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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  Great car! - 2009 Dodge Challenger
  By Paul Lieberstien - September 5 - 6:06 am

  I love my new challenger! I cannot say enough about the performance and build quality. I have always had performance cars in my garage, but this one is way better than anything else I ever had. I looked at the Nissan GTR and the 350Z. The GTR is just plain ugly in person and the dealers are marking them up way more than they are worth. The 350Z was slow and the few I saw on the lots had trim pieces falling off them already.

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  One of the best cars Ive owned! Really! - 2000 Dodge Stratus
  By Detroit Driver - September 4 - 10:39 pm

  I have had my stratus for close to eight years with very few maintenance issues. Overall, this is a solid well built sporty sedan that is a pleasure to drive. I am VERY satisfied with the vehicle. I am now over 170,000 miles and still going strong!

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  Yeah Dodge - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By yeahdodge - September 4 - 10:35 pm

  I just got rid of a 89 Oldsmobile, so this is my first "real" car, and I love it. It is a blast to drive, and the looks on peoples faces because they think that it is "just a neon" and you fly by them and shift and the turbo blasts into their window and they think twice about it being a neon. This little rocket has more power than any car I have ever driven. It also has great handling. This car has a great center point of gravity, cause when you take corners you dont feel the car lean to one side or the other. I would recommend anyone that asks to buy one. If they can find one left anymore!

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  Great Minivan! - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By BillG123 - September 4 - 10:00 am

  I have to admit that I researched Consumer Reports and based on their recommendation I looked at the Toyota, Honda, and Nissan without giving this vehicle a chance at first. I then decided not to limit my options and tried the Dodge. The Dodge Grand Caravan SXT has a smooth and quiet ride that matches the Toyota and is better by a large margin over the noisy Honda and rattle prone Nissan. A powerful engine that gets excellent gas mileage (Im averaging 21+ MPG). The SXT is also fully loaded with all the options - including dual power sliding doors. As an added bonus we purchased this van at a great price!

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  Just bought a dodge stratus - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Ryan Short - September 4 - 10:00 am

  The 2004 Dodge Stratus is very comfortable and stylist. It is also very affordable and it comes with a really hard-to-beat warrenty. There wasnt any other automobile that was offering that kind of warrenty; not even the foreign ones.

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  momuleapullin - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By moMULE - September 4 - 10:00 am

  rides well and has lots of pickup. Wish the gate window opened but that is probably in the works for 2005? Pulls 26 camper trailer very well and doesnt wonder all over the road, easy to steer and control. Selected the 4X2 SLT and we are not disappointed ! with the HEMI it does a great job.

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  HEMI-FIED - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By vipereyes - September 4 - 10:00 am

  I love my durango. I think it deserves a longer test to really appreciate the utility that it provides

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  Liked it, lost it - 2003 Dodge Intrepid
  By Dodgey person - September 3 - 8:49 pm

  Bought it with 23k on the clock, great car, never let me down once. Had to swap some brake rotors out as they warped a couple of times. Bought the 2.7 that has a timing chain instead of a belt, never missed a beat. Someone pulled out in front of me and now I have to find another one! Aaarghh! Anyway, car was roomy, fun and very dependable. If I can find a decent one equal to my insurance check, Ill snag it, but they are a dying breed. Highly recommend this car, good value for money I think.

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  Outstanding! - 2008 Dodge Dakota
  By REDNECKKID11 - September 3 - 5:52 pm

  Just bought my Dakota. Love it! I Love the off-road capability, the looks, style. Even its 3.7 L v6 performs great in towing, off-roading, etc.

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  Power, Luxury, Looks and Handling - 2008 Dodge Durango
  By Absolute Glassworks - September 3 - 4:55 pm

  I test drove the Limited model with intentions of buying a cheaper model. After the test drive I was hooked! Leather interior, Hemi power, mygig w/rear tv for the kids, are all features I decided we had to have. Laminated glass really makes it quiet inside. And the hemi power and the 18" wheels make it a awesome performance ride. The fuel saver mode on Highway really saves on the gas too. Rear camera and park assist, along with the power tailgate and sunroof were extras that I wouldnt have picked but are really nice to have. I test drove everything in its class and this vehicle wins hands down! I look for reasons to take it out for a spin, its that fun to drive!