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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  Engine noise requires ear plugs - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Bob - August 19 - 12:58 pm

  I own an SLT with the 4.0 engine. It emits tremendous engine noise (sounds like piston slap) under light to heavy loads. Per dealer and factory this is normal for this engine. It is totally not acceptable for comfortable driving. In June the factory rep. stated there would be a fix by way of a service bulletin but this has never occurred. All other facets of the vehicle have been very acceptable.

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  Big Guy/Little Car - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Thomas - August 19 - 1:41 am

  Bought this one after getting a 96 strictly for fuel economy. I am 64" the wife is 61" and we can travel without having our knees in our chest. Good response to throttle, handling great, and again fuel economy, all in a little car that so far has been VERY reliable. The stereo is great for a car that retailed for only $16,000, especially when you see luxury cars with stereos that arent much better. Will definitely buy another to "play" with and keep this one for peace of mind on trips. By the way, standing 1/4 mile is 80 MPH, not bad for a economy car.

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  Dodge-it Not a good buy!! - 2006 Dodge Stratus
  By KD - August 18 - 11:09 pm

  Bought this car with 16,000 miles on it for wife to drive back and forth to work ( about 60 miles daily round trip). At 38,000 miles the radiator cooling fan went bad and Dodge would not help with that repair (bad electronics). 40,000 miles later; 78,000 miles, the lower ball joints failed. There was a recall on certain SXT models for the same failure but not on mine according to Dodge--cheap parts. The car now has 92,000 miles on it and the upper control arms and traction bar are bad and another score for cheap parts. Will be getting a new vehicle and it will not be anything MOPAR builds--am looking at Nissan. Stay away from Dodge products is the best money saving advise I can give you !!! UP DATE---Have sold this vehicle and not looked at another Dodge or MOPAR product. Bought a 2014 Nissan and have put 55,000 miles on it and have done nothing but routine maint. on this vehicle. There will never be another Dodge in my garage. Not sure if I were given a MOPAR vehicle that I would keep it.

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  great car for money - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By scott - August 18 - 9:05 pm

  This is one great car for the money! Rides and drives great with comfortable seating. I had read these reviews before purchasing and having driven and owning this vehicle, I agree that there is a good bit of road noise, but all of the small cars in this price range did as well. Real world driving all around has resulted in 26 MPG with straight HWY MPG at 28 which could be better. Another thing about some of the reviews at this site state that this car doesnt ride, drive, and handle as well as their Accord or one are Camry, nor is as quiet, the last time I checked, these cars are thousands more in price than the Caliber but none have a higher safety rating. Apples to Apples this is a great c

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  Worst Van ever - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By kialover15 - August 18 - 7:10 pm

  Back in July of 2006, we bought a Dodge Grand Caravan, dumb move, it was terrible, we hated it! The ride was rough, seats were uncomfortable, visibility was awful, and we only got an average of about 13 mpg! Not good enough with these soaring gas prices. So after 13 months, we traded it in for a Kia Rondo, much much better.

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  enjoy but be aware of potential prblems - 2003 Dodge Intrepid
  By ray - August 18 - 4:03 pm

  Ive had this car for over 4 years and have put on 85,000 miles. The engine is quiet & without problems primarily because I have used mobil 1 since new. The 2.7 engine has a history of sludging and failing by 100k (many times earlier) if you do normal oil changes with regular oil. I.e., the oil cooks in the engine. However, if you can find a low mileage version (2.7 L) or one with 3.5 L engine, you should be okay AS LONG AS YOU USE MOBIL ONE. (if you dont believe me ask any mechanic with real experience with the 2.7 L engine. YOU SHOULD BE REALLY SUSPCIOUS OF A HIGH ENGINE 2.7 L (definitely have mechanic check one of these).

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  Charger R/T - 2008 Dodge Charger
  By Willcomm - August 17 - 11:10 pm

  Great car..I am very happy with the performance and fuel mileage. I am getting 14-21 and I am using mid grade with NO ethanol. I do not use it and wont till I am forced to. The car performs very well under hard accel and handles like a dream. I am looking to trade it for the SRT8 as I want to go to 425 HP . I was going to go with Challenger but refuse to fork over 20K extra for availability markup. The R/T will quench most driver wanting high end performance as well as daily driving. I wasnt thrilled about 4 doors but I drive it, not sit in the back. GREAT car for 24K and I think most will be happy. I also purchased a Base SE model I traded it off with 758 miles on it.No guts!

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  I love it BUT! - 2000 Dodge Caravan
  By Syl G - August 17 - 11:39 am

  I bought the Dodge Caravan new and it worked well for a while. It has needed brakes replaced twice. The car engine light came on suddenly without warning late at night, and needed the ignition changed. The worst problem has been the past year with losing power. Scary on the highway. Then it will work well again until a most unpredictable moment. The car has been to the dealer and to non-dealers. Computers cant tell the problem. The oxygen sensors and accelerator pedal were changed ($2100. The problem continues sporadically. Recently, loosing power more often. IM really discouraged. Scary being female and working predawn and night shifts.

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  Work vehicle - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Kevin - August 16 - 1:15 pm

  My company bought a Nitro SXT 4x4 as a work vehicle for me that had a decent amount of cargo space, easily parked in NYC, had 4 wheel drive, and was relatively inexpensive. The lifetime powertrain warranty was another big plus. Ive had a few minor problems with it including a collapsed drivers seat and cracked roof rail, but aside from that and taking care of the recalls, its been 17 relatively trouble free months and 35,000 miles. Despite handling thats not so confidence inspiring, its comfortable, does extremely well in the snow, looks great, and performs well for the money.

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  Use to be a Ford Man - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By Michael - August 15 - 11:29 pm

  Several months ago I purchased my first Dodge vehicle (2002 Intrepid R/T) Man...I must have been living under a rock! This car is awesome! Im 65 and have a traveling job. This car has it all style, performance, comfort, safety & reliability. If you can find one of these cars, I recommend that you buy it.