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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  2008 sxt dodge caliber 2.0 L 4door - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By William - September 22 - 6:14 pm

  This is an update to my experience as posted on 08/21/08 by William. Shortly after getting this car I began to notice a clanking (metal slapping metal) noise, it was believed that an lower control arm was the concern, then the passenger front strut, it was replaced but still is making this clanking noise. So thirty gallons of fuel 750 miles just to the dealerships within thirty days and the problem has Not been fixed with around 2,250 miles on the car. The dealership manager tells me they have to follow a repair process for my/your protection? Today they sprayed some brake cleaner type chemical on the brakes and area. Guess what? It still didnt fix it. I think my dodge buying is over.

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  2007 NITRO R/T 4.0 ONLY - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By karen nitro R/T - September 22 - 10:48 am

  I have a 2007 nitro r/t nitro. I put this info once before. I have an answer now. Im having a problem with chattering in front end. Its the serpentine belt. Chrysler cant fix this problem. I had it in the shop twice. The service told me that Chrysler dont touch it. A service rep. came out. He called the eng. They sent out some parts to put on it but, the problem isnt fixed. Its better but, sometimes its still just as loud. I took it over to the dealership. I was getting all of my receipts to send to my atty. The ser. Mgr. Heard it doing it again. Took it in for service and hes gone. I called my atty. They said I have a case for the lemon law. I was told niitro r/t wasnt designed for that size eng?

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  SXT sport - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By Travis - September 21 - 9:52 pm

  Have had this car for just over one month. Had a large Chrysler 300M and have been really happy and impressed with this car. Although the car is much smaller than the 300 it doesnt feel small. Mostly city driving and get 24 mpg. 17 mpg on 300. The CVT is great. I believe that complaints are from people who are not used to it. Plenty of smooth power. Premium radio with Boston acoustics is the best I have heard. Car is really functional and fun to drive. The gas savings is a great bonus and the car is great for the money. Looked at a Honda civic and felt the auto was underpowered, not smooth and felt small. This is a great bargain. Highly recommend this car.

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  No Ford! Dodge! - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By chesman12 - September 21 - 7:58 pm

  Just bought my 05 4wd Dakota 4 months ago. Love it on road- off road even more! Thought it was too low it crawled over everything like it was pavement! Reliability is awesome. Can take this truck ANYWHERE you can think up. 4lock works great- very impressed.First 4wd Ive owned. Best overall mid-size truck on the market- roomy, comfortable, [even in the ext. part.]

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  Good Suv - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Thomas - September 21 - 6:06 pm

  Bought the Durango with Hemi for towing a 26 trailer. Generally does well except through the high desert states where it constantly shifts up and down even with the tow feature engaged. I can usually find a happy medium towing but not so here. Would probably do better with the 3:73 ratio differentials instead of the 3:92. Also maintenance is expensive requiring synthetic oil in rear differential. An exhaust manifold stud broke in the head @ 43,000 miles. Shop had replaced same one on another Hemi a month earlier. I dont mean to talk the rig down because I really do like the rig and enjoy driving with all the bells and whistles and great stability.

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  Nice in and out, but... - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Henry - September 21 - 1:06 am

  It is a nice van to drive. Replaced a 96 Villager with 120,000 miles. Much better ride - smoother and better handling. Only problem so far is that Dodge (maybe this was a mistake) installed the base AM/FM CD with a single disc DVD. The end result is that headphones are not supported by the radio.... So, if the kids want to watch a DVD that is the audio that comes over the 6 speakers. Later models in the 05 have corrected this, and it is no longer an option to combine these two from the factory. But, it seems silly to have a DVD player that doesnt have a separate audio source.

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  I love my Charger! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Johanna - September 20 - 5:10 pm

  I had been bugging my husband for a year for this baby! I finally got it a few weeks ago. I got the RTand I am loving it! Its so much fun. The kids love it too, and my husband is jealous. All my friends were shocked because Im a girly girl, but I love muscle cars. I get stopped all the time by people complimenting my car. All my friends husbands are jealous! I got the windows blacked out to match the car, spoiler is being added this weekend. Ive never been so excited about a car before. My dad had one before I was born, a 1969, and now Im keeping on with the tradition.

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  AC problems - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By 09chgrrt - September 20 - 1:13 pm

  I purchased the vehicle used with 9000 miles. As soon as the warranty ran out we had a power steering fluid leak. An after warranty recall was done on the rear evaporator of the AC system and that unit was replaced. The dealer returned the vehicle last spring stating the system to be working. Summer came and the unit would not blow cold air. Now the front receiver dryer needs replacement to the tune of $489.54. If the rear evaporator was flawed then it is safe to say Dodge equipped this vehicle with an inferior quality AC system.

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  Value, Design, Utility - 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By fdby - September 20 - 4:15 am

  I just bought a 2012 Grand Caravan SXT with 36k miles. So I cant say much about reliability yet. So far Im impressed with the seating, much improved in 2011 over the previous StownGo. The DOHC variable-valve-timing engine is very nice and powerful (but still uses 87 octane gas), though I cant imagine it will be as trouble-free, tough, and durable as the old OHV 3.3L dinosaur. Handling is very good. The standard suspension is no longer mushy, but feels more like the old Sport option, yet is quite compliant. Power doors all around work well, but seem pointless to me, as does the key-in-fob arrangement. Fitnfinish is so-so. There are some very clever options inside.

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  My Dodge Avenger - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Jase - September 19 - 8:46 pm

  I bought this car because I was looking for an affordable AWD car that also had great looks.So far I am very satisfied with my Avenger. The R/T trim adds the most powerful engine available and it is plenty powerful. The car can take off when I need it to. There is ample room, both front and back. Watch for the blindspots they are numerous. Overall I am very happy with the car and in retrospect would still definately buy it.