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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  as time goes on, start to dislike the car - 2015 Dodge Dart
  By Emmy - November 20 - 3:44 pm

  looks great, but not a quality car. Cheap plastic interior parts. The car had a super stiff ride. Car also developed a vibration at freeway speeds. New tires, balancing did not correct the issue. Many better choices. You can find them cheap though. I sold mine after a year of ownership. There is a reason they dont make them anymore.

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  Gas mileage - 2006 Dodge Stratus
  By Joy Carlton - November 20 - 2:08 pm

  Unreal low gas mileage. It changes on almost every tank, cant count on what you will get. the 4 cyl. is too small for size of car.the power does not match the 4 cyl that I owned before which are 2 of the 4 cyl. i stay busy filling up with gas. I hear I cannot depend on the Dodge transmillsions.They do no hold up. What cvan I do.

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  Great - 2006 Dodge Caravan
  By speeking9 - November 19 - 11:43 pm

  I love the Caravan, my second one. Handles great and rides like a Cadilac. Great heater for Alaska winters at 40 below and starts very easy cold temps. The Caravan is the best auto I have ever had by far and I have had a lot cars of all brands and not one has ever met the reliability the Caravan has.

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  Engine oil sludge problem - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By Eagle - November 19 - 7:47 pm

  The salesman pushed this car on me. Said I was getting a great deal. My Intrepid is beautiful, nice ride, and nice to drive however, shortly after I purchased it, the water pump went. All has been downhill since then. Because access was so difficult to replace the water pump, I spent over $600 on labor. My mechanic said he has seen this problem many times with this particular car. He recommended that I get rid of it ASAP. I am so disappointed because I love everything else about the car.

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  Awful, just awful! - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Bobby - November 18 - 9:53 am

  Run away from this car as soon as you see it. I thought I was getting a good deal because of the price and it is the worst buy I made! Resale value is horrendous and it is in the shop more than on the road.

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  Fun and inexpensive - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By wax - November 18 - 8:51 am

  This is my second Neon. I love it. I blast around full throttle and still get close to 35 mpg. I think we drove every small car made before we made our decision. The only one that even came close to the performance of the Neon was the Mazda. I drive a lot of miles, and buy new cars often.

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  love it - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By johnlclark - November 17 - 6:53 pm

  Plenty of power to merge or pass and very comfortable seats.

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  Yes, I read the other reviews, but this van wont die! - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By paulsnj - November 17 - 1:36 pm

  I bought this van certified used in Jan of 2008 with 47,000 miles on the clock after my lovely 2002 Chrysler Town and Country Limited was wrecked parked in front of my house. So I gained Stow N Go and Sirius radio in the dash but lost my leather seats and pimped out factory chrome spoke wheels. That being said, the trans had to be rebuilt and/or worked on three times the first two years, all under certified warranty and all I had to pay was one $100 copay. Since then, no issues at all except for a left power sliding door that works off and on, and a front end that badly needs a complete rebuild. I am on the original timing belt, shocks, and struts and just turned 175,000 miles.

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  Great vehicle and fun to drive - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By jaeggergs - November 17 - 11:23 am

  Bought this vehicle as a demo with 5200 miles on it. It has been one of the best reliable, dependable vehicles Ive ever owned. Love the performance of the vehicle. Hugs corners with Pirellis. I have 187,000 miles on the vehicle. Replaced the engine, rebuilt the tranny & it still runs like a dream. Front end now goes about every 2 years. About $800. to repair. Having a hard time letting this vehicle go. Prefer driving it in bad weather over my SUV. Dont like the black "paper" between front & back doors as it peels off. Thats the worst I can say about this vehicle. Only stuck once and thats when the engine went with no warning. This vehicle owes me nothing. Would recommend to anyone

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  Magnum, one fun soccer mom vehicle - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Mike - November 16 - 7:20 pm

  This car has it all....power, convenience, style, and fuel economy of a V6. We get a lot of looks and comments on this car. The one word I love is HEMI= raw power and fun!