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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  The Minivan King - 2004 Dodge Caravan
  By MIKE Sw - February 20 - 2:00 am

  This is the fourth minivan from Chrysler Corp. in our family. We were naturally cautious because of the amount of money involved, but chose the SXT. With incentives, including an extra $1000 for current owners (we have a Neon), our SXT cost appx. $18k. Great van with reasonable power, good handling, plenty of room, and good features.

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  Good car for the money - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Duff Mckagan - February 19 - 10:00 am

  Great Car for the money, and very sporty when you opt out for the SXT model with sport appearence package.

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  Good To Go! - 1999 Dodge Caravan
  By SeattleBob - February 18 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I have had some 7 Caravan company cars between us in the last nine years with no major problems. We purchased this Sport new. It pretty much was the weekend grocery-getter for the first few years, but now is my daily driver for work. I performed all the service as it became due, fluids, etc., new shocks, struts, rear brakes. Original tires share with mounted winter tires. Then disaster - the transmission went out. Had a rebuilt MoPar unit installed, but at about $3,800. They seem to go out a lot about 60,000 miles according to my shop. A little noisy inside with Seattle roads at freeway speeds.

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  PERFECT 10 - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By jhonny chimpo - February 18 - 2:00 am

  the dodge intripid in my book is a perfect 10, it has never let me down and probbally never will

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  awsome car - 1998 Dodge Avenger
  By steven sulzer - February 17 - 2:00 am

  i love the car

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  wow what a car - 2004 Dodge Viper
  By randyboy248 - February 17 - 2:00 am

  my experience with this car was great it felt like i was in miami florida and that i was rich.

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  more power needed - 2004 Dodge Viper
  By jerry rice - February 17 - 2:00 am

  this is a fast and nice car. but it needs about 150 or more horspower and needs better handling.

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  2004 Viper - 2004 Dodge Viper
  By H. T. Pettigrew - February 17 - 2:00 am

  Pure excitement! Not for the weak at heart.

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  Nice car - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By Brad C - February 17 - 2:00 am

  Nice car , fun to drive . Only problem in 40,000 miles is it needed 2 transmissions replaced and a differential. All warranty work but still a pain. Had a 96 Intrepid for 5 yrs was a much better car than the 2001

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  My second Intrepid - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By Charlene Wilmes - February 17 - 2:00 am

  In 2003 I purchased my 2nd Intrepid. This is a SE. My lst is a 1996ES. I have to say that I still prefer the ES to the SE. I love the extra power on the highway. And I prefer the openness that the 96 has compared to a more closed-in feeling of the SE. Bottom line...the Intrepid has the best ride of any car...even the 2003 Lincoln cant compare.