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:

• 

  Pretty good car for price - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Heather - January 3 - 7:53 am

  It has a few minor problems such as brakes emitting excessive brake dust but overall a pretty good buy

• 

  LOVE IT! - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By hotwire71 - January 2 - 1:13 pm

  This is my second Dodge Gr. Caravan. I bought my 2001 in June of 2003 with 67,000 miles. I now have over 210,000 miles on it. Other than a CV Boot gone bad in 2004, I have had little in the way of maintenance. Ive had the A/C looked at, but no one can find the leak, so I have it charged every Spring and have had no problems getting through the summer. In the 7 years Ive owned the vehicle, Ive replaced the break pads twice, so about every 75,000 miles. The front blower resistor/transistor or whatever it is called, went bad a couple weeks ago. In fact thats how I came to find this site. The part $13.99 and its definitely a DIY job, took me less than 10 minutes. I LOVE MY VAN!

• 

  Poor Paint - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By Poor Paint - January 2 - 12:47 pm

  I ordered the truck with everything I wanted and was blown away when I went to the dealership to pick it up. So far, overall, its been a very good reliable truck. The 318 V8 has plenty of power, but with any V8(and 4WD larger tires), fuel economy is poor. The interior is functional, durable and neat. Mechanically, its been solid overall. Ive had multiple ball joints replaced. No major problems with mine other than delamination of the paint which is very common for this Dakota. Ive seen many others with the same problem.

• 

  Alot of bang for your buck! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Mike - January 1 - 9:13 pm

  I love my 2006 Charger. For the money- (I paid $29,995)-I got a black RT that is an absolute head turner. The only gripes I have are the placement of the cruise control lever(GOOFY), and the rear spoiler should have been standard- I had to buy mine off of EBAY. The review in Car & Driver does not do this car justice. There is no car out there that can give you Hemi power and "4" doors besides the 300C. I own a 2003 Ram 2500 with this same engine. I knew it could move my pickup in a hurry. I just had to see what it could do in the Charger. Wow!

• 

  Why did Dodge discontinue this model? - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By jrb - January 1 - 5:58 pm

  We operate this car in our courier business. It has a 5 speed manual trans. (Had been using Nissan hardbody pickups because of their reliability.) We have owned this car 2 years & 3 months it has 225,000 miles on it. We are saving a lot of money, compared to the Nissans, on insurance, fuel, and maintenance. We use synthetic oil. Only maintenance we have had to do is spark plugs and wires and one timing belt. We use it city and highway driving over 400 miles per day at 32 mpg. This has probably been the most reliable "American" make I have ever owned. I cannot believe Dodge discontinued this model. It is too good to believe except that we have used it and seen it. Why did you end it Dodge?

• 

  Worst Gas Mileage I Ever Had - 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By James - January 1 - 5:14 am

  For the most part I like this car. Its moderately comfortable, reliable, the overall "package" is good, but the gas mileage is absolutely horrible. The sticker said it would get an average of 20 mpg, based on 18 mpg on city streets and 24 mpg on highways. It isnt too bad on highways, getting an average of about 20 to 22 mpg when driving long distance and maintaining a steady speed of about 50 mph. But in stop and go city driving, its awful. Maybe about 8 or 9 mpg at best. Since I dont travel much, do mostly city driving, and the fact the I am retired and dont have tons of money, I cant say I am happy at this point. Dodge says they will fix it, so all I can do is wait and see if they do. Well see how much "Chrysler Cares" actually cares...

• 

  Wow What a car! - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By Andy - December 31 - 1:36 pm

  This is the most fun I have had driving a car since my very first car! The ride, handling and performance is top notch and I still have room for my family of three teenage kids! The ultimate muscle car performance with room for everything. I love the 60 - 90+ in a matter of seconds for passing! I have the RT with the Performace package which I highly recommend. Thank you Dodge for finally making a sedan with performance and styling!

• 

  Get the warranty - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By Groot - December 31 - 7:46 am

  I had my Durango for 5 years, in fact I got it right before gas prices went nuts! After about a month filling the tank wasnt fun anymore, but I still loved driving it. I loved this car and put it through its paces during the time I had it. Great handling, lots of power, and really nice and comfortable interior. I loved having this car.

• 

  very Impressed - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By turnstyle - December 30 - 11:03 am

  Ive had my Dodge Nitro SXT 4X4 for a little over a week and I couldnt be happier. I was a little nervous buying a brand new model Dodge that hasnt been on the road yet but so far I am extremely pleased! It looks amazing, the inside has tons of room, the engine is a nice size with great pickup, yet quiet when driving, the interior has a great layout and is extremely comfy, and the free year of Sirrius doesnt hurt either.

• 

  Deal of a lifetime - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Gearhead - December 29 - 4:00 pm

  After doing research, I found that the design and engineering that went into this car was amazing. I dont see how Chrysler could make and sell a car like this but then Viper and Prowler come to mind. Simply put, this is a performance bargain! The car isnt for everyone. You must appreciate high performance and a taste for the daring because the ride is a bit on the harsh side. It is designed to be high performance and everything about the car from the stance, engine sounds, to the look, feel and ride remind you of what it is. This is not a car for first time drivers or people with bad backs. It can be driven daily with ease but it is truly at home being raced at a track.