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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  Nice van - looking for a new one! - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Steel - December 9 - 9:40 am

  We had an older boxy-style (1994) Caravan, and when we bought the new model, my wife said it was the best "car" she ever owned. Smoother body panels are very appealing. Seats remove easily (although are heavy to lift). You can lay a 4x8 sheet of plywood flat inside when seats are out (very handy). Mileage was about 18 city/ 25 highway - great for a van. Body lean on curves is a little annoying, but expected for a tall vehicle. Well designed layout. Tall seats are very comfortable. Visibility is great.

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  Good Dodge - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By Bill - December 8 - 6:08 pm

  very well built compared to GM and Ford

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  Magnum 2005 - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By carole - December 7 - 6:00 am

  Runs very nice, has lots of power. It is a very nice riding vehicle. Nice and roomy. Very comfortable.

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  Better than my 745i - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Les Walgreen - December 5 - 3:20 pm

  What an excellent car. I have gone from an $80K+ car to the Magnum RT AWD and I am not looking back. The car is fun to drive and hauls the mail. I never thought I would fall in love with a station wagon. Go ahead and by a BMW - I will love seeing you in my rear view mirror.

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  Buy it if you can... - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By caz - December 5 - 9:54 am

  I chose to buy a mid-range top of the line vehicle. You may ask, "why top of the line?" Quite simply, they are built better and with higher quality parts. My 2001 Dodge Intrepid R/T is very comfortable, sound, and reliable. Of course, I keep the vehicle maintenence and I plan on driving the vehicle through 200,000 miles. Outstanding gas mileage - 26 MPG. Very roomy - plenty of leg room

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  This is the car! - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By Jim - December 4 - 10:48 pm

  This car is the best car I have ever driven. There are many extras I wasnt even hoping for ... but now that I have them ... I am so glad I bought this car !

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  Waiting for SRT 10 Coupe - 2005 Dodge Viper
  By Viper GTS 0001 - December 4 - 5:27 pm

  Ive been lucky to have a 2001 GTS Coupe and the SRT-10 Roadster. The roadster is definitely faster, more "tourquey" and more comfortable. On the down side, I still prefer the more "throaty" rear exhaust rumble of the 2001 GTS as well as its more radical looks. The yellow / back striped GTS definitely gets more pedestrian feedback than the red SRT- 10. Ive seen the "prototype" SRT-10 coupe and they got it right. Cant wait for its release. Is it here yet? Is it?

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  Twitchy - 2005 Dodge Viper
  By Viper - December 4 - 5:15 pm

  I bought this car for my wifes birthday last July. It truly is an eye catcher and a great performer. But i guess we are not the atypical buyer for a vehicle such as this. We do not normally drive it very hard. I think the car is so twitchy at any speed that it is dangerous to drive fast. It follows the grooves of the road and is almost impossible to stay in any single lane. I have driven other high performance cars and i cant remember any of them doing this to this degree. The Viper is a work of art in the styling dept. The interior is spartan by any standard. and the lack of amenities is i guess part of its raw character. We love this car despite its few flaws.

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  Bought for temporary/ kept love it - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By Jackie lee - December 4 - 5:04 pm

  Bought 6 yes ago with 105000. Miles now has 230800. Very dependable regular maintenance ..replaced air co dition compressor for $700 2 yrs ago. Luv this van taught gkids to drive in it..like style cant find anything I like better even like old body style. Go to mountains every yr in it..4cyl no problem climbing those mountains in north Carolina.. Would recommend to anyone

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  Stephen A. Gillen - 2005 Dodge Viper
  By Steve Gillen - December 4 - 4:40 pm

  A Super car. I took it to vermont on a long ride. It got 22mpgs just lite cruising. The minute you go heavy on the gas -- down to 14.5