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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  Fun to drive - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By dakar711 - December 24 - 11:33 am

  I got my Caliber in April of 06 with 3 miles on it now I have 26,582. I have found no major problems with it. The bigest complant is with the tire air pressure display. It gives 3-5 psi difference. I have the yellow R/T

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  2008 gc sxt - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By dalet` - December 23 - 11:30 am

  Had the van about 2 years now and have put 34,000 km on it mostly highway as we use our Jeep still for city when we arent going out together with all the kids, have had the power steering hose blow completely off within the first month. Its currently at the dealership because the transmission is slipping and the ignition module is gone too and cars tarter also needed removing. We dont drive it much but we love the van just too bad there are so many problems so early in the vans life. Also we have been told by the dealership that the brakes need replacing which seems pretty early for only 34,000 km. Also another to watch for is the plastic trim on the floor we had a piece snap in half

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  Great truck and 0% financing - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By djal2000 - December 23 - 2:00 am

  Good, reliable american truck. Does not have all the bells and wistels of some of the more pricy trucks out there but its got a solid V8 and lots of room. Great looking truck too. When you figure in the 0% financing its thousands less then anything close to the same size and power

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  Disappointing - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By pn9382 - December 18 - 7:26 am

  Had struts replaced at 65,000. The mechanic has replaced the strut mounts 4 times because whenever the weather turns cold we get a bad clunking sound when we hit a bump. Also problems with the electric windows and locks.

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  Surprised - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Edward Ebel - December 6 - 4:26 pm

  I was surprised at how well the car drove, handled, and the ride comfort. I had intended to buy another Honda Civic but saw this in a dealers lot and I noticed it had all wheel drive at a decent price. I like the CVT transmission. The quality surprised me as the last Chrysler product I had was poor. I think this is an excellent car for the money

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  2003 Neon SXT - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Asrock - December 6 - 10:00 am

  Inexpensive, sporty little sedan with ample trunk space.

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  Fun cheap car - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By pap - December 5 - 5:43 pm

  I have had this car for almost a year. I LOVE IT. Plenty of room for modifications if your into that type of thing (this car is made for it) The best bang for buck for a compact rocket ship.

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  Great improvement - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Ralph Baker - November 26 - 9:30 am

  Excellent improvement over previous Durango. I traded a 2003 R/T and there is no comparison. Smooth ride, good seat comfort, great power, great handling, has every feature I could want on a vehicle. Poor MPG, but this was expected and its no worse than comparable vehicles. The Hemi is worth the price. Still havent warmed up to the front end styling, but the comfort and features overshadow any negatives. The back seat (second row) should be roomier for this size vehicle. Great vehicle overall.

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  bought another 2009 dodge journey - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By roushpolice - November 14 - 5:46 pm

  bought the first rt journey with everything but sunroof loved it so much i bought another one on march24 it is black rt with everything besides nav and sunroof got a great deal, dont know of any problems besides when we got the new one when we parked it smelled like something was burning i figured it was from them changing the oil, but i saw other reviews about burning smell and plus it did it again when we took it home and parked it but other than that if it doesnt catch on fire we love everything about it.

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  Very reliable and smooth ride - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By barnyr - November 14 - 2:40 pm

  We have owned this minivan for 3 years. It cost $10k less than similar Honda. No problems at all to date. Ride is very comfortable for driver and front passenger. Back seats are not comfortable but they are for kids, so who cares. Lots of space. Very pleased with this vehicle.