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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  reliable car - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By red - March 17 - 3:02 pm

  This is a car has a very low maintenance but expensive parts when they got to be replace. I had to replace the tires only 1 time @ 75,000 miles, change the plugs and wires, fr brakes once. Now I got to replace the fr. struts. I think this is not bad after having 95,000 miles on the car.

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  Unconditional Love - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By Joes Intrepid - March 17 - 12:09 pm

  I bought my Intrepid at the beginning of last summer. $500! It had 142k miles, I thought Id hang on to it as a backup/work car. I ended up selling my LeSabre instead. This is a great car. My only problem to date is I had to replace the water pump an a belt. But overall, WONDERFUL CAR! She now has over 185k and feels brand new. I just finished installing 2000 watts of subwoofer in the trunk... love the car, you should get one if you have the means.

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  Love the look and feel of this car - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By sharon - March 17 - 12:01 pm

  The take off response is awesome, holds the road wonderfully. This is the only car that Ive ever bought that is actually worth more than what my loan value is!

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  Loved my R/T - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By deadmeet - March 17 - 8:42 am

  I bought a pair of R/Ts new for me and my wife hers white/blue stripes mine Brilliant blue pearlcoat with silver stripes. hers remained totally stock,mine received a cold air/K&N combo with aftermarket exhaust.we have not had cars as fun to drive or reliable in our lives. Both our cars still get about 38mpg (I bump the rev limiter on a daily basis) with each over 150k miles we are deciding on what we would want to replace them with...seems funny that todays hi-tec hybrids and flex-fuel vehicles only get low 30s mpg What was so special about our neons? (I was raised on Big block Chargers and Road Runners..a lot of fun, but a huge difference on reliability)

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  Economy lost out this year - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By DVLocker - March 16 - 5:46 pm

  I have been a Ford man all my life. I always shopped for a practical economy car. This year Style and comfort won over. I was looking at the new economy cars when I took a test drive in a used 07 Charger for fun. I fell in love. The style and solid build won me over. As far as the gas, I found I have been uncomfortable all these years for nothing. I am getting 25 MPG which is not that far from the 28 I was getting in a small car. Now I am not just another follower in a Focus I am leading the pack.

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  Duct tape helps - 1994 Dodge Caravan
  By still runs - March 16 - 2:15 pm

  the van i have has been fairly reliable with only some minor repairs. nothing to major has broke yet, still waiting for tranny to go, it does slip now and again. very comfortable seating, love the room inside for my kids and dogs. I bought the 94 over a newer 99 design because i really dont like the ext. style or the poorly laid out interior of these vans. I also love the ext appearance with the right package of skirts and rims the van does look some aggressive. Handling sucks but it is a box on wheels after all. fuel eco. is not bad for my 3.0l about 450 to 500 km tank still. Very good passing on the highways and comfy to drive very long distances. still going after 300,000 km. hope for more!

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  Dodge made big changes for the Durango - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By Kyle - March 16 - 11:01 am

  Let me start this by adding that my family has had several SUV experience (2010 Escalade, 2002 GMC Denali, 1998 Dodge Durango, 2005 Dodge Durango) and have test driven a few "newer" SUVs of several brands. Our overall impression with this newer Durango thus far is that it is very impressive. It has a lot more room than we had expected (especially compared to the generation we had before the remake), and the seats are 10x better than before. Dodge finally woke up and realized that ergonomics are a big deal, and I think they hit the nail on the head with this car. Air conditioning vents are everywhere in the back; 115v Ac outlet in the middle row, multiple charging ports, etc (the things you dont notice at first until youre the one in the back) and the Alpine system sounds very good for a stock radio (ours came with an 8" sub in the back). 3rd row seating is a little cramped but not bad even for full grown people. The fit and finish is very good (much better than others I have looked at around the same model year. There is more plushness on everything and less plastic everywhere. The v6 and tranny seem to match well and have not given us a single hiccup. We have now taken this car across the eastern portion of the country multiple times and have seen 24-25mpg when traveling 70-75mph (loaded down) and 22-23mpg another time when loaded down with a cargo top going 75-80mph. Mixed/city we see 19mpg. We are thoroughly impressed with its mpg considering its size. As far as drivability, I think this car is right on par as far as ride quality with other competitors. It is actually very similar, if not better than, the 2010 Escalade that my sister owns. It also has a good turning radius for a full size SUV. It has definitely exceeded our expectations, but that could have been because we switched from a 2005 Durango (not good interiors, mpg, or drivability). We hope that this car lasts as long as the other one though (200k+ miles). Only time will tell. It is unfortunate to see that some people are having issues, because we have had ZERO other than getting recall mail that we have not taken it in for yet. Downsides: - the front screen does not play the DVDs once the car is put in drive - storage space with the third row up is not all that enticing (but very usable - might be a personal opinion... But its not like a Yukon Denali) - Bluetooth has rather low quality sound when streaming music; it probably needs fixed but we dont want to take it in to get charged something ridiculous Hope this helps someone else!

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  Chrysler Quality Sucks !!! - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By EdwardR - March 16 - 10:12 am

  I purchased a 2005 SXT AWD, new in June of 2005 (cost $31,500). Here is a list of the issues Ive had with it. First, after only 30,000 miles, the factory Continental tires would not pass inspection. Second, after numerous visits to the dealer, about intermittent problems with the rear power windows, the window regulator seized up. Just outside of the warranty. (what a coincidence, and I have the other side to look forward to repairing now) The engine has been running rough for the last 27,000 miles and, of course, the dealer has been unable to diagnose or fix. They just perform the basic "shotgun" technique of plugs, wires, etc... I have had the transmission ROM flashed twice and was charged!

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  Cracking - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Sameia - March 16 - 7:53 am

  This SUV is nice but the seat interior is terrible it cracks all up around the seat and seat belt. The bumper seem to be loose and and if in an accident it seem like Itll crack right up!?! There needs to be a recall on the seats. I also have the ABS light on which has been explained to me as a recall?

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  Outstanding! - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By jilesk - March 16 - 2:00 am

  I love my 04 Durango. The ride is smooth and it Looks great.