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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  Surprise - 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Mr. Mom - December 25 - 8:30 pm

  We traded in our GMC Envoy for a Grand Caravan, and we were surprised! The room in this van is ridiculous! All of the seats recline, and the stow and go feature provides mega room for diaper bags and groceries! I think that this is the best van for the money! We looked at the Honda Odyssey, and the Grand Caravan was the better vehicle! I think that SUV drivers with kids will be happy when they try this van!

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  Best car I have ever driven or owned - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By Terry - December 25 - 5:16 am

  This car is fun to drive. I feel confident in heavy traffic. So smooth and quiet on acceleration that I find myself flying down the highway. It stops as fast as it accelerates and is very comfortable on long trips.

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  R/T Test Drive - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By YO - December 25 - 2:00 am

  I dont own one, but i was able to drive an R/T model around my town for a week to see if i wanted one. This is perhaps the greatest vehicle on earth.

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  Handles like its on rails! - 2013 Dodge Avenger
  By Edalb - December 24 - 5:16 pm

  Make sure your thermostats are working. Anyway this car handles awesome and the 4cyl is pretty quick too. The sound system is decent enough that Im not going to change it until I blow a speaker. The trunk space is big too. Your tires are 225 which is awesome for a little car.

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  I should not have bought a dodge - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By dodgesucks3 - December 24 - 8:45 am

  Bought used with 36,000 miles. It now has 44,000 . Both auto doors went out about a week apart. Lift gate will not stay open. Power driver seat stopped working. Breaks are way under sized for the weight of the vehicle and need to be replaced. I get a slight shutter and wine when turning. It was hard to start in the cold weather. I do like the stow n go seats but they are a but of a chore to stow them. The value for it has dropped so much that I cant even trade it in. No one wants it including me!

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  So far so good - 2007 Dodge Durango
  By mags - December 24 - 4:51 am

  We just got this big guy and so far really like it. We went from an escape up to this. The interior is great. Comfortable, roomy, user friendly. I love the look of the exterior. We dont have the Hemi, but have great get up and go. The gas mileage could be better, but what can you expect with such a big truck. Smooth ride, very quiet, fits all of us, from short to tall! Hopefully we dont have the same issues the others are having. I never owned anything other than a Ford, great deal for the money!

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  Dodge Charger - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Jens - December 23 - 10:23 pm

  It is a great car and handles very well for a bigger car. Handles the curves easily.

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  08 Nitro - 2008 Dodge Nitro
  By Shawn&Angel - December 23 - 4:07 pm

  My wife wanted a Jeep so I test drove everything they had and bought the Nitro instead, The reason I gave this such a good rating is based on its price compared to everything else in its category. It is not the fastest nor most powerful thing I test drove but it was 7000 less than the next competitor and had much better performance per dollar and was so much more fun to drive than the super soft inadequate feeling suspension on the grandma grocery getter Jeeps I drove.

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  Fun and Practical - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Steve Miley - December 23 - 2:36 pm

  I travel all over the country and I carry a large amount of cargo (clothes, golf clubs, household items, etc...) and my Magnum has been OUTSTANDING! Even with the 2.7L the acceleration is adequate in almost any situation and the fuel economy has been fantastic for such a large vehicle (averaging 22-28 depending on speed) even when loaded down. The styling is what drew me to it, the quality is why Im keeping it until the V6 gives out. Then I can put my own version of the Hemi in it! The ride is so smooth and quiet, even at high speed, and it handles like a car 1000 lbs. lighter (Thanks Mercedes). Got mine for under $20,000, and Im astounded with its features and looks. Go Dodge!

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  Great short term car - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By Groot - December 22 - 11:49 pm

  First car I ever owned and I will never own another Dodge again. As I approached 100K several things started breaking (mechanical AC pump, transmission governor and governor solenoid, and now the brake interlock solenoid). The AC pump and interlock solenoid I can understand, but the powertrain warranty failed to cover an essential part of the transmission? Also the interlock solenoid can only be fixed by replacing the entire steering column as the part is NOT offered separately. Once they start to go they just go. Poorly designed and what good is a warranty that really covers next to nothing? Parts are too expensive and unreliable to make this a smart buy.