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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  You have to own it to understand - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By Michael - October 22 - 2:26 am

  Ive never had so much fun driving a car before. It is a car for the open road . All I can say is I bought it in feb 07 and I have 17000 miles on it. Love my Dodge.

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  2009 Dodge Journey RT 2WD - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Norfolk, VA - October 22 - 1:23 am

  Love my car but...There is not enough space for second and third row to each have room for their legs. The paint wore off of the ignition switch. Had to replace breaks at 20K miles. The engine began ticking much louder around 15K. The transmission makes a terrible noise on acceleration. Have been told that is ‘normal’. The power windows dont always work. The dealership couldnt duplicate or fix the problem. My key doesnt work every time. The sunroof leaked. We do not get the promised gas mileage. I complained that the car pulled to the right. Months later a recall was issued on that problem. The door trim falls off. While I love the features, I do not feel that this car is well made.

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  09 Grand Caravan SXT 3.8L - 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Davemc83 - October 22 - 1:20 am

  This is probably the best vehicle I have ever owned. I cannot say enough about it. We travel cross country from New Mexico to Michigan twice a year (pulling a pop-up camper) and we are very pleased with the performance and comfort of our new van. If you are in the market for a new vehicle and need to cart kids around town and still need room left in the vehicle for your whatnots, then skip the gas guzzling SUVs and go for this van, this is not the soccer mom van of the 90s. Dodge has done a great job upgrading every feature to make this a very desireable vehicle for people who want comfort and practicality.

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  Solid van - 2007 Dodge Caravan
  By johnm - October 21 - 10:25 pm

  My Grand Caravan is comfortable, has excellent crash ratings,with plenty of room inside, and has reasonable performance and economy(acceleration is only adequate). I liked the safety of side air bags, the rear backup alarm, pretension seat belts.

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  Dakota - 2006 Dodge Dakota
  By ROB - October 21 - 7:36 am

  A good sturdy truck. I was impressed when I towed an 6 yd tandem dumping trailer. I hauled topsoil for a couple of days with this rig. Most people put tonneau covers on their trucks and they become cars with poor mileage. Use your Dodge for what it was made for and you will be impressed.

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  grand caravan - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By eralf - October 21 - 2:00 am

  my wife and I are on our third grand caravan. we are extremely happy with our experience. we travel a lot and have had great enjoyment from these vehicles.

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  Traded After Fourteen Months - 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By crday - October 20 - 9:38 pm

  Purchased the van because of its flexibility and usefulness. Disappointment came soon after I purchased it. The Caravan was my second consecutive new Dodge purchase. It will be my last. The six-speed transmission almost caused a very serious accident on two occasions. After pulling out from a dead stop, the transmission suddenly upshifted from first to fourth or fifth gear immediately. It began to shudder and took several seconds to downshift to a more appropriate gear. I normally would have had plenty of room. I contacted two dealerships and was informed that there were no issues with the transmission. This was AFTER the first corrective update. This vehicle can be dangerous.

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  Unhappy - 2008 Dodge Nitro
  By Unhappy - October 20 - 3:23 am

  Car looks good but that is all! Poor Interior, low grade plastic, no room in front seat, glove box too low and so so material on seats. Side mirror way too large. Poor Gas mileage. Bumpy ride and so so handling. Door locks take to long to lock after entering. Needs auto running lights. Manuevring is like using a tank.

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  Get extended warranty - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By Heather - October 19 - 1:12 pm

  I bought my Hemi brand new. loved the drive, my son loved the DVD option, yet 500 miles after my warranty ran out major problems, all the dash lights, turn signals & gauges turn off when I turn blinkers on. Good thing its a lease & I will turn back over in few months because they say nothing is wrong with it!

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  Magnum is a MUST have! - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Jack Salseda - October 19 - 4:13 am

  This car ROCKS. I was sold before the test drive. While there are a few minor upgrades I would suggest, this is without a doubt A MUST HAVE. In the RT Model, the only improvements I would suggest are having the front passenger seat be completely automatic. The half auto, half manual doesnt make sense and is not convenient. The head lights need an auto selection to turn themselves on and off, as most cars of this caliber have. Making the VES (Video Entertainment System) standard on the Navigation System in the RT Model would be a nice touch. Overall I would rate the RT Magnum at a 10+!