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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  GREAT LITTLE NEON SXT - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Sharon S - September 5 - 2:00 am

  I have had my car about 2 months now.I like it very much. Quite alot of room inside so you dont feel cramped. The trunk also has alot of room. The ride is pretty smooth. Seems to handle well in rain. Havent tried snow yet. Im very happy with it and think I made a good choice.

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  one of the best - 1992 Dodge Dynasty
  By Dyno II - September 4 - 2:00 am

  I purchased my Dyno fresh off the assembly line. She only had 2 tenths of a mile on her when I signed the papers. Today she has over 180,000 miles and asking for more. I did have to replace the transmission, but at no cost the dealer paid (great). Original sound system was replaced with cd changer and in dash cd player. The air conditioner system has been charged only once (ice cold). For a better ride and style upgrade I moved up in tire size with chrome wheels. The Dyno is my work, pleasure, long road trip, and hauler. The trunk consumes almost anything I buy. I would buy another Dodge product but the one I have is still doing her job very well.

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  My Truck - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By dafenderman - September 4 - 2:00 am

  Grat vehicle. Has helped out immeasureably in the hurricane season

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  Awesome Car - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Awesome Truck - September 3 - 11:20 pm

  I just traded my 04 SLT with leather and Hemi for a Limited with Hemi, sunroof, DVD, nav sys, I absolutely love it. Its fun to drive, its comfortable, its got that muscle look on the outside, I would recommend this car for everyone. Its a great buy for the price.

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  Love it - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By will57 - September 3 - 7:23 am

  I just bought my Charger and love it. It handles like a dream and power....WOW all you will need. The new 2006 Charger outranks any 6 cylinder import by far. Great overall vehicle and would recommend it to anyone who wants a quilty car for a good price.

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  Love this car! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Whitney - September 3 - 6:43 am

  My husband and I purchased this car in April of 08. We LOVE it. Its our first car of our own and we feel we have made a wonderful choice. Its safe with the curtain air bags in the back. The seats are very comfortable. I love the fact that all the seats will fold down to put large objects in the car. The back doors opening 90 degrees make it much easier to get our daughter in and out of the car. I love all the storage. I can keep diapers and toys in the car for our daughter without having to see them 24/7. I love the style of this car. Im a young mom and I get the features of a mini van without the look. My husbands mother loved ours so much 2 weeks later she got herself one! Great Car!

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  The Best - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By MSLUVMEDEKODA - September 3 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle is everything I needed as far as Comfort, Performance, Fuel, Quality, reliability and space for what I needed. I love the handling and design. There isnt anything I would change. As usual.. Dodge has just what I needed when I needed it. One word sum= FAN-TAS-TIC

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  Dodge did a Great Job on this SUV! - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Boattech - September 2 - 1:50 pm

  This vehicle has all the features I needed at reasonable price. It can tow up to 5,000 Lbs; I can switch from 2WDt o 4WD "on the fly"! Has ample storage, roomy seating. Best of all it looks amazing! The other vehicles I tested looked too common. The fuel mileage is 16 MPG but I expect this to improve as the engine breaks in as it has only 1,000 Miles on it.

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  Best car - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Dave - August 26 - 8:16 pm

  This car is fun to drive, fast, and comfortable. I like going out on nice nights and at dawn driving my SRT4 and showing it off. To me the SRT4 is the best car.

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  dodge neon - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By gridrob - August 26 - 3:26 pm

  this car is so comfortable to drive and it gets excellent mileage. It is also very fun to drive.