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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  Gas Mileage 2007 Caliber - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By SHELLY YAWS - November 1 - 6:40 pm

  This car handles well.It is a nice comfortable ride. The hatchback is nice for groceries and childrens things.The issue that I have is the gas mileage.The sticker said that I would get 26 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway.I cant even get 26 mpg on the highway. One day I drove it alot of highway miles for a test and emptied the gas tank. Do you know that I drove about 65 mph and I only got 21.7 mpg for highway miles. I just didnt go by the calculations off of one tank of gas. I have calculated almost all of my fill-ups. They range from 17.0 to 21.7 mpg for a 4-cylinder car. That is terrible. The dealership tested it 3 times and said that the gas mileage is what is normal for these cars.

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  Nitro - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Eva - October 25 - 5:50 pm

  The car handles nice and is fun to drive, however the ability to get in and out of the car is not good. You have to duck you head to enter the car. The front side windows of the car are much smaller than normal which makes bank and drive in transactions very difficult. The side mirror on this car are very large and tend to create blind spots when turning corners. The car features automatic door locks which are great except when you try to re-enter the car you have to unlock the back door which tends to get annoying when you have to go to the front to unlock the back. Everything on the console in the front of the car is slightly behind you which causes you to look down.

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  Great little car. Anything but cute - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Nancye - October 17 - 11:06 pm

  After 13 months of owning a Ford 2005 Mustang, I decided to go back to a Dodge after I had owned a 2000 Intrepid for five years and never had a problem with it. The Mustang was hot, but my girls were not comfortable in a 2-door car, plus the gas prices skyrocketed right after I bought it and I was paying $120 to $160 in gas per month. My girls and I like the Caliber because it has four doors, still looks good, is better on gas (even buying premium gas, only $100 per month at the max), easier to see out of, and I used it to take my older daughter to college without having to rent an SUV. It has so much more room than the Ford (which is great for a single person), and is enjoyable to drive.

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  3 years of no trouble - 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By RJX - October 16 - 3:20 pm

  The most comfortable seats of any vehicle I have driven. I drive the vehicle for work and typically 4-5 drives 1-way. Great comfort for long trips. Passing on a 2 lane highway is never a problem, the engine has plenty of power. Stow and go seats are great when you want to haul things, nice flat and low floor allowing for drywall or plywood for home projects. This 2013 is my third Grand Caravan, and by far the best. I drive 35k miles a year in all kinds of weather and always feel safe even on snow packed roads. It is a shame they are discontinuing the DGC after 2017, now that they have it perfected.

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  I like it - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Michael Greico - October 7 - 1:43 am

  I have been a Dodge fan for many years. This car has not changed that. The performance is awsome. With the all wheel drive the handling in any condition is crisp and stable. Fit and finish is very good. Gas mileage is what I expected considering it has a 340 hp Hemi engine. I have not owned the car long enough to judge reliability. So far I would recomed this car to a friend

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  Second review - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By KBA - October 4 - 5:26 pm

  I wrote a review in June of 08 and have had some problems since. The driver seat shimmys and the dealer doesnt seem to feel it. It also had a tapping noise coming from the engine. Brought it in and they had it for 3 days. Said there was a recall on tabs for the rocker arms.They put these tabs in and it didnt solve the problem.They ended up replacing the rocker arms.I have also had a prolbem with the express window feature on the driver side not working, and the doors auto locking on there own once Ive closed the doors. Ive been locked out twice. Really thinking this car wasnt the best choice. I now know why the give a lifetime powertrain warranty.

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  Magium 2005 - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Warner Mclean - September 27 - 5:40 am

  Fun to drive. well finished, power to burn, plenty of room, easy to drive, good bargin. concern that lower price versions will hurt resale valve of RT

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  The bigger engine makes a difference - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By dwolf - September 27 - 12:00 am

  I highly suggest getting the 3.8L engine. It has soooo much more torque

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  Sharp looking, fun to drive - 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By "just judy" - September 25 - 3:38 am

  The R/T is very cool... we just bought this minivan so dont rely on the ratings we gave for reliability... that remains to be seen. It is comfortable except getting in and out I have had to make peace with (for me) a non-intuitive way of entry and exit or I hit my leg on the lower door frame, or my head on the upper... could be me being uncoordinated! It is a very sharp (masculine.. which appeals to both of us - me female .. my other half male) and while minivans are not reputed to be fun to drive this one has a sport/road trip suspension that makes if very responsive... so far we like it a lot.

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  Not A Days Trouble - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By K.Mac - September 19 - 11:26 am

  I bought my van used from the dealership with 18,000 miles on it, and I now have over 65,000. I have honestly never had a days trouble with this vehicle. I change the oil, and have recently bought new tires- this has been the extent of the servicing done to my van. I commute every day 80 miles roundtrip, and when I set the cruise control on 60 I get around 26 mpg. I live on rural roads that arent always cleared in the snow, and the traction control has come in handy. This vehicle has been a real bargain for me: reliability, luxury options that would have broke me on another van, and the feeling of safety when Im out there on the road with all of the other large vehicles.