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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  Cheap fast car - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By Blue 4 door - July 18 - 2:00 am

  Very reliable car, put 15000 miles on it and the only thing that went was the rear main seal, and that was from doing 100 mph for 2000 miles ($35 and a long weekend of work), other than that no big problems, Has 130k miles and it still kills all the imports, even v6s I race it almost every weekend and hit 120 more times than I can count and it still runs stong. Gas milage is not good, but I also have a lead foot. If you maintain it, it will last. drive 50 miles back and forth to work every day and it never broke down on me.

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  Great Family Van - 2001 Dodge Caravan
  By mto - July 18 - 2:00 am

  2001 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport 42,000 miles Purchased from a CarMax dealership in Spring of 2002. No major problems, Just oil changes and brake pads since purchased. Rate of depreciation seems high. I owe more than its worth, but then Im not planning on selling it...

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  Airwolf of the road - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By T. Wilson - July 18 - 2:00 am

  This car is awesome. I have a 79 Dodge Little Red Express. I have always been a Mopar fan. I love the styling and looks of the exterior and interior. It is one sharp car. Yes, it does impress the women. As far as the mechanical aspect, it is all in how you treat the car. Changing the sparkplugs on the R/T is nothing at all. The sound system is great. A/C performs well. I just dont have much to complain about the 2002 Dodge Stratus R/T. It is just a great car. Super car for a single person and for the money.

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  Great Job! - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By Rhonda Brown - July 18 - 2:00 am

  I am writing this review on the 2003 Durango my husband & I purchased on May 16th 2003. This was a gift from him to me for my birthday and I cant tell you how excited I was to receive it. We are a family of 6 and I have always owned mini-vans for this reason. Its great that Dodge has a SUV that is affordable, dependable and safe for a family our size. I am more than pleased with my Durango and would recommend it to anyone. Thanks again to the great staff at Kidd Chyrsler and all employees of Dodge for a great SUV:)

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  Love My Caliber - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By mittiegirl - July 17 - 4:13 pm

  I absolutely love my new Caliber. It is my 3rd car, and let me tell you, it is definitely the best. I drive it back and forth to college twice a week, which is 100mi each way. Ive never had any problems with it. The headlighs are awesome! Seats are extremely comfortable. I have both front seats the whole way back and my cousins who are all 510 and taller have virtually no problem getting in and out. It does lag a bit from 0-40, but once you hit 40 it just goes. One review said it was not agile, not at all true. Very responsive and safe. The 5 star saftey rating one reason I bought it. It can also go through quite a bit of snow, AWD or no AWD.

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  review - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By lurch - July 17 - 2:00 am

  great car, has really lasted, have well over 100,000 miles and looks and runs like it is new

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  I luv my Intrepid - 2003 Dodge Intrepid
  By Lenay - July 17 - 2:00 am

  I love this car. This is my 2nd one. I had a 2000 and when I had to turn it in I went and got another one. I loved the 2000 but the 2003 drives 100% better. The 2000s pick up was a bit slow but this one, all I have to do is put my foot on the gas. It has so much room. It is the best road trip car I have ever driven. I feel as if Im floating on air. As long as Dodge keeps making the Intrepid to drive and ride this way I will keep buying them.

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  Nice - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By Venom2I - July 17 - 2:00 am

  No problems in 16k miles and I drive hard.

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  Durango Bob - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By Butch - July 17 - 2:00 am

  The Dodge Durango was always one of my favorite SUVs. It was a vehicle that I coveted. It has turned out to be everything that I had imagioned it to be. Fun to drive, stable, comfortable and it didn?t hurt that I got a terrific deal. The 70,000 mile warranty is a real selling point. All I have to do is put gas in it! (So they said.) All this for $3,000 less than the sticker. As they say "Tax, title, warranty-out the door!"

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  Hard to Part! - 1991 Dodge Stealth
  By Peachyqueen - July 16 - 2:00 am

  I have had my baby since July, 1991 and it is still so exciting and reliable to drive, I am hard pressed to get a new car!! I know that it is time since my mileage is 212289, but I there arent any cars that are as sharp, reliable and unique, and lets not forget reasonable as the Stealths were when they first came out! My car has had a rebuilt transmission, cv-joints replaced, a few other repairs, and my air-conditioner and radio doesnt work (well sometimes the radio works) but I can always start it on a dime and pass people with ease! One of the best decisions Dodge and I ever made!