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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  Best Car Ive owned - 1992 Dodge Daytona
  By IROC Owner - April 17 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this car used in 1994. Through its 140,000 miles, the car has never let me down. Ive done nothing but routine maintenance. She still turns heads whether at a car show or spooling the turbo down the track.

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  Best Driving of the Vans - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By lanshahan - April 17 - 2:00 am

  After reading all the hype about the Honda and getting a chance to drive a 01 and 02 Honda I cant see what the hype is about. Yes the magic seat is a neat feature and the upgraded motor and tranny are class leading but the Dodge offers a better balanced suspension, steering with more feel, a quieter interior (the Honda is noisy), better seats, built in child seats (just as much as a plus as Hondas magic seat), surprisingly tight build quality, smooth motor and tranny, all for thousands less in real world money.

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  Pretty Impressive for a domestic. - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By oberkell - April 14 - 2:00 am

  Traded in my Golf 1.8t for this vehicle. So far so good. For the price I dont see how you could pass on this, especially with the 2k rebate and 500 rebate from State Farm or Country Companies (Farm Bureau Member). Loaded with options. Brakes are top of the line. Better than the new Acura. Quick (not fast), handles great and gets outstanding gas mileage (35 mpg) first tank. Pretty roomy for a compact and has a big trunk. Doesnt look like anything on the road and there are a large number of aftermarket products on the market for this car. Replacement parts are also cheap, especially coming from a VW - 1,000.00 for a clutch and flywheel.

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  The whistling Noise - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Karl - April 13 - 4:43 am

  Let me start by saying, I like the van and this is my second one. But the new design has a whistling sound when doing 65-70 MPH. The problem is around the windshield on the unit, Between the window and the pillar that extends to the roof. The rubber insert is not long enough and it causes a whistle sound. You will need to tape the outside until you can run a thin bead of caulk under the rubber to prevent the wind from getting in. I do a lot of driving in a year (42,000 annually) and I currently have it taped and it has stopped the noise. Good luck.

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  No Cruise control and poor interior - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By Gunda - April 13 - 2:00 am

  I got Dodge Intrepid SE as a company car. I was surprised to learn that SE model does not have a cruise control. Even the very first car I bought 1984 Chevy citation had a cruise control. Indoor passenger side over head handle gave away when I took one of my customers for lunch. I could not believe that this car has such poor engineering indoors. There is a loss of power when I put car in reverse to pull out of a parking spot. Overall with my two months of driving this car daily, I am disappointed. Next time, I would not have this as my company car.

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  1990 Shadow - 1990 Dodge Shadow
  By JTLevy - April 12 - 2:00 am

  I have had this car for twelve years, since i bought it new. For the last several years it has been at my weekend home and is used only for local driving. Despite long periods of idlness, the car starts up and drives without trouble, maintenance is low. It is dependable transportation, and fun to drive.

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  average car - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By MidnightRT - April 10 - 2:00 am

  I have owned my RT for 6 months, never any problems. I purchased a large aluminum spoiler, to hold the car down at fast speeds, and a Tenzo exhaust, sounds great. Turns a lot of heads, speakers are incredible. Back seat actually fits an average sized adult! still a bit tight though. If you want a car that will turn heads, pass with no problem, and do highway driving, its great. Long trips get cramped and tired easy. Gas is terrible in the city. Very good in snow, never a problem and I am in new england! Tons of standard features, and great value for the money. BUT the resale value is the worst in the industry, so be careful if you want to sell it in the future you may loose a lot of cash.

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  Poor MPG and rear hatch - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By cp - April 7 - 6:26 pm

  Ive been woefully disappointed with the MPG for my SXT. Im light on the pedal and to date, the advertised 31mpg city and 39mpg hwy have amounted to roughly 25mpg city and 31mpg hwy! Also, the rear hatch appears to stick in cold weather, which isnt good in Canada. With a stuck hatch, one finds a "hatch open" light comes on, thereby draining the battery. This happened to me twice!

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  dodge stratus - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By natcheew - April 6 - 2:00 am

  i bought this car new (68 miles)it drives and handles good.some vibration in steering wheel,car has 11000 miles on it.uses some oil 1/2 quart in 1500 ml.gas milage 22 1/2 mpg,gets about 26 on interstate,cruise works good as all power equipment.the seat gets "Hard"after about 100 miles,on a scale of 0-10 i rate the car at 7.5

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  All that I expected - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By truck fan - April 5 - 2:00 am

  The truck is all that I expected. Great performance out of the 4.7L V8 engine. Solid feel and build. More comfortable than many sedans that I have ridden in. More than enough interior room. Mixed driving mileage around 17 mpg, therefore increased gas cost. But all in all, I love this truck and couldnt ask for more, considering its a mid-size truck with a big engine. I had a tacoma double cab just prior to the dakota and the only thing I miss is that Toyota quality feel. Other than that, Im happy that I ended up with the Dakota.