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 dakota - 2007 Dodge Dakota
  By suemccartin - April 2 - 10:12 am

  I have had the truck about 45 days, love it. Getting used to the lower gas mileage but Ill adjust. Very easy to drive, fun to drive, drive the 6 yourself before you decide you dont want it, its plenty peppy for most things and unless youre towing a gigantic trailer you dont need the insurance rates or the gas guzzling of an 8. This is a wonderful truck, very comfortable, very quiet, you want the SLT package for the power mirrors and the alarm, rear antilock and security system really cuts your insurance rates at least with geico. I love my truck just have to learn its personality and Im short so reaching the fluid checking stuff is a challenge sometimes.

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  Do not buy - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By russ - April 1 - 9:36 pm

  These are dangerous, it stalls when sitting in park, surges while you have your foot on the brake, like someone is pushing on the gas, radio replaced eating cds, computer telling tires need air when they dont. These suvs have issues, going to abritration and a attoney. They look great, but stay away. Many recalls

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  Beyond Expectations - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By HexPainter - April 1 - 8:47 pm

  We did the internet search and looked at every make and model out there. I drive 100 miles to and home from work everyday. I wanted something that made me feel safe and could handle the weather and make the drive itself fun. This was the first car we test drove. And it was the one we compared everything else against. We got ours in Sunburst Orange. It drives like a dream. Be careful on the highway. Ours rides so smoothly you do not realize how fast your really going. I dont mind the interior... Plastic? My 94 Shadow had more... It held up and didnt crack. (This is the replacement for the Shadow) I hope this car lasts as long!

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  BEE- liever - 2008 Dodge Charger
  By Mr. Bad Bee - April 1 - 1:47 pm

  We got our 08 SRT Super Bee about a month ago. It has been a blast! The car has so much power and rides as smooth as glass. Hard to keep it under the speed limit! It is as comfortable as the Mercedes E350 it replaced. The special addition color Blue makes the car stand out where ever we go. It gets allot of attention which can be both good and bad. Did I mention how great the seats are? Cant go without mentioning the "Brembo" brakes. They are awesome. Though I feel it should go by another name other than Charger (Magnum Sedan would have been more appropriate since its a 4 door. Chargers are suppose to only have 2 doors), I think the car is just great.

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  mini man van - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By the hills - March 31 - 8:31 pm

  I was a man trapped in a womans vehicle. Now I have become a man in a mini van and love every mile of it! This van has been fuel efficient (27+ on trips) comfortable (5 in the family) useful (Sto and Go baby!)and has me convinced that I made the right purchase. Power slider doors are wonderful. This van is as comfortable to drive as many high dollar import cars. Men dont be scared! Embrace this mini-man van! We did have a few bumps at the beginning, that were easily handled under warranty. Dealership was excellent and on the ball.

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  Not very happy with this car - 2006 Dodge Stratus
  By jg - March 31 - 12:18 pm

  I bought this car used in August of 2006, it had 14,000 miles on it then. I am having to replace the head gasket now. When they were removing the parts to redo the head gasket, the front motor mount broke in half, we found that it was made from very thin aluminum instead of steel. We also discovered that this wasnt the first time that this vehicle has had Major work done on it, had to have been before it reached 14,000 miles. I am kind of leary of this vehicle now, and think that I will soon be looking for a new one.

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  6 cylinder misfire - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By Maurice Thomas - March 31 - 11:38 am

  The check engine light comes on about the #6 cylinder misfires. Engine is losing pressure. I found 2 others with the same problem in their 04 Dakota.

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  Nice - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Former GM Guy - March 31 - 7:40 am

  Was once the proud owner of a Buick Grand National. No car before or since was quite as much fun to drive and own. My Dodge Daytona R/T easily matches that 87 wonder in both fun and power - plus adds all the gadgo-convienences I wanted. Thank you Daimler Chrysler for this one.

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  I love it. - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Skelly - March 30 - 9:39 pm

  So I bought my charger used in early August, it had 12,000 miles. I love the body styling. Its built like a Buick, but handles like a Beamer- the suspension stays tight on sharp turns. The RWD makes it feel like a dream at high speeds. The headlights are very bright- low beams are often times mistaken for brights. The back seat is huge- great for those extra passengers and road trips. Ive kept it maintained to specifications, and so far, havent had any problems.

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  Love the car, but a few complaints. - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By Lana - March 30 - 5:36 pm

  Since I got my stratus in March of 2006 Ive put about 20,000 miles on it, so far it has caused me no problems. Its a lot of fun to drive, but sometimes it feels like the transmission slips when I accelerate. When I bought my car the dealership sold it to us telling us it had ABS, after about 6 months of driving it I noticed it actually had no ABS. The car actually handles really nice in the snow... Surprising for a sports car!