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:

• 

  I LOVE THIS CAR! - 2011 Dodge Avenger
  By rtm82 - November 8 - 10:52 pm

  Mulled over whether or not to buy for over six months!! Could not decide what car to buy, was looking at Kias, Fords, Hyundais and Chevys. After doing market research and driving each one about 5 times (poor salesmen), I finally decided that the Avenger was the funnest! Not to mention, the MYGIG system is awesome! I was a little unsure about my purchase after I made it, but every day after I bought it, I fall in love more and more! This car has all the power I need, and if I drive it nice, this awesome V6 still gets 25mpg in town! I am so happy I took my time to make a decision, this is a perfect car for me!

• 

  Love this car! - 2012 Dodge Avenger
  By dodgeman23 - November 8 - 4:21 pm

  This is my 2nd Dodge Avenger. They seem to get better and better each time. I only have 600 miles so far on this car, but I can see already how good it is. The biggest improvement I see so far is the interior quality and ride quality which is far better than the 2010 that was traded in. Almost no wind noise at highway speeds. It handles much better than I would have expected. So far, I have not found any flaws with this car...its perfect. Too early to gauge highway MPG, but I expect it to be better than my 2010 which got 37.5 mpg on the highway. I am very please with this car and suggest anyone who has not driven one yet, give it a try.

• 

  Durango 2011 - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By peri1 - November 4 - 2:16 pm

  Ive been driving my new Durango Citadel 5.8ltr for a month now and absolutely love it. It rides great, its comfortable and it has a beatiful interior. My commute is of approx 10 and the gas mileage is average for the segment. I love the interior (napa tan leather). The third row seat is comfortable for me and Im 6 feet tall. There is plenty of room after the 3rd row for bags and everyday shopping. It is my first american car and so far so good. I did get the extended insurance on the electronics since Im still weary of american quality, I know they have come a long way but... we will see I hope it compares to Toyota and Nissan.

• 

  Love this SUV! - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By headshrink - November 3 - 1:59 pm

  First time owning a Dodge/Chrysler product and I have to say so far I am seriously impressed. The initial impression with build quality is outstanding! There are no creaks or noises anywhere. I test drove basically every mid-sized SUV that had that had a third row seat. The Durango was the final car I was testing and as soon as I drove it I knew that I would be buying it. Actually I ended up leasing it because I was nervous about buying a Chrysler product due to their recent history and, their lease incentives here in Southern California were so good it was hard to resist. I have car pooled with the kids for two weeks now and have taken it off-road twice. This vehicle did very well in both situations and everything in between so far. I basically do no freeway driving so my mileage is around 15mpg and I am being light on the pedal. This SUV handles better than most cars I have owned, the turning radius is unreal. There is very little body roll on turns, especially considering this vehicle weighs 5000lbs. The balance they have struck seems hard to attain, it has a masculine SUV look but drives like a car and seats 7. My only gripe is that I wish it came with skid plates, but I can buy the package for $250 (at least that is what I read online). If you are in the market for an SUV with 3rd row seating, you would be foolish not to test drive this one.

• 

  glad I took the chance - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By noasiancars4me - October 25 - 11:09 pm

  After spending my life going with Camrys, Accords, and other so thought quality mid sized clone cars I took a shot with this car when it first came out in 2006. It was only 1500 more then the accord I was looking at, at the time. This car is a lot more comfortable and a lot more fun to drive then the array of Asian cone cars out there. Its paid for now and I dont know what I am going to do if I ever have to go back to the cars we have been taught to believe are better quality. This car for me proves that to be totally the opposite in fact. 5 years and 80k miles later it is "by far" the best quality car I have ever owned. (Yes BMWs and Mercs are out of my price range)

• 

  Honda Pilot to the Durango - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By throwerguy - October 21 - 8:44 am

  We just purchased a 2011 Durango Crew AWD with the V6 and we are extremely satisfied. Our dealer let us have a demo Durango for 5 days and my wife and I put it through the paces of daily life with two small children, a dog. We we very impressed and compared it head to head with our 2009 Pilot EX-L 4X4. We looked at the 2012 Pilot, but felt the Durango offered more content and a much more refined interior than the Pilot. In addition, the Durango drove better (crisp handling for a 7 pass. vehicle) and was much quieter on the Highway. And, after drivng it for another week since delivery, we are very impressed with the mileage (better than the honda by a mile or two per gallon on average).

• 

  Best Van Ever - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By bookworm2991 - October 20 - 9:52 pm

  I purchased this vehicle in August 2010. I have a 3 year old and was expecting my second child. I fell in love with this van. It was very comfortable to ride in, had plenty of room, child seat anchors and one of the second row captains chairs had a built in 5 point harness child seat. During the year that we had it we never had any problems with it. I was recently in an accident and it was totaled. I am hoping to be able to replace my van with a newer model.

• 

  Im now a Dodge Fan. - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By superolds - October 18 - 6:35 pm

  The Durango has it all. Plenty of room and cargo space. Rides very smooth and quiet. The biggest surprise is the fuel economy.The EPA rating is 16 cty - 22 hwy. Were averaging between 19.5 to 21.5 and on the hwy at under 70 mph were above 25 mpg. Dont let Consumer Reports fool you into thinking the Transmission is its weak spot. Its a Mercedes Tranny used a few years back in thier AMG Cars because it has a very high Torque resistance. It is also very efficient. Maybe some more gears wouldnt hurt. Anyway, we travel to Myrtle Beach, which is 900 miles away. We could make it all the way with one stop, a little more than half way, for gas. Pretty cool. Theyve done a great job with th

• 

  Great so far! - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By bourdain - October 16 - 9:18 am

  Bought this yesterday in Charlestown, SC. Drove it up HWY 17 to Myrtle Beach and averaged 26.3 mpg. Thats 3 mpg better than the 4 cylinder Highlander that I just sold. It looks better and rides better. Go drive one, youll like it!

• 

  2010 Furious Fuchsia R/T - 2010 Dodge Challenger
  By twindavid - October 14 - 6:26 am

  It was time to face facts. My middle aged body could not keep up with the timeless lines of my 440 Barracuda. It was hot to the extreme, uncomfortable, and cornered worse than my Suburban. Fuchsia...The perfect color! Unusual and as hot as it gets. Aside from the exterior pallet, the interior was the perfect compliment of white leather, fuchsia stitching, and led lighting bliss. This car is what a true muscle car should be. Obnoxiously beautiful! The performance of the car was true to the Edmunds review, fast yet comfortable to the extreme. The Canadian plant that built her absolutely botched the paint. Actual drips under the door mirror, and dry haze along some seams. (?)