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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  I wouldnt buy another - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By Russell - November 6 - 7:41 pm

  The 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT seemed to be a nicer car then our 97 Rally and we really liked the stow-n- go seats. However, thats where it ends. We have to put front brakes on it every 12,000 mi. we got 29,000 mi. on the 97 and I got 72,000 miles out of the front brakes on my 2001 Suburban. Electrical sensors are still a major problem, we have had several failures. The transmission control card went, the side electric doors have been repaired several times and still dont work well. We cant get the brake dust off the front aluminum wheels so they always look like crap. It needed a tune up after only 34,000 mi.. In short, this car is high maintenance! I wouldnt buy another!

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  Already Issues! - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By Heidi - November 6 - 12:47 pm

  I just purchased the 2004 Dodge Intrepid for my daughter (it is her first vehicle) 2 weeks ago and at first she noticed she had issues starting it. I thought with 38,000 miles, it would be a reliable car but it has stopped on her while she was driving twice now! Found the camshaft sensor needed to be replaced. We also are looking at the crank sensor but I am frustrated with the reliablity of a 2004 car with low miles. My husband was upset that we purchased a Dodge and I regret our decision as well.

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  A Great, Fun Car to Drive - 2008 Dodge Charger
  By Larry - November 6 - 10:57 am

  Ive owned the car for only 3 weeks, but, love it thus far. Its enjoyable to drive, responds extremely well for a 4 dr sedan, but, yet has the appearance of a "sporty" vehicle which gets lots of attention from people. A joy to drive! I was disappointed in a couple of things--see below on improvements. I would buy this car again without hesitation.

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  Make a Difference in the RT/Basic - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Ms. Educated - November 6 - 6:50 am

  I love my car, but dont like the fact that the only difference noticeable is the HEMI on the side from the basic 3.5. The interior could have more comfortable seating and the option on the RT could be a heck of a lot more than is offered in the selling deal. The dash board in the RT should be Indigo blue, the driving light should have blue like tint. Make the RT more attractive for the beautiful car that it is.

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  Unacceptable Powertrain!!!! - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Unsatified Owner - November 5 - 9:24 pm

  After 3 rebuilds and a new transmission replacement I brought it back to the dealership last week to confirm that my NEW transmission still shakes. They not only confirmed it, but told me Chrysler has to engineer a fix for my transmission. The service manager told me he will call me in thirty days for an update. WHAT THE! SO, IM SUPPOSED TO KEEP DRIVING THIS THING! After a year of ownership and 16,000 miles Ive had a series of MAJOR mechanical problems with the engine, suspension, and now the transmission. You think this car is a LEMON?!! Chrysler doesn’t even know what is wrong with my transmission! My average fuel economy is around 10 mpg! Thats right 10! This sucks!

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  Good van - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Eduardo Mondragon - November 5 - 3:26 pm

  My reference point is my previous 2006 Town & Country. The 2008 Dodge Caravan certainly includes lots of nice features I didnt have in my previous van. Such as the dual DVD system, shades on second and third row windows (optional) and a more ergonomic interior, in general. So far my major complaint is about the quality of the assembly/manufacturing of the body panels. I had a huge gap between the panels of the drivers side doors and the front door (drivers side) has to be slamed or it wont close. After three visits to the dealer the problem has not been fully fixed. The latch system has been replaced and several adjustments have been made. The gap is gone but I still have to slam the door

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  My third Dodge minivan - 2000 Dodge Caravan
  By wkguy - November 4 - 8:13 pm

  This is my third Dodge minivan. The two earlier versions were 4 pingers. Present is 6. Better mileage with the 4 and easier to change the plugs. Comfortable ride. The rear seats can be removed but a real back breaker for most people and most women shouldnt even consider it. My dealer recently changed the serpentine and air cond belt. 5 weeks later the serpentine belt comes off and they charge me another $200.00 to put it back on saying it also needed a new idler belt. A real scam but I dont blame the van...it didnt cheat me, the dealer did. Replaced brake pad around 45,000 miles transmis solenoid gasket around 64,000...check engine light stays on but everything else works find.

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  Dodge, never again! - 1997 Dodge Dakota
  By Rosemountguy - November 4 - 5:36 pm

  This was my first new vehicle purchase and my last Chrysler product purchase. While the truck always got reasonable mileage and was comfortable to drive, it was a maintenance nightmare. I went through three power steering pumps, replaced the ball joints, fuel pump, cruise control, and had the rear rebuilt by 50000 miles. The truck also ate brakes every 15- 20thousand miles. I never owned a vehicle that was this hard on brakes, even my old Trans-Am which I drove hard. A am happy I never really used it as a heavy hauler as I am sure I would have gone through many more parts.

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  Great exterior, cheap interior - 2016 Dodge Charger
  By Mike - November 4 - 4:57 pm

  Can Dodge make an interior other than cheap black plastic? Loved the exterior, very mean looking and sporty. 5,7 Hemi gave lots of power. An 8 speed auto it a little to much, kept hunting for gears, a 6 speed would do better. Love the tech and touch screen but no volume or radio controls on the steering wheel? Odd. The front seats were terrible. They were uncomfortably hard, lumbar support stuck out to far even all the way deflated, and the head rest was way to far back. Never could get comfortable in it. If Dodge would step up their interiors they would have a great car.

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  Cruiser - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By Joni - November 4 - 11:16 am

  I enjoy the stability and power, and the style is one of a kind. Im always asked about my Magnum RT and how I feel about it. A very enthusiastic thumbs up!