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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  Couldnt ask for a better wagon! - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Jon - August 12 - 7:51 am

  I absolutely love this car. When I was looking for a car to trade-in for I wanted something with style that stood out from the rest. I would have to agree that the car is difficult to keep in alignment but for a heavy car the mileage is great. We have three daughters and always have enough room for car seats and all of their stuff. A must is the Electronic Stability Program - it really works great on icy roads.

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  Solid American Vehicle - 1991 Dodge Spirit
  By Lon - August 11 - 10:16 pm

  The drive and appearance of this vehicle are unremarkable. It may leak oil on your driveway but you will not kill this car. Despite being able to find parts in salvage yards the only known cause of death I can attest to has been by demolition derby. The best part is she won.

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  Gas hog - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By Tim - August 10 - 5:16 pm

  I bought this Dakota 4x4 standard cab 2 years ago. Boy what a mistake. This thing sucks gas so fast you can watch the gauge move about 13 mpg in the city. I had a 1990 Dakota and it was a fine truck so had no problems buying this one until I got it home. I am 6,3" tall and have no room to move in it, its pretty but not a good deal. So far the battery, water pump muffler and tires have all taken leave, also the center caps that come with the wheels will not stay on had to get the chrome ones that Dodge has replaced them with. I drive this truck back and forth to work (22 miles a day) thats all I can afford at $4.00 a gallon and go through $40-50 a week. Poor in snow.

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  More Civilized Than I Thought - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Actual Owner - August 10 - 10:00 am

  I knew it would be fun, but the SRT4 also had a better ride than I thought it would (it is very stiff, but not jarring, and fine on the highway). The clutch, transmission, and throttle are more direct than our 03 SXT Neon, which makes it easier to get going from stoplights, and for matching revs when downshifting from 5th to 4th. We compared it with the Mini, WRX STI, and Evo, and for us found it had the best fun-to-drive-for-the-buck ratio, and also the most usable back seat.

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  Kens critique, Dodge mini-van - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By ken jennings - August 10 - 10:00 am

  Purchased from local dealer with 50k. At this writing (8/11/03) now has 116k Have been happy overall. Some of the reliability issues other raters mentioned have also plagued me on occasion. Luckily, Im a shade tree mechanic and not scared to tackle the unknown without prints or a tech manual. Have replaced starter, several rotors, brake booster (what a pain!), idler pulley (snapped off while driving), Front and rear AC expansion valve/dryer.Also have intermittent wiper gremlin where pulse wipe quits. Even with all this, my wife loves it and Id probably get another one if I werent tiring of the design.

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  Love my Caravan - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By Sue B - August 10 - 9:34 am

  I had a 1988 Plymouth Voyager I bought new and just loved it so I bought this 2003 Caravan. Love it as well. Im short 52", and I sit very comfortably and can handle this very well. It steers precisely and is very easy to park. Easier than my Honda Accord I traded for this. It is a lot quieter than my Hondas have been. I would of tried a Honda van, but they were too expensive and Im trying to lower my debts. The Van looks sporty as well. Nice wheels. My mom has a caravan and loves it too.

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  Go V-8 for the power - 2006 Dodge Dakota
  By Brian - August 10 - 9:15 am

  Pretty good truck overall. Average 19- 20 mpg with no load and city/hwy mix. With load drops to 17-18 mpg. Has a good ride but wind noise has picked up over time. Ignition module went out at 40000 just over warranty ($400). I really enjoy the truck overall. I was at the dealer and talked about trade for kicks. The V-8 is undesirable over the V-6 even though you only gain 1-2 mpg with the V-6. The V-8 has the power to haul and get you on the road as the V-6 was a dog to me.

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  Great Commuter! - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By Craig - August 9 - 10:59 pm

  My 2008 Dodge Caliber SE was actually ordered by the dealership with the 2.0 L engine, CVT, and ABS upgrades. I highly recommend these upgrades. Did not come with cruise control, which was disappointing, but can be added on aftermarket, at the dealer. Fun to drive, good ride quality, roomy, and I am averaging 27 MPG for all around driving. I dont understand why some of the media reviewers blast this vehicle, as I am very pleased with its performance and versatility especially for being in the under $20K category.

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  Dodge Demo - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By Dodge Demo - August 9 - 6:57 am

  I bought my Intrepid in 99. It was a demo with only 3000 miles on it. I loved the car until about 65,000 miles when the engine seized up and had to be rebuilt. I later found out that this is common with the Intrepid. Very costly repair. I gave it to my son to drive about a year ago and he recently totaled it in a crash. At this time it had 140,000 miles on it. Worked out pretty good for me though because trade in value was only about $1000.00 but the insurance company gave me $3000.00!

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  I like my " monster" - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Davide - August 8 - 8:23 pm

  I bought the car used, 1 year old, with 19,000 miles. Now the car has 60,000 miles, the few problems are just little annoyances, the battery light comes on most of the time 10 seconds after I start the car and the drivers side door sometime does not open using the remote. The rest is great. Style, engine, comfort, space. I average 24 mpg in the summer, 21 mpg in the winter, on the highway, not bad for a 5000 Pound car. I am very happy with this car. The handling in the snow is good for a rwd.