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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  Watch Out! for this car! - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By SXT Driver - July 15 - 7:53 pm

  I bought a used (rental) SXT 3.5 and It is trouble. I find myself doing 80 mph in 65 mph zones. If complete attention is not paid to the car who knows how fast itll go. Looking forward to the day I accidentally go over a 100. Steering is very sensitive, needs some getting used to. This is America! we need bigger cup holders

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  2008 Caliber R/T 5 SP - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By Kurt - July 15 - 12:26 pm

  We were looking for something my 5 year old daughter would be comfortable in, in the back seat, and this filled the bill. We bought our Caliber R/T this past winter. I was worried about the tires in the snow. They did pretty good, though I am planning on snow wheels and tire for this winter. Salt and aluminum wheels dont like each other. I drove a base model with the CVT and didnt like it. So we opted for the R/T with the 2.4L with the 5 speed. I love it, so far. Average fuel mileage is 27 mpg. On the highway, should be able to hit 30 mpg. Well, maybe not. ( : I just needed a car to get around in, and we sold a 94 Eclipse, so this was a car to replace that one.

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  My truck - 1997 Dodge Dakota
  By Jo_jo69699 - July 15 - 11:04 am

  I liked this truck before I even bought it. I would borrow it from my aunt all the time, it is spacious, very dependable, has a lot of power, fast, and has a lot of torque. I have taken this truck off road without any problems. Even the gas mileage is good, I average about 20-25 mpg, it has a v6 magnum in it, so I thought it was gonna be a gas hog. The only problem, I have had with the truck is the ac system, I can get it recharged and three days later it would need recharged again. This truck has never let me down and I have had it for 4 years.

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  Nice Car - 2008 Dodge Charger
  By Nice Car - July 15 - 7:32 am

  This is an awesome car, its got more than enough room inside and looks fantastic outside too. This car has one amazing stereo the bass is unreal for a base factory system. Comfort and smoothness of the ride is amazing. Gas mileage on the highway is fantastic but around the city is very disappointing I can actually watch the gas gauge dropping as I drive. Chryslers hidden secrets in their warranty details are a little sneaky. If you have a problem with the car and you take it in to have it looked at if theres nothing found wrong you will be charged labor as they will not cover that under warranty, not a prob with makers like Hyundai. Overall nice car though.

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  Completely Satisfied - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By gotmymoneysworth - July 15 - 7:08 am

  I Have owned since 2000 and have great success. The only issue has been the transmission. I had to rebuild at 125000 miles! Other than that tires, brakes and oil! Great hauling and towing. We bought it with the goal to drive for ten years and so far I am very pleased with its performance. I definitely recommend the truck!

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  Pleased customer - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By DavesRT - July 15 - 4:06 am

  I sold my 96 Impala SS to purchase this new Charger R/T so far I am very pleased fast, smooth, So far only draw back is handling my SS had 110K miles on it but still handled like a sports car. The Charger is very fast and I perfer to leave the stop light first. No problem so far.

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  Eight defects in 4.5 Months - 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By huntercrew - July 15 - 2:53 am

  This is our 5th Grand Caravan and second 2014. The van is a disaster. 9 times in for service. Heating stopped working properly, U-Connect mic didnt work, U-Connect doesnt stream properly, car lost power, cars MIL went on while losing power but the computer didnt "recognize the error", all the dashboard controls have flashed, burning rubber smell , and the low tire pressure goes on and off at will. The vehicle has recently been in the service department for 18 days straight, they keep saying they "cant replicate the problem". Chrysler says they are just going to have to "release" the vehicle and have our family drive a death trap. Warranty and service on these vehicles are worth nothing.

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  My Dodge Nitro is Great! - 2008 Dodge Nitro
  By Zack - July 14 - 9:03 pm

  I really enjoy my Dodge Nitro, it handles really well, and is very good on gas, better mileage than I initially thought it would be. This is based because I have owned 4x4 Jeeps and Suzukis. My family of four enjoy riding around together and feel very safe and comfortable in this vehicle. There is nothing bad that I can think of at this time to say about my Dodge Nitro.

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  My - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By Charles Pinkston - July 14 - 2:00 am

  I traded a 95 Intrepid on this 2000 R/T and really liked the looks of the newer one. Ive had this one for only a week, so I actually cant pass judgement on the performance this soon. Ill keep in touch, tho!!

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  great van so far - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By proud van owner - July 14 - 1:03 am

  Great Van so far other than the front brakes which i had to replace at 8000 miles.Poor quality. Thankfully it was covered under warranty in its first year and dealer replaced it at no charge and they gave me another year coverage. Van has everything you need for the family at a great price. Too bad Honda and Toyota are not competitive enough for features and price. From experience in ownership,they are not reliable vehicles.