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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  I LOVE MY DODGE CARAVAN - 1999 Dodge Caravan
  By STACS72 - March 6 - 2:00 am

  THIS IS A WONDERFUL VEHICLE!!!! iTS JUST THE RIGHT SIZE, NOT TOO SMALL NOT TOO BIG...THE ONLY THING i WISH i HAD WAS POWER LOCKS....ITS A AGGRIVATING TO HAVE TO MANUALLY LOCK EACH DOOR, BUT i STILL LOVE IT AND DONT REGRET BUYING IT AT ALL.

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  Good reliable car - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By Zipster - March 6 - 2:00 am

  I have not had any major problems except for the transmission slipping into neutral off and on when you were driving. After I took it in to get the transmission fluid and filter changed I havent had any problems since.

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  we love our new carravan - 2004 Dodge Caravan
  By papagene4jack - March 6 - 2:00 am

  this is my 3rd carravan and we love it.

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  2004 Grand Caravan STX - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Jim99779 - March 5 - 5:30 am

  Bought our 2004 with about 80,000 miles on it as our 2nd car. We use it more as our primary car now because its so nice to drive and simple to use. The most user-friendly vehicle you could buy with kids. Handles good, good seats and delivers decent mileage, if you run it reasonably. Best interstate cruiser I ever had. Note that I owned 10 cars before and have driven many more. Had to replace the tranny approx one month after purchase, for $1600.00, but Dodge is known for that. Good, cheap, used buy. I thought the power sliding doors were a joke until I used them. I would buy one again.

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  GREAT CAR - 1990 Dodge Dynasty
  By KRAZYKATHY - March 5 - 2:00 am

  I BOUGHT THE CAR WITH 29000 ON IT. NOW HAS OVER 90000. HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS OTHER THAN NORMAL MAINTENANCE. I WOULD BUY ANOTHER AT ANY TIME. RELIABILITY HAS BEEN 100%!!!! A FEW SQUEAKS AND RATTLES AT 15 BUT NOTHING TURNING THE RADIO UP A LITTLE WOULDNT COVER.

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  Dodge Viper - 2004 Dodge Viper
  By TJDADJ - March 5 - 2:00 am

  I Purchased My Viper last year and it is one of my most prized possessions. It is very fun to drive and has pretty good milage. I took it to a local track and was amazed by this superior car. It has a good price a high end car for a not so high end price

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  Very good for the price. - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By dssmith - March 4 - 9:40 am

  Weve had the vehicle since January. Got it home, opened the sunroof and it wouldnt close, wiring was kinked, but they fixed it very quickly and Weve had no problems since. We get about 23- 25 mpg on the highway, but only 12 to 12.5 in town, (Im not a lead foot either.) This is the SXT with the Special Edition package, which was nice since it had everything we wanted, nicely discounted. Only complaint is that the spare tire is under the passenger seat, so the seat cant be lowered. Im 61" and my wife is 510" and neither of us can sit in the passenger seat without reclining it. (Im not a big fan of sunroofs, it was part of the package.) Imports were $6 to $10k more for similar van.

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  Dodge Vipers are awesome!!! - 2004 Dodge Viper
  By Roy Harrigill - March 4 - 2:00 am

  Bad to the bone. Got rid of my new Corvette Convertible and bought GTS Viper. In a league all its own. Owns the fast lane. My GTS bone stock runs 7.80 1/8th mile. Dynoed 423 h.p. to the rear wheels and 469 lbs of torque to rear. AWESOME, and truely Americas fastest and badest sports car. King of the road hands down.

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  sweet car - 2004 Dodge Viper
  By joshbob - March 3 - 2:00 am

  this car is vary fine in a sport car. This is definitly the car to buy, if you have the money for it. The viper is a geate car for just crusing and if you like speed, this is the car for you

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  Sport and Business - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By way satisfied - March 3 - 2:00 am

  Wow did i get more than i thought. This thing is fun to drive. It fits business and pleasure. Moderate speeds are soft rides, while "on ramps", corners and wide open highway shows you how responsive this thing is. Its not a laggard like most takes on sport sedans. It seems to hunker down when accelerating. Equally amazing is the sensation of leveling when cornering. Best value found by far in a high output or evening out sedan.