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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  Good Bad and Ugly - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By MarleneCummings - February 13 - 10:23 am

  My SXT 2.0L was totalled after 3 months of ownership. I didnt like it enough to buy another one. The interior design is spacious and comfortable, but if you have anything inside it is seen. No storage space. The little extras are nice, but dont make up for the weak paint, under-quality interior and extreme lag in acceleration. My husband bumped the side with his belt cell phone holder getting in the car and it scratched the paint bad. No way it shouldve done damage at all. It does corner very tight and is super- responsive (overcorrection and wrecking was easy to do). The vehicle overall was okay, but I definitely didnt fall in love with it and it was my very first new car.

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  Overall, it is a nice van - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Cacique - February 9 - 2:00 am

  Nice looking van inside/out. Very comfortable & somewhat quiet ride. Controls are conveniently laid out. Love the dual & rear climate controls. The V6 engine is powerful w/great acceleration. Only problems I had was exterior trim pieces at windshield & driver side sliding door came loose. Overall, great van. I just traded it in for its sibling, a Chrysler Town & Country LX only because I was getting close to 36K miles and as many already know, Dodge/Chryslers reliability record is not one to brag about, although it makes good looking vehicles.

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  Headache - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Dode - February 1 - 7:30 am

  Less than 10K miles, 4th time in shop; this time for CV shaft replacement. Twice for cowl, which is currently on backorder. Car made thunking noise, found out the motor mounts were never tightened at factory. When pulling into the grocerly store parking lot, this car creaks and groans like a 10- year old used car with 150K miles. My brother-in-law told me to buy new to avoid someone elses headaches. Ha! I deserve this for listening to someone elses opinion.

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  Love It! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Melissa - January 31 - 11:33 am

  I bought my Journey in 02/09. Have loved it since then. I love the minivan features in a car. Weve been on three long distance (1000+ miles) trips and it has worked great. As with any SUV the mpg could be better. We have had a problem with muffler noise which was fixed and the brakes have been changed at 19,000 miles (dang!). Also, in the NM heat I have had some issues with compartment doors opening/closing. I really do love this car. Its great for the family. We have the Video Entertainment Package which is perfect for travel. My husband will watch movies on the front screen while I run into the store which keeps him content. Would buy it again in a heartbeat!

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  New to cars. - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Trisstis - January 29 - 8:00 pm

  Because of the recent hike in gas, I sold my 99 S-10 and made the move to a smaller car. Its a huge difference to go from 20mpg highway to 32! I have a long commute, so I needed a fuel efficient, reliable and sporty little car. I really got it in this one, and it has a great sound system. Only con is that its really very silly to have power front windows...but not in the rear. Why did they do that?

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  Lovin the Charger SRT8 - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By srt8nit - January 24 - 11:56 pm

  Im just like a little kid when it comes to driving this machine. I have to give Dodge two thumbs up on this one. The performance and handling of the vehicle are just supperb and Im loving every minute of it. Ive been enjoying the performance and handling of German made vehicles for some time now and Dodge has brought me back home.

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  Belt chewer - 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Mr.Griz - January 22 - 1:10 pm

  Nice minivan, we purchased used making us 2nd owners, cant complain as far as comfort, cargo capacity and fuel economy. We averaged 19 mpg city and 25 highway. The biggest gripe we have is the fact that for some reason Dodges serpentine belt pulley design is flawed and chews up belts. Ill say this though, I was warned but decided to take a chance on Dodge but after having replaced belts 3 times in 9 months were trading her in.

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  WE LOVE IT - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By SS - Nova Scotia - January 21 - 2:00 am

  I traded my 99 Voyeger (short version) to this 2001 GC. It is running well, quite comfortable ride. I purchased Chrysler extended warranty to have peace in mind. All ij our family (3 kids) love it.

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  first newer car - 2015 Dodge Dart
  By Robin Valencia - January 7 - 9:03 am

  I have had my car for 8 months now and love it. Except for the fact that apparently it doesnt like cold weather. I have to let it warm up for awhile when engine is cold or it stalls on me. It is a 2015 with 35000 on it.

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  Best vehicle weve ever had - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By John - January 5 - 8:56 pm

  Sorry to read that some others dont share my opinion. We bought this Grand Caravan from a rental car company in May of 2000. It had 47,000 miles on it when we got it. It now has over 131,000, and has been nearly troublefree. From memory, the things weve had to fix: two speed sensors, one window regulator. Everything else has been normal wear and tear. Ive kept up with the factory maintenance schedule, and have changed the oil every 3K-4K miles. Just a week and a half ago we did a 900-mile round trip to attend an out-of-state wedding. Weve also made many trips to Florida, most recently this past summer. Its been a great van.