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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  Best car in the world - 1991 Dodge Daytona
  By Mojtaba - March 2 - 12:07 pm

  I own this beauty for almost 7 months and I would say I had some small issues, but she didnt let me down at all. Mine is not a Shelby but C/S edition which has all of the Shelby package in it and runs light rocket. This is my favorite car of all time and with cheap upgrades you can make these run 11-12 in 1/4 mile. The only thing is because i got the Shelbys Maximum Performance package, my suspensions are so stiff that the car doesnt like bumps at all.

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  Found a Great One - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By weasal - March 2 - 2:00 am

  3.8 dual heat/air, Calif. vehicle. Traction Control, bought it private party, excellent condition, it was very well maintained. Had tranny flushed just because of the horror stories and will be bypassing radiator by adding separate tranny cooler. When they flushed it, the dealership said it was pretty clogged and had to remove lines to unclog them. Great vehicle. 20 mpg

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  Lemon - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Suzer - March 2 - 2:00 am

  We had nothing but problems with this vehicle since purchasing it. I have a file about 2 inches thick of service invoices. Fortunately, everything was covered by the warranty (when it ran out, we ditched it). Daimler Chrysler would not admit it was a lemon. The worst part...not having a car. Problems included: Steering column replaced 3 times, steering wheel clock spring replaced 4 times, windshield wiper motor, air conditioner fan motor, both power window motors died, horn malfunctioned, sliding door pad short (which caused doors to lock and unlock while driving at various speeds), ignition cylinder housing locked up twice, and the list goes on.

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  Transmission problems make it unsafe - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Mike Brown - March 1 - 3:40 pm

  For the first few months that I had my new Avenger, I loved it. Then came the cold weather, and with it an unrepairable transmission problem. Less than 5 miles into any drive on a freeway, the RPMs shoot from the standard 2000 to 6000. And its as though someone downshifted to first gear. It takes all the power the car has to get to the shoulder. Once restarted, the car performs fine for the rest of the trip. Leaving it with the service department wont help as they wont be able to recreate the problem. And even if they could, since the engine light doesnt come on with a transmission error, the onboard computer wont register the problem.

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  Ownership of the Dodge Magnum - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By jasper porter - February 28 - 6:43 pm

  tThis vehicle is a lot of fun to drive. My wife and I will sometimes fight about who will drive. I used to drive all the time, but now she wants to drive. This is the only car that I like more than my pickup. We try to find reasons to drive this car. We have two other cars that we drive to work, but this is our favorite.

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  The Best Car I Ever Had - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Christina Harris - February 28 - 4:40 pm

  This car has the best performance and duribility around. I have never had such a wonderful experience driving this car. It is very comfortable and spacious and kid friendly.

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  Everything the original 98 was and more - 2007 Dodge Durango
  By NotaBuckeye - February 27 - 8:16 pm

  Had the first version in 1998 and kept it for 7 years. The Limited with the Hemi is a great combo. This Durango is loaded except the navigation system and has seating for 8. Use every seat on trips out of state for ice skating competitions. Gas mileage is OK, 20 mpg highway, wish it was a little better. Can travel great distance with a 27 gallon tank. DVD system is great for the kids, helps the miles fly by. Cant imagine owning another SUV especially with the lifetime powertrain warranty. Great vehicle, would recommend it to anyone looking for an SUV with seating for up to 8, great power, decent mpg, and fun to drive.

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  Built Tough as Nails - 2007 Dodge Durango
  By nubnub - February 27 - 5:17 pm

  We bought the Durango especially for its build inside & out. Had no idea it also came with the Flex Fuel. What a great addition for us. I love the power & it has excelent turning radius. I do think the storage however, is very small in the console & the glove box for such a big SUV.

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  New 2017 Grand Caravan surges and hesitates - 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By jje - February 27 - 12:27 pm

  I bought this 2017 Grand Caravan brand new with only 15 miles, day one I noticed the engine missing while running in park, when at stop with foot on brake it has a surge in the engine, while driving it has a miss in the engine and surges like the transmission is starting to slip. Took to dealer and was told they had to update the computer and was also told to NEVER use E85 even-though it is rated to use it, I told them that I had never used the E85 and was only using premium gas, I was then told that premium gas was as bad as E85 and causes the computer to act up. I was told to only use regular unleaded fuel and in a couple of tanks it should work itself out, well three tanks later is is not as bad as it was but it still acts up almost daily. What a POS, I have always been a Dodge Guy but wish I hadnt bought this one. Only getting 13 mpg in city and 19 or 20 on highway and I only have about 2,100 miles on it (yes that is actually 2,100 miles), I am about to trade it in on a Chevy or Ford...................................................

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  HAS IT GOT A HEMI - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By STINGERLZ - February 26 - 4:00 pm

  FUN TO DRIVE. GETS A LOT OF LOOKS AND COMMENTS FROM PEOPLE ON THE STREET. EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW IF ITS GOT A HEMI.