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:

• 

  2007 Nitro SXT 4wd - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By tony - September 11 - 4:03 pm

  Use the car for work up and down the south shore of long island, so far so good. In and out of the car twelve times a day, so far no problems to report. Handles well, once you get up to highway speed vehicle seems quiet and smooth, but I do mostly street driving. Im 61" and 240 lbs and its comfortable to me. With the seat back, there is a ton of leg room for driver seems little less for passenger.

• 

  Bought used, works well - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By uppermidwest - September 11 - 12:27 pm

  01 Durango with 4WD is my all-year get-around in MPLS. Bought with 145k, now at 154k. Its an older car and I dont know the service history, but its running okay despite many small needs. 4WD works well, trans is still good, and it has to crank a bit to start but runs fine. Pretty reliable, only stranded me once when the alternator went. I did fix a few small things myself. At this age with some miles on her, she has a $400 problem about every six months. This is basically a rental fee for the car and I dont mind it too bad, the price was right. So far its been tires (regular wear and tear), TPS (cheap fix you can DIY), Crank Position Sensor (replaced twice, dont know how it went bad in 6 months, also DIY but tricky), front brakes (not unusual for a heavy, heavy vehicle), alternator (plus wire fix on loom at the connector), and just last week a rear brake seal. Interior okay, its aged pretty well. Couple rust spots (midwestern car, no big deal). Burns about a quart of oil every month. AC works okay, I dont really need it up here. Heat could be better, but is sufficient. Starts okay on MN winter mornings, let her warm up and shell run fine.

• 

  2013 Dodge Dart SXT / RALLYE - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By Julian - September 9 - 4:20 am

  I bought my dart in 2014 used and absolutely love it. I have had some mini problems with it but i got them fixed by the warranty and all is good. I think that they could have made the speakers better i have a blown one in the left back door. However, i am glad that i purchased the dart when i did because now the new dodge dart sxt/rallye is cheaper now.

• 

  A God Send - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By carlover14 - September 3 - 10:00 am

  Ever since I purchsed this vehicle it has been nothing but heaven. It drives wonderfully, handles well, and has plenty of power. The power sliding doors work extremely well. The design is very eye catching and its very enjoyable to drive. I havent had one problem with it, and I didnt with the 99 Grand Caravan ES AWD I had before it. Dont limit yourself to looking just at the Honda, the Grand Caravan offers so much more. I opted for the entertainment system and it works extremely well, the climate control is excellent. I would like the fold flat rear seat but the split rear bench is just as good.

• 

  Sheer Power On Tap - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By Philster - August 30 - 2:00 am

  Great SUV. Very happy with the re- design and new look. Have the HEMI motor and couldnt be happier with the power it provides. Gas mileage is dismal but I knew that going into it. I probably avg. around 12mpg city. But I wouldnt even consider the other v-8 or the V-6. HEMI or nothing. I also got the 3.93 axle ratio over the 3.53 Probably doesnt make a huge difference but I know the 3.93 is alittle quicker off the line. Great torque. Nice creature comforts inside. Leather, CD Changer, Heated seats, traction control, sunroof, 380 watt stereo.

• 

  Problems with plastic - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By poor plastic - August 28 - 10:00 am

  Since I have purchached this car I have had nothing but problems. It was a demo when purchased from the dealership. Since then I have had everything plastic in the car to break. So far me door handles, air condition vents, rear big brake light, ash trays, and the dash panel around my radio have all been broken. You would think just replace the handel to the door but of course the car is made with it being all attached so I had to purchase a whole new door $500.00, (luckly I found one at a junk yard for $100) air condition vents $27.00 each, panel around radio $100.00. Havent checked on the brake light, yet but I can only imagine.

• 

  Fun, Fast & Roomy - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By Mark Rempe - August 16 - 2:00 pm

  The Magnum RT is a hot rod car with the ride of a luxury car. Excellent acceleration. Runs well in snow with the ESP traction on. Has plenty of room while still being sporty. Stereo system very nice for a factory installed unit. A pleasure to drive.

• 

  Stunning Deal - 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By salgeek - August 14 - 2:00 pm

  This is my 3rd. Chryco Minivan. Utility and Value punctuate my ownership experiences. For $12,300 I purchased a year old Dodge Grand Caravan SE with stow and go seating with only 10,747 miles. The vehicle is Chrysler Certified so the power train is warranted for 8 yr/80K miles and I have a bumper to bumper warranty for 39 months/39K miles. "Certified" also includes roadside assistance till 8 yr/80K. AND the dealer threw in free lifetime oil changes. WOW! With a little luck the transmission will make it 100K miles and she wont rust out till its 9th year in service. Maybe even the AC/Heater core will make it 5+ years. If I can get 30K between brake jobs Ill be happy!

• 

  A little nervous - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By j. Mac - August 11 - 8:46 pm

  I wrote a review 1 1/2 months after buying my Nitro, about how happy I was with it. Since then, I have had two experiences of my Nitro "jerking", and had the dashboard lights come on. The first time it happened, I actually thought someone had hit me from behind. Thats how hard the "jolt" was. I then got the recall later for this. I havent had any episodes since then. I still love my Nitro and wouldnt trade it in for anything else.

• 

  Love our van - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By dodge owner - August 11 - 2:00 am

  Weve had our van since new. Mostly reliable, and very comfortable. We have the 3.8 engine-had to have the block replaced at 6000 miles, dealer claims certain oil passages were not bored through on original. No problems since with the engine. Only minor problems since. Front wipers turn on for no reason sometimes. Difficult to converse on freeways because of interior noise. Luggage rack on roof contributes to this problem. But we love the space inside, hauls our kids and gear comfortably. My wife drives it in downtown Detroit, very rough roads, and no interior shakes,rattles, etc. Would buy another. Exterior paint still looks great after 5.5 years.