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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  Nice ride - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By tuda - May 7 - 2:00 am

  yo i got one of these bad boys and what i did with it is i put a cold air intake in there a supercharger and a whole lot of other stuff. Put 2 15s in the back and i got some 12 in rims that stick out like 10 in. Handling is awsome and it races better than any other Civic out there.. and all this for 12 gs. So all you Civic lovers ill see you all later cause this Neon will burn all of you.

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  Great sports car - 2004 Dodge Viper
  By RobbinConner - May 7 - 2:00 am

  Having owned BMW M3s, z06 corvettes, and extensively driven porsche 911s, boxster ss and mercedes sls, I have never found such a well balanced powerful car. The body stays nicely planted over bumps and easily communicates its limits. Torque out of corners is phenomenal. It does idly roughly and generates noticeable heat at all times. It is noisy but not much worse than other high performance cars. The engine produces lovely moans and growls in hard driving. After reading several reviews criticizing ride harshness, I approached the car with trepidation but have not found it any harsher than the a Boxster S with large tires. Convertible is lovely.

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  I love this little son of a gun - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By sharkraider552 - May 6 - 2:00 am

  love this truck. drives like a dream, mine has the stampede package and i love it, cant say how meany comments people has said they loved the way the truck looks the inside is right on center console is really big if uhad o could hide a body in there dodge stole this ford lover and turned him into a dodge guy for now on

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  my baby - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By big77 - May 6 - 2:00 am

  its a great little truck. i use mostly to get to school and ride around in so its a good student and cheap for a new truck. i and it can haul a lot for that small of a truck. overall its a good truck isuggest you buy it.

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  A Great Ride - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By Customized - May 5 - 2:00 am

  An outstanding ride for a relatively low price. I love sport sedans and the exterior shape of the Intrepid gave me a lot to work with. I had it outfited it with a Spoiler, air Scoops, rims, flames, sports exhaust and more. In terms of interior comfort, it rides like a cadillac, with spaciousness to spare. The cab forward design allows the intrepid to sit glued to the road at all speeds. Power to weight ratio, with anything from a 201HP - 250HP sealed engine, it really moves. The ride is super quiet & when idling you are unaware that the engine is running. No problems whatsoever with this car. Recommend it to anyone wanting a good sporty sedan.

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  Excellent Car - 1991 Dodge Dynasty
  By shilo - May 4 - 2:00 am

  Have had for almost a year now, When I got it, it was and still is in Great shape, other than oxidization on hood,top of car, and trunk lid. It runs and drives just like brand new. at 166000 miles and still runs strong. Has awesome power for a V6, Transmission slips a little I keep thinking it will go soon.Interior is very roomy and comfortable for everyone, front and back. Very nice car.

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  Superb SUV!! - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By Windy Mastroyannakis - May 3 - 10:40 pm

  This SUV is magnificent in practically every way! We actually own the V8 Citadel, which isnt listed in the choice of trims above. We bought this vehicle when Grandma moved in and made us a family of five. The Durango has been a fantastic choice with the exception of fuel economy (yikes) and the Bluetooth. We knew what we were getting into, however, when we purchased the Durango as far as the poor gas mileage. The Bluetooth is 90% wonderful, but drops calls when dialing occasionally. All in all, we are thrilled with our purchase. We have owned the Durango for four years.

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  Not as bad as its rep - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By JustynTime - May 3 - 2:00 am

  I needed a new car. I wanted a neon. I found a 95 neon with alittle over 100k on the ticker. I never had a problem with it.then my girlfreind wrecked it. I needed a new car, again I wanted a neon. This time I got a 98 with about 50k miles. I have had to replace the head gasket but the key to not having to replace it again is making sure you replace it with the correct gasket. Being that it is 2004 you will be buying one of these babies used and the head gasket has already been replaced. Now my girlfreind needed a new car. Guess what we got, thats right a 95 4door neon. Out of our 3 neons we have only had the one problem.

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  Lotsa car for little bucks - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By dhughes1 - May 3 - 2:00 am

  ES with 3.2 and Autostick. I bought it used with 21K. More car for the money than most. Ive put 10K on in 6 months no problems other than a vibration in the engine compartment on a cold start. Much improved over my 96 Intrepid quieter, many design improvements. My only real gripe is poor low end torque. You have to get deep into the throttle to make it really go (which it will!).

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  Great vehicle for the money - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Greg - May 2 - 8:33 pm

  This vehicle has to be one of the best made vehicles I have driven. Very comfortable ride. Tracks well on wet or dry roads. Handles bumps extremely well.