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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  Faithful Horse - 1995 Dodge Caravan
  By paulfreda - July 27 - 2:00 am

  Bought it off of a private owner in 1998 with 68,000 miles. Weve run it up to 148,000 with no major problems or expenses. It was always ready for a trip to the store or out of state. Its always been serviced "by the book". Only parts replaced in the 5 years of ownership were: Water pump, EGR valve & solenoid, battery, one tune up with ignition wires and a 4 wheel brake job. Pretty darn good for 148,000 miles.

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  love mine! - 2003 Dodge Intrepid
  By kf - July 27 - 2:00 am

  Ive only had my Intrepid for 5 months so I cant give much info regarding the reliability yet...only that so far its been great! Love the ride...a bit of road noise on the highway, but not horrible. Love the spaciousness of the interior, and also of the trunk. Dont miss my Durango.

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  Awesome - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By she stung me - July 27 - 2:00 am

  Best car I have ever had in my 30 years of driving

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  Love this Vehicle! - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By Techie Mom - July 27 - 2:00 am

  I have really enjoyed this vehicle. It handles great off road, the ride is very luxurious and it tows a 3500 pound tent trailer like its not there! No more crawling up hill! It has handled the AZ heat beautifully... never once did it overheat. The third seat and second AC were very important to me. Only down side has been the gas mileage.

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  Wonderful to drive! - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By kim08 - July 27 - 12:23 am

  I LOVE this van!! It is so nice and comfortable!! The ride is so smooth! I NEVER thought I would drive a minivan but I truly love driving this car! It is fun and pretty spunky for a van. Great features too. This is an extremely family friendly van.

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  Wow! - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By greyfox - July 26 - 2:00 am

  I bought it used, dealer certified, 2.4L, 4 cyl, at 54k. I put Mobil One synthetic in it, had all four brakes done, tune-up, and now have 66k on it. I love it. Reliable, looks good, incredible sound system, handles well. To check hiway mileage, I did 150 miles, set the cruise for 62 mph, all highway, and got an incredible 36 mpg! Im told it does use front brake pads, but thats a small price to pay for an all-around great car. Id buy another newer one if I could. Hauls butt too, for a 4 cyl! Highly recommended.

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  Viper - Great Car!! - 2003 Dodge Viper
  By cpaulcoco - July 26 - 2:00 am

  drive one yourself - handling superb - exceleration phenomenol - 25 mpg in 6th gear, but you must do at least 70 mph

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  Great car - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By thirtysixhorses - July 26 - 2:00 am

  This is a powerful car. It changes word "merge" from a request to a command! I have gotten 35 MPG on road trips which is just amazing. It gets a solid 24 in everyday city driving. You really have to read the owners manual completely because there are so many selections on the options. Especially learn how to set the compass to the area you drive in--even the dealer(s) dont seem to know this.

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  Exellent - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By Ryan Sewell - July 26 - 2:00 am

  Fun car to drive, little body roll.

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  COOL - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By HOUT - July 26 - 2:00 am

  THIS IS A GREAT DURANGO.