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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  Dont Buy A Nitro Just Yet! - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By lottachops - October 28 - 3:23 pm

  Do not buy the Nitro at this time. I bought a 2007 and have had transmission problems that started about a month after I got it. Ive taken it in for flash computer upgrades, but it still has a bucking problem. I did some research and found that this is not an isolated case. It seems that corporate really doesnt know what to do. They keep sending you back to reprogram the computer to make you feel better for a while, but it doesnt fix the problem. I have owned a Chevy and a Ford before this and have never had these problems. I would say to anyone looking at the Nitro... get something else or wait until they get this transmission problem taken care of.

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  Fantastic Little Truck - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By Good Truck - October 26 - 10:20 am

  This is my second 4wd with a v8 and it has not dissapointed. I will always buy Dodge trucks from now on. I pull a 6000lb boat with no trouble at all.

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  Buy It! - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By moparornocar08 - October 25 - 10:39 pm

  Bought the car on Labor Day weekend 06 and have never regretted it. Its a four-door with the R/T package, deep metallic red, looks great, runs great, roomy, comfortable, great gas mileage, has all the bells and whistles (leather, 6-disc cd changer, sunroof, etc.), just an all- around great car. The perfomance is definitely suprising. Ours has the automatic with Autostick and can pass pretty much anything you want to (it can do over 110 in third!). It can at least run with 3 Series Beemers with ease:). Definitely get the V6 if you are considering one, theyre suprising powerful and get good gas mileage (we average at least 30-32). And we always get compliments on the styling. Great car.

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  Durango rocks - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By DurangoMan - October 25 - 8:43 pm

  We bought our 98 Durango in 2000. It has been the coolest vehicle weve ever had. Its a minivan on the inside and a 4x4 truck on the outside. Weve had reasonable repairs....trans seal, axle seal, ball joints, battery, and brakes (new calipers and rotors). It now has 96,000 miles and starts and runs perfect. I cant say enough about it. Its just awesome. Our dog even likes it!

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  2000 Dakota Quad Cab - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By marine64 - October 25 - 8:53 am

  The 2000 Dakota Quad Cab with hard shell topper was just what I wanted. It handles well in all sorts of weather. The 4.7 ltr. engine has plenty of power and get up. Only gets about 15-16 mpg in town and may 18 highway. I put a duel exhaust system on her which boosted power a bit and gives it that big truck sound. Ill certainly buy another Dakota in a few years

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  Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Gary - October 24 - 10:44 pm

  My 2003 Dodge Neon, built to my specs and delivered to me early 2004 (less than 40k miles) has already experienced timing belt problems and a bad transmission. I only drive infrequently and I have the oil changed regularly and had my 30k tune-up done on schedule. It boggles the mind to see any vehicle crap out so quickly. The 2003 Dodge Neon is loud on the highway, gets poor gas mileage and a gutless engine. Initially I told myself this didnt matter as it looked nice, but after the engine/transmission problems started hitting home, I dont see how anybody can put a shine on this turd of a car.

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  Worst Minivan Ever - 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By facelessdrone - October 23 - 2:07 pm

  Spent 8 days and 1500 miles with this turkey as a rental. My 1993 Chevy Lumina APV anteater was way better. Extremely poor in many respects. Transmission constantly in wrong gear. Lugs and wont downshift when trying to accelerate, then suddenly shifts 3 gears and overrevs. Jerky throttle response causes tires to chirp at any sharp intersection even at slow speeds. Instrument panel lights come on, misleading you into thinking the headlights are actually on. There is an "Econ" button; I could never tell what it did since performance was unaffected. The button to turn off stability control is at the bottom right of the instrument panel so a child can turn it off. Smart move, Dodge.

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  Electical Gremlins - 2006 Dodge Durango
  By gchandkeh - October 23 - 12:02 pm

  My major complaint is all electrical. I have now had my 06 Durango in the shop twice for electrical issues. Radio turns down by itself, windshield wipers come on by themselves, tranny not shifting into gear, lights will flash when the car is not even on, ABS light coming on for no reason. Other than this I am satisfied.

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  BUY CHEAP....BUY TWICE!! - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Bob in Ohio - October 23 - 10:11 am

  Cheap made economy car. Gets you from point A to point B and thats all the good things I have to say about it. Fuel economy is not very good for this size of car. BRAKES, BRAKES, BRAKES THEY SOUND LIKE A TRAIN COMING TO A STOP !!!!

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  [non-permissible content removed] - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By sanjuana cervantes - October 23 - 2:17 am

  bought this car used in 2017 the inside is great lots of storage is very clean started having problems right away blown heater hose had to buy the whole part of the replacement that comes with hose cost me 850 dollars then 3 days later the soleinoid goes out had to buy that from the dealer apparently their the only ones that carry the part how quaint then to install it 600 dollars then 2 days later the check engine light goes on iam at my wits end with this [non-permissible content removed] dont buy one ever.