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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  2002 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By jsr - July 16 - 10:00 am

  Comfortable, quiet ride. Good visibility. Excellent sound system with six speakers. Easy to drive. Test drove Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey, also. The Grand Caravan is definitely competitive; I was pleasantly surprised. Decided against the Sienna due to smaller space; the Odyssey due to budget. I would have bought the Odyssey at MSRP, but no offers.

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  Utility out the wazoo - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Bill S. - July 16 - 12:03 am

  This van does everything we need it to do. Haul kids, groceries, vacation, camping gear, plus dozens of other things. When we bought it my wife and I said we would probably never be without one again. I still stand by that statement. The comfort and utility of this vehicle is unmatched by even the most expensive autos on the market. And its MADE IN AMERICA! Isnt that a refreshing idea!

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  LOVIN MY SRT - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By GREGK54 - July 14 - 10:00 am

  I had a 2000 Neon loved the way it handled and looked and wished it was faster, thanks for for making my wish come true

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  Mustang Mauler - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By KennyG - July 7 - 10:00 am

  What a great ride for a little scratch! Bought the car with a $700.00 discount then added approximately $2500.00 of "GO FAST" goodies and just set back and ENJOYED! The car has run a best 1/4 mile at Orlando SpeedWorld of 12.80 @116.08 MPH. This car now in street trim (No Slicks) spanks Mustangs, Z28 Camaros, M3 BMWs, and C5 Corvettes! All at a lot less money and with a great "Fun" factor in the process. I will probably keep this car a long time as so many new "go fast" items are becomming available. The car is easy to get into the 11s with chassis work to improve traction. A real stop light sleeper! I love it and I am 58 years old!

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  Annoying problems - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By golferjohn - July 2 - 10:00 am

  Was generally satisfied with car except for repairs outside of warranty which included driver side window motor, heater coil to rear heater rupture

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  Minivan Lover - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By DadOf5 - June 29 - 6:33 pm

  Bought van used with 40k on it and an orig. sticker of $32,900 Gave $15,000 for it used. Go Dodge ! For some reason I still love this van. I guess because you can haul the world in it. Problems include A/C clutch bearing went bad, cant get a new bearing so we need whole new compressor. 900 bucks. Power rear lift and driver side sliding door have minds of their own. Infinity stereo e.q. has short do not move it or else! After a run up in the N. Georgia Mts the tranny isnt the same. It groans and whines like its on its last leg. That was 15k ago and its still coming back for more. When the engine is cranked after sitting overnight this van sounds like a Deere not Dodge. Van now has 91K.

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  It is a Minivan - 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By objectivejoe - June 23 - 7:51 am

  So far, a reliable and powerful vehicle.

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  Initial Quality - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Jaylinb - June 8 - 12:50 pm

  Within 140 miles of use, a serious transmission problem was discovered. Also, the cooling fan clicks on and off way too often to be normal. And the factory tint on the windows is not removeable, making it impossible to change the tint on the windowsaft of the front passenger windows.

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  2002 Dodge Ram Conversion Van - 2002 Dodge Ram Wagon
  By C. Isaacson - May 29 - 10:00 am

  I have only had the van for about 2 weeks. So far so good. I chose to purchase the 5.2 Liter V8 over the 3.9 Liter V6. Glad I did. I also opted for a conversion van which offered some nice amenities. Dealershiop was offering 0% financing for 60 months and $10,000 dollars off.

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  Bad Transmission - 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Darrell Young - May 26 - 10:00 am

  Its a sad that dodge cant seem to fix the transmission problems in there vans.When it hit 79000 miles the transmission went out, water pump, brake booster and master cyinder. Its a good thing that I purchase the extended warranty . I also would like to warn everyone that this year of van does not have a, Brake Shift Interlock this means that anyone can pull it into gear when the motor is running with out pushing on the Brake.Very,Very dangerous.