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:

• 

  If you find one you like, GET IT. - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By rnz2014 - June 16 - 10:52 pm

  My sister, myself and a friend all have one. Mines a 2007 R/T without AWD & I LOVE IT. Ive had her for three years, & Ive had no major issues. Her alternator is starting to go, but thats 7 years of wear & tear. The car runs like a car, but feels more like an SUV. The Caliber has dependability that we all loved about Chrysler Group at one time or another, & the R/T has enough power to make driving fun. They handle well, and have a great turning radius. With window guards, the window noise when open at high speeds is practically gone. Bought mine with 99,000 miles, and she now has 128,000 miles. Great car, would definitely buy another.

• 

  Nothing but problems - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By abrown1984 - June 16 - 4:13 am

  The mud flaps drag on the ground every time I go into a driveway the front bumper does also. The front bumper drags even if I a lightweight female am the only one in the car. When its cold outside the pressure gauge for the tires is a pain in the rear. It constantly goes below 27 and sets off the low pressure alarm which is extremely annoying when you know once it warms up a little it will go back to normal. When you get on the gas the muffler sounds really tinny. Like they put the cheapest muffler on it and it rattles like crazy. Speakers are horrible. Now I have begun to smell antifreeze and I have 38,000 miles on the car. No get up in automatic when starting off from a light.

• 

  Unfortunate purchase - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By rostropovich - June 4 - 5:26 pm

  Ive had this car for almost 2 years, and have had problem after problem, regret upon regret. I have treated it like my firstborn, always hoping that after /this/ repair it will run well for a good long time, but no, not a chance. Got it for $2800 at 81000 miles, but put $4000 in repairs in the first year, including rotors, e-brake, sway bar links and bushings, control arm bushings, muffler, transmission mount, shifter cables, steering tie rod and lights. It never quite felt like it was driving nicely even after repairs. The story ends with the transmission failing. UNCLE!

• 

  Long time loyal dodge customer... nothing good about this dodge - 2010 Dodge Avenger
  By cloud23465 - June 4 - 3:08 pm

  Where to begin. Already had to replace 2 window regulators on the front of this car with very little use. I baby this car and it is well taken care of for a 4 1/2 year old car. Dealer ship screwed me on $450 for the passenger window regulator that failed in about 3 years of ownership. Now a year later the drivers side is out. I will try to replace it myself but, once done I will not use the windows anymore. I am and the family has own and sworn by Chrysler since the 70s. Weve own 71 Barracuda, Satellite 72, A Ram charger, Dodge Daytona, Chrysler Sirius and Concord, Ram vans and Trucks and a first series dodge avenger (1996) so, I am not just some fence jumper

• 

  Sold C5 Corvette for this Car! - 2010 Dodge Challenger
  By dando1 - June 4 - 11:03 am

  I have had ALOT of cars.. 55 Chevys including a Nomad. GTO, Trans Ams, Etc... I sold the Corvette to buy this car.(Actually looking for a 300 srt8. The corvette was so uncomfortable, and noisy and a hard ride I felt like I was beat up after riding in it for a few hundred miles. I also had a 70 Challenger. The 70 in no way can compare to the new version. This car is so darn comfortable. NO WIND NOISE, or barely any road noise at all. It soaks up road imperfections so nicely. I have read about how the camaro this and how the mustang that. I dont care. First I dont race my cars. Second, there is no way they can have this type of a ride. The heavy car feel is something I love.

• 

  Do your research before purchasing!! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By alisas90 - May 31 - 11:46 pm

  I bought my 2007 Dodge Caliber SXT (automatic) with 94,000 Miles on it Feb. 2014. Right after I drove it off the lot, the check engine light came on. I took It back instantly, they said it was a fuel sensor. So they replaced it free of charge. At 97,000 miles, I was driving and the car started to jolt, sputter, whatever youd want to call It - the check engine light was blinking. I called a tow truck and had it taken to a dealership-where they "fixed it" They replaced 4 coils, all my spark plugs and also did oil change (it was just about needed anyway for the oil change). 2 weeks later, my family and I drive only an hour away from home. it happened again. dont buy this car!!

• 

  Dodge Has Been Busy! - 2013 Dodge Charger
  By randallscott - May 30 - 1:16 am

  During the last 20 years or so Dodge has definitely been busy designing and building cars that exude visceral appeal! The 2014 Charger SXT is just such a car! Its rated at 300 hp with an 8 spd tranny that is rated to deliver 31 mpg hwy. On a short test loop I recorded an average of 35 mph with little more effort than avoiding hard throttle application, and managing my approach to stop lights - I would say Dodges numbers are accurate for those who actually drive to conserve fuel. The Charge is a full-size, 4-door...spacious interior, very well laid-out instrument panel with large 8.4" touch screen display, Garmin Nav system...pretty much all the bells and whistles.

• 

  Nothing Better In Its Class! - 2014 Dodge Durango
  By dbalsam - May 27 - 1:58 pm

  My wife and I are still shocked we are driving a Durango. Wife traded her 2008 Infiniti QX56 which she loved but it had a lot of miles on it so it was time for something new/newer. Cross-shopped QX56, QX60, Pathfinder, Acadia, Enclave, MDX, Explorer. Stumbled upon Durango Citadel model and was shocked. The interior quality and tech options are amazing and the exterior is unique as well. Drives so nice and smooth. Ton of looks by people trying to figure out what it is as there are not many on the road. If they sold under Jeep as Extended Grand Cherokee they would sell a ton as it is built on same platform along with Mercedes GL SUV. Ok though as I like our "secret". Test drive one!

• 

  Second one and still problems - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By tsilvia - May 27 - 11:16 am

  I got my dart when they first came out and loved it until at 911 miles all lights came on and the engine stopped. Took in to dealer they had it for 2 weeks and then told me they couldnt fix it didnt know what was the problem with it. So they reordered me another Dart which took over 10 weeks to get. In rental car all this time. Wow finely got my other new Dart. Keep in garage for the winter now I have it back out on the road was doing good up to 6000 miles.Then when the tranny got heated up and would shift it would raz the engine up to high RPMs and thump really bad and not want to pull very well. So you guessed it back in the shop again. This is really bad in second and fourth gear.

• 

  DO NOT BUY - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By blahblah7 - May 25 - 3:58 am

  It was fun to drive, quick little car. BUT, It fell apart, right around 100, 000 kms everything goes wrong, like the tire rod, cam shaft sensor, o2 sensor and many many more. I had so many problems. I just really want to warn everyone and anyone to not buy this car, it will only be a head ache. save yourself and get a honda