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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  Sporty and somewhat practical - 2011 Dodge Charger
  By a587789 - February 26 - 5:35 pm

  I previously owned a bmw 325i that I hated. So my expectations on this car were low. I took a 2k mile road trip in it and it worked better than the dealership promised. I absolutely love it. Great ride. Great gas mileage. Great acceleration and breaking. Plenty of room for everything. The only downside from it was that the Bluetooth and passive entry did not work. The passive entry was fixed by the dealer for free and the bluetooth unit is on back order. The dealer tells me that no one in the southeast has one available. I am tempted to visit the BMW manufacturing plant and do burnouts in the parking lot. Long Live Detroit!

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  Update from Joe from Amarillo - 2010 Dodge Challenger
  By slyandvi - February 25 - 5:18 pm

  After almost two years I still enjoy driving this car. I have aded many little things to make it my own. like new whiskers with S/E and Sequential lights, chrome the inside

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  Great Balance between muscle and every day driver. - 2011 Dodge Charger
  By xevilxdanx - February 23 - 4:19 pm

  I have put 9,000 miles on my car. I purchased the max package, which has a lot of great features from the sound system to the blind spot monitor. I only wish they installed vented seats for the summer time. The car has plenty of power for its size especially up hill. The AWD is great in the snow and shuts off above 40 degrees and only turns on when it is raining, manual mode is on, or the Traction Control is turned off. If you put the car on cruse control the car will get 25 miles to the gallon on the highway. The touch screen is extremely useful. It allows you to navigate your I-pod control the climate controls, see the 5 day forecast, and watch DVDs when parked.

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  My Beginning Car - - 1991 Dodge Dynasty
  By oo7chick - February 21 - 8:29 pm

  Got this car given to me when I was 16 and drove it until I was 20, when it was stolen! Watch out - thieves like to steal this car just like another reviewer said! Luckily I found the car, recovered it and got it back 1 month later, and now it is still running today. This is a great car, very durable and takes abuse well. It is inexpensive to maintain and it extremely reliable. Id highly recommend it if youre on a budget! It was great for someone like me just learning to drive. So happy I found this car.

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  Dodges Sport car SUV! - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By metro12 - February 19 - 3:41 pm

  Ive owned my 2012 Durango AWD RT for just over a month now. I love it! The Durango is my fun car, I drive a milktoast 2011 impala for to and from work. So, it makes it a bit difficult to keep off the gas when Im out in the Durango. The gas mileage for the Hemi is what would be expected. We are on "winter gas", so comparing to the difference I experience with my other cars, I would expect 17mpg average in the summer season. The SUV moves when you stomp on it, handles great in the snow, and has plenty of passenger room. As with any 3rd row SUV, adults will have a bit of difficulty getting in the 3rd row.

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  Im very satisfied with this car - 2012 Dodge Avenger
  By kcguy62 - February 13 - 3:08 am

  I test drove several mid size cars. And finally decided on the base model 2012 Dodge avenger for the following reasons. First It is a 2012 top safety pick. I think the avenger is really nice looking.... I chose the bright silver exterior with black interior. It has nice quality materials and craftsmanship. The 2.4 engine has all the power I need and gets great mpg. If you want to race once in a while get the v-6 version, it has over a hundred more horse power... be careful "laughs". I also like the way the avenger feels on the road... It has a very comfortable ride. It also handles curves well, the steering and brakes are responsive. To sum up the review. I love driving this car!

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  Awesome!! just bought it recently looked like a 2010 - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By godisgood7 - February 12 - 12:43 am

  We honestly saw this beauty on the lot and I swore they were lying to me. The way it smelled, drove looked I thought it was a 2010 model. Unbelievable. Drives so smooth and love that HEMI!!! We have 3 kids and this is perfect for them and all the things we do. We are getting ready to go to the snow next month and look to have a blast!!! We test drove, the BMW X5, Grand Cherokee, Toyota Rav, Ford Explorer, Ford Escape, Ford Taurus Suv, Hyundai Santa Fe,Nissan Xterra, Dodge by far was the most impressive and funnest to drive and enjoy. Just exceeded expectations. I am trading in my eclipse for a dodge car next so we have 2 Dodges. Grab life by the horns!! Go Dodge!!

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  Great Car - 2011 Dodge Charger
  By mattp4par - February 10 - 3:38 pm

  I buy a new car every 4-5 years to use for a company car and I will have to say this car makes working fun again. Get the Hemi....it is worth the few mpgs you lose over the V6. My R/T has all the options and I cant say enough for the ease of use of everything. I get thumbs up from cars driving by and compliments at gas stations. Go drive one nothing else in its class compares.

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  Add to your short list of med sized SUVs - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By willmilw - February 7 - 3:58 pm

  Purchased the 2012 R/T just a little over one week ago and absolutely love the handling, styling and interior quality and amenities My mandatory prerequisites were towing capacity, AWD (darn WI inters) usable third row seat, rear camera (have two dogs who love to hide behind my vehicle), good handling and looks. I did wanted an aggressive looking ride with contemporary styling. I did my homework and the Durango came out on top compared to the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander.

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  Very fun and fast car - 2011 Dodge Avenger
  By ramforever - February 7 - 2:49 pm

  I have just purchased a new 2011 avenger lux edition with the 3.6L V6 this car is great have only had a few days but all you have to do is sit in this car. and your sold the comfort is amazing, My car came with the all black leather interior, loaded. then when you drive this car the interior is so quiet its hard to believe. The new V6 that I have been hearing about and now driven myself. has awesome hp and torque, put together with the 6 speed auto-stick transmission. this is the perfect combination. Chrysler did an amazing job on this car. will write another review after I put some miles on the car.