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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  Fast Truck - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By OneCoolGi - September 14 - 2:00 am

  Put on many good miles on this truck with next to zero problems. The worst problem I have had was a radiator leak. Engine and trans are solid. This truck is fast and handles great. It can take a corner at 55mph. I moved from San Diego to NJ towing 3k lbs, averaged 80 mph and the truck felt like there was nothing there. It took on mountains like flat terrain. Great truck!

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  1993 Dobitshi Daytona ES 3.0L V6 - 1993 Dodge Daytona
  By Dobishi - September 9 - 2:00 am

  Bought the car from a private seller about 2ish years ago for $1000. Since then Ive put about 700 dollars under the hood from blown head gaskets and radiators. I get about 8 MPG city and maybe 14 MPG highway, which is worse than corvettes of the time with much less power. I wouldnt recommend this car to anyone unless they bought the IROC or dropped a V8 RWD conversion into it to make it true muscle. I do, however, like the sound of the car. The day I bought it, I put a Thrush Turbo muffler on it and routed the exhaust out behind the doors. As I drive down the road, I can hear the Mitsubishi V6 growl like a caged animal. Interior is great. The true bucket seats are great to sleep in.

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  A Very Economical Choice - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By derik187 - September 6 - 9:08 pm

  I bought my caliber used in Nov 2009 with 32k miles. I am the second owner of the vehicle and have put over 20k on it. The caliber has the interior space of a small suv with compact car gas mileage. My 2.0 4cyl w/CVT regularly averages 31 mpg per tank. Outside of routine maintenance Ive not had to do a thing to the car. The car rides comfortably, handles great, and with decent tires it performs well in inclement weather. I chose the caliber for the fuel economy, interior/cargo space, unique styling, and price (mine was sub 10k). I test drove many vehicles in its class (cobalt, versa, matrix, fit) and the caliber won out in most categories for me.

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  This car is dangerous - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Pattison - September 6 - 5:49 pm

  Bought this car two months ago and have been kicking myself since. So far the sway bars,and tie rods have been replaced. The oil light and gas cap light both came on and dealer couldnt figure out problem. My wife was driving the car up a hill and the car died, causing the brakes and steering wheel to lock and the car to go go out of control and over a ledge into a dirt mound. Had it in the shop numerous times and the mechanics at the dealership dont know whats wrong with it. You can get a quieter ride in an army tank. Do not buy this vehicle. Im afraid for the safety of my infant and wife every time they get in this vehicle.

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  07 Dodge Nitro - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Ryan - September 6 - 4:20 pm

  I got mine in December 2007, and just the other day, it started swaying back and forth on the highway. a few yeas ago, it used to shut off while driving. but other than that, this SUV is fun, fast, modern, and strong off road. Its great for a family, and or a single person. Just dont get the one with plastic finders, and bumper, because they come off easy.

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  Never would buy this model again - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By SED - September 5 - 8:35 am

  Bought this car, used, still under warranty. At 20K miles it took five trips to dealership to fix trunk leak, one week to fix shifter that was stuck in park, three weeks to fix transmission issue. Tho dealership kept taking it in to fix it, it shouldnt have had so many issues in the first place. Brakes started squealing at 20K too. Never got the gas mileage we expected. Paint started chipping off in spots.

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  Pros and cons - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By League - September 4 - 10:03 pm

  I have really loved owning this SUV! Knew mileage not good when I bought it but traded for versatility, power and looks. Minimal repairs. Have 150,000 and just now replaced upper ball joints and a/c. No other major repairs. Has been on many long trips and through bad weather with no problems. Handles better than other SUVs Ive driven. Its been a good, solid vehicle. Its currently 11 years old and still looks great! Hope to have it for a few more years.

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  Great truck! - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By 2000Durango - September 2 - 12:54 am

  This is an amazing truck! so many people bash it for problems some have had. all of my friends that owned one loved them. we got ours new back in 2000 and has been running great with 125,000 miles on it. no real problems ever occurred.

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  Cute, fun, but loud w/front end issues - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By mainer580 - September 1 - 10:02 am

  I like the car but it is very loud, (road noise), it has developed a number of squeaks and the front end tie rod ends have needed replacing a couple of times already at only 37,000 miles. The car also has a lot of blind spots. I would never buy one again.

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  60,000 miles and no problems - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Jason - September 1 - 1:39 am

  I love my Nitro. I originally went to buy a Caliber but was talked into test driving the Nitro and bought it that day. Aside from the recalls I have had no major issues. The only minor issues have been that it will sometimes stall when backing up in a tight radius (backing into garage in alley). Only happens once a month though. Overall Im very happy with it.