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:

• 

  Great Van best out there - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By twalker321 - July 23 - 10:00 am

  best van out there for the money and everything!

• 

  So Far So Good - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By mtroute - July 23 - 10:00 am

  While I have only had it for a week, I have to say I love this car. We purchased the Limited model via the Chrysler EC program and saved $4000 plus the rebate, we got the $40k model for $32k. My biggest complaint today, the fact the door lock mechanism is located right where my elboy likes to rest while driving. Oh well...

• 

  ITS A LEMON!!! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By kmimay - July 23 - 3:36 am

  I had my car for 2 weeks when the check engine light indicator came on. I took it to the dealer and they stated the gas cap was not sealed properly, they opened it and closed it and said it would reset itself in 50 miles of driving. Well I drove it for the weekend and it stayed on. I took it to the shop for the second time. They reset the indicator light and sent me home. I drove about 20 miles, the light returned. I took it to the shop for the 3rd time and they said I needed to replace the catalytic converter. They sent me home for the weekend. I traded in my Mazda for this and Im regretting every minute of it. The reason we buy new is to avoid these things right? Its a lemon!

• 

  Poor Gas Mileage - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By Louis Schmidt - July 22 - 8:41 pm

  The 2.4 L, 172 HP auto transmission does not get near the advertised mileage. Local driving averages between 17 and 18 mpg. Open road better but well under advertised 25 mpg. Quality control appears to have taken the day off when my car was assembled. The front hood and rear hatch are not centered. Roof molding is loose.

• 

  Disappointed in this one - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By Tillys Mom - July 22 - 4:29 pm

  Gas Mileage is not as promised. Road Noise Will Deafen You. Too much cheap plastic on exterior, cheap interior seating, tight interior, looks bigger than it is. Rides a bit rough and it already squeaks and leans around corners after only 30,000 miles. Rear Window design attracts and holds dirt, always looks dirty. All in all, I wish I would have kept my Suzuki XL7

• 

  Happy I found this car - 2006 Dodge Stratus
  By Patrick - July 22 - 12:32 pm

  I bought this car in December of 06 and have been happy ever since. The mileage on the highway is incredible. If I keep the tires correctly inflated and use cruise-control I get over 30 mpg. In town is another story. The mileage plunges. I used to think poorly of Dodge until I owned this. It is very comfortable for me, though it isnt as refined as a more expensive luxury car. But for the price I am willing to overlook some small drawbacks such as cheap dashboard plastic. The interior is ergonomically perfect, not too flashy and not too sparse. Overall this has been perfect for me. One more thing, Dodge made it very easy to perform the maintenance on this car and save money.

• 

  NEON SXT - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By srt10dodgeviper - July 22 - 11:09 am

  Im a car salesman and bought a neon. Its a pretty good car overall. I get between 27-33 mpg depending if Im driving on the highway or in the city. Im a neat freak because I was a detail shop manager for years. The neon would be better if the seat fabric was better and could be cleaned easier. The trim moldings fade really easily too. I bought the car for what the dealership paid and its value is dropping daily. Overall it is a really good dependable car, but the re-sale isnt there. If youre looking for a really basic, reliable car I would say buy a neon. If your a resale buyer I would stay away from it.

• 

  Family Muscle Car - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By tabill - July 21 - 10:58 pm

  Ive read the other reviews and cant believe that no one has mentioned that its hard to see the traffic light because of the low window. Overhead lights hard to see, have to duck down. You have to look at the traffic light to the left, in Chicago. The R/T drives like it just wants to keep going and never stop. It really takes off on the highway. City driving in Chicago is about 16/17 mpg. Havent taken the care on a trip, but am sure the multiple displacement cylinders would do wonders for mileage.

• 

  Dakota 4Cyl - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By DMS - July 21 - 3:08 pm

  I bought my Dodge Dakota with 70,000 miles on it. I jumped into buying it. It has the 2.5 L 4 cylinder engine that is expected to carry over 3500 pounds. I have a difficult time getting up to speed and fill I am going to get run over. And with a 4 cylinder I only average 18 mpg that is unbelievably low. But besides having no power, the truck has needed both upper and lower ball joints, radiator at 80,000 miles, the crankshaft sensor at 85,000 miles, the front seal went out at 91,000 miles so I spent over 1,200 dollars in two years in repairs. But at the moment I have 107,000 miles on it and it is finally running good, but I am still not getting anywhere fast.

• 

  New trans! - 2006 Dodge Stratus
  By NothapywithDODGE - July 21 - 11:23 am

  My wife and I bought the Stratus with 34,000 miles on it in 11/07. We traded in a Chrysler 300 that was very unreliable. What a mistake buying a Dodge. The car now has 45,000 and we have to totally replace the transmission! What a joke. I will never buy a Dodge again.