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:

• 

  lust at first sight - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By victor morris - January 24 - 10:00 am

  when i first saw this van,i almost got rearended i hit the brakes so hard..i was passing by a dealership in richmond,virginia and i saw the side door glide back.the leather seats that were exposed reminded me of my fathers lazyboy football chair,large and inviting.i made the first available u- turn,i had to investigate.once on the lot,the magnetic pull locked in on me like an alien tracter beam.once inside,i knew that i had to have it.auto doors(3),leather,dvd,radio controls on the steering wheel...best purchase of my life

• 

  SRT-4 - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Jewell - January 17 - 7:26 am

  I didnt like the look of the SRT-4 and wasnt very into driving a Neon. However I decided to take it for a test drive because it was the fastest vehicle for the price I wanted to pay. Wow! This car is very fun to drive! Its fast and it does not drive the way you think a Neon does. It handles much sturdier than you think possible and can provide thrilling acceleration. I have owned a 2003 Ford Lightning and a 1996 Mustang GT. It is as quick, if not quicker, than both.

• 

  Its a keeper - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By 2sapoton - January 16 - 11:13 am

  Weve been very happy with the van and Dodge service. Some early problems (ABS/traction control packed up at 350 miles, small head leak detected at 18K, both fixed under warranty), otherwise troublefree. Excels at long trips: very comfortable for four adults and two small kids, not fatiguing to drive. Leather interior is definitely worth it with kids. City gas mileage has been 17-20 mpg, on long trips from 22.5 to 24.5 mpg. At the time purchased, the only other van we found competitive was Hondas Oddysey, with a 3-month wait to get one from dealer allocation (and we checked with every dealer within 100 miles) for $3K higher street price. We intend on keeping it for at least 120K miles.

• 

  Typical American made car - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By test the dodge - January 11 - 2:00 am

  The data: 2000 SE, 75K miles, V6 3.3 engine. Having two kids and a lot of family visiting from Europe, we really appreciated the space and comfort. Quality, well it is an American made car - period. I allways would buy an extended warranty with the car. It helped us to deal with a broken bord computer, windor power switch and alike. The brakes are really poor for the size of the car. Disk brakes should be standard on front AND rear - it is a family car. Mileage on the highway is acceptable but in the city .... Overall its a good vehicle for long rides with big family. But drive carefull - the brakes...

• 

  Caliber R/T ... A Bold Crossover - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By 44caliber - January 10 - 8:13 pm

  Ive had nothing but imports my whole life. Ive loved the design and reliability that Japan could offer me. When looking for a new car, I had a list of features that I needed. 4WD or AWD, a peppy engine, good handling, good styling, and around 20 Grand. I tested a lot and after testing the Caliber R/T I was convinced. It has alot of value in these catagories. The ride and acceleration are ultra smooth. The autostick and CVT feel generous and ready when accelerating, but jerky when breaking and downshifting. The handling is crisp for the size of the vehicle. But sharp cornering shows its high center of gravity. The end wants to wiggle loose. But the AWD system corrects minor over steer.

• 

  5th times the charm! - 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By SFR - January 3 - 6:20 am

  This is our 5th Chrysler minivan in 10 years. Have to warm up to the exterior, the last generations lines were much nicer. The interior more than makes up for it. Comfortable seats, controls in the right spot. Wanted the 3.8 and 6A but didnt want to pay the big bucks. Got what we wanted with the Hero. Miss the power sliders, but saved about $2200.00. We like the tightness of the suspension, a little stiffer than the last one. Not crazy about the gas mileage, but the 6A seems to rev higher in gears 1 to 3. All in all we are happy with this van and probably will keep it longer than the previous four!

• 

  Good Start But.... - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By MkHitech - January 2 - 9:26 pm

  We have the SXT with the 2.7L flex fuel engine. Rides far better on Michigans roads than our Accord did. Interior design is also better. Unfortunately the interior has too much cheap, hard, and gray plastic. Its also slower than our 2001 Stratus ES with the same engine, and gets 5 MPG less. Somehow Dodge has made this engine sound like it came from a bread truck instead of the nice exhaust sound on the Stratus and smooth acceleration. The Avenger seems to "fight" its way up to speed. We have the upgraded seats and even those are awful. No comfort at all and they squeak like crazy. Like the looks, love the design, but needs better quality, MPG, and be put on a diet. Close, but no cigar.

• 

  Quality Car - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Ivan Ardan - December 30 - 7:20 am

  Ok, prior to my SRT4 I owned a WRX. I miss my WRX alot, mainly because of the AWD and respect that car has on the road. However, the SRT4 has done nothing but impress me. It has much better top end power than a WRX. I am interested in seing what a stage 2 mopar package is going to do for me. Since I live in CO, Im dreading the winter w/o AWD. However, when you let the horses loose on the 2.4L turbod engine from the on-ramp of I-25 (which is 75MPH) there is no differance of feeling from an SRT4 and an STI. the regular WRX actually feels slower!

• 

  Not Too Pleased - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By JAWPAW - December 28 - 3:56 pm

  Replaced our previous 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan with the 2006 model and have had several problems. Sun Roof had issues after using 3 times, rear sliding door broke at 24K miles, tires are already bald with only 40K miles, rack and pinion went at 36K and now the air conditioning just starting blowing warm air. Dont think I would buy another one. I hardly had any issues at all with my 1996 Caravan and that had over 100K miles on it. Very Disappointed with the quality. Unfortunately this is the first vehicle that I bought and did not buy an extended warranty. It figures.

• 

  brakes and dust on beautiful wheel cover - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By john myers - December 24 - 2:30 pm

  We like our vehicle and it handles well. Hosweer, we have contacted several dealers in our area regarding the brakes catching and the brake dust on our wheel covers. We were told that this is normal. Why would you put beauktiful wheel ocers if they are covered with black dust all thetime. We also purchsed a extended warranty and not one dealer is will to fix this problem. We had an intriped some time ago and got the same runn around. We are very sorry we purchased this car. We thought Chrysler had improved its service. We were wrong.