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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  false economy - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By dodge man 88g - February 1 - 2:00 am

  for $26000 you would think they would include an ash tray and lighter even non smokers can find uses for these items .rear brakes squeal from day one but this is the only problem i have.

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  Im 56 Years Old and I love It - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Sobieprime - January 31 - 10:00 am

  I am in love with sport compact cars having had a number of them over the years. I havent had this much fun since I had my 1995 VW GTI VR6. This car is fun, period. It has great power and handling and the build quality youd expect from a much more expensive car. The exterior styling has a love it or hate it quality however. It looks fine to me.

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  Cool Car - 1995 Dodge Intrepid
  By Jimsandros - January 31 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this car new it now has 170,000 miles, it still drives and feels like a new car, the 3.5 liter engine is great, and i average over 22 mpg, living in New York City.

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  My Car Mr.Viper - 2004 Dodge Viper
  By bobford@aol.com - January 31 - 2:00 am

  This is the greatest car ever. It has great interior, exterior, mileage, looks, and speed. I once went 185mph in it.

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  the perfect family car - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By mouseman - January 31 - 2:00 am

  the intrepid is a good family car .we put to teenager and a carseat in the backseat and have plenty of room it get around good in the snow.for the money you cant baet it .

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  Great truck, good looks, good handling - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By Nic Nelson - January 30 - 2:00 am

  I have had my Dakota since August of 01 and in that time I have never had any problems with it what so ever. The only thing that I have done to since I bought it is replace the serpentine belt at forty thousand miles. Other than that she has run like a dream and I wouldnt trade it for the world.

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  great truck - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By dakota - January 29 - 2:00 am

  This is a great truck. It has ample room for 6 children or 4 large adults. It is great for carrying christmas trees, football equipment, etc. I would recommend it to anyone that asked me.

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  This car rocks - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By joey bad dude - January 28 - 1:30 pm

  I got my Dodge Charger R/T with the road and track performance package on May 12th. This car puts an ear to ear grin on my face. The ride is fantastic. It handles like a charm. The acceleration is outstanding. I also like the fact that you get a lot of space if you have a family and you get a fun car with 350 hp V8 with multi displacement (a plus for fuel economy especially now with gas prices at $3 a gallon) all in one car that is a pleasure to own and drive.

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  Great Car, Great price - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Shane - January 28 - 9:26 am

  I waited until I had put a couple of thousand miles on the car before writing a review. I am very pleased with the Avenger. The two best features are the comfort and economy. The interior is very quiet, the seats are perfect, and I am getting around 28 mpg in mostly city driving. My old car was a 2003 Honda, I like the Avenger much better. Its more comfortable, quieter, accelerates better, gets better mpg, looks better, costs less, has a drink cooler in the dash! and has a better warranty. What more could you want? Be sure and check out an Avenger before you buy another car.

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  Great car - 1993 Dodge Stealth
  By nice - January 28 - 2:00 am

  The car is great ive had no problems what so ever. Its to bad they still dont make them. Its fun to drive goes great throught the snow. It attracts alot of people and they still ask to buy but its all mine.