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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  Love My Dodge - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By PaulNY - June 30 - 2:00 am

  I have had my Dakota Since October 00. 32,000 miles later, I have had no problems. Its Comfortable, and looks and drives great. However, living in a colder climate, my only regret is not getting the 4x4.

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  Neon R/T, What a Great Car!!! - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By NeonRacer - June 29 - 2:00 am

  The Dodge Neon R/T is one great car. Since the first time I got in the car till the present I have enjoyed this car. As long as you do proper maintainance on time, this car will last you for a long time and fill your life with excitment.

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  A decent car - 1997 Dodge Intrepid
  By vandentp - June 29 - 2:00 am

  I put over 65000 miles on my Intrepid, it currently has 114k. I have been very pleased with it. It has had minor repairs but nothing that made it undrivable. I kept up the scheduled maintenance and the car has been reliable. It still has lots of power, gets good gas mileage, and doesnt use oil. The AC went out at about 80k, but I recharge it myself every two weeks (cost $10) to keep it cold. No big deal.

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  Awesome car! - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By slickchros - June 29 - 2:00 am

  I just bought this car and absolutely love it!! It has tons of power and handles like a dream! I almost bought a 2002 r/t but am glad I waited. It is SO much fun to drive and very attractive car! I already got a couple of "nice car" compliments. It has everything you could want in a car and more. I got the 5 speed and would recommend it on this car.

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  Best Quad Available on Market - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By hotsaucnmyburito - June 28 - 2:00 am

  When we test drove all quads, the Dodge Dakota Sport was by far the roomiest in the back for passengers, the most comfortable ride, the most powerful and reliable truck on the market with the most bang for your buck. In the 2 years we have had this truck, we absolutely love it. We towed a few times and had no problems. The bed was used MANY times for large and small items. We moved about 4 times in the past 2 years and have had excellent results from it.

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  Solid, Often Overlooked Car - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By strangelove - June 25 - 2:00 am

  When I began looking for a new (used) car, I didnt even think about Dodge or Chrysler vehicles. My focus was mainly on Accords, Camrys and other Japanese makes. But I promised myself I would leave no stone unturned, so at the very last minute I turned my attention to a silver Intrepid ES at a local Dodge dealership. Im glad I did. It proved to be the absolute best mix of the things I was looking for: great styling, strong performance, tons of room, tight suspension, extremely affordable price (used w/ 25k miles) and low insurance costs. Id recommend these cars to anyone with a clean conscience.

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  My 5th Caravan. Great Vehicle - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By moparmtn - June 24 - 2:23 am

  I am writing this review as most people report on fairly new vehicles. So I will tell you my review of my van. I have 113000 miles and it is still running smooth, quiet, no rattles or squeaks. Change oil (full synthetic) & filter every 5000 miles. Trans gets fluid and filter every 30000 and I cyphon out 4 quarts of fluid and replace every 15000. One brake job at 75000. My only complaint is when starting in cold weather it makes a funny noise for a second or two. Hope this helps to the durability of the van. I have had 150000 + trouble free service out of all 5 of my vans. On a cross country trip I put on 11988 miles towing a pop up camper and averaged 22 mpgs. Very happy with this van.

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  Fit for the family - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By AB - June 23 - 1:33 am

  This is the familys first van and Dodge vehicle. We love the ride especially the comfort on our road trips with two kids and dog. We plan to have another child so we dont have to worry about room because there is plenty. We are certainly impressed w/ the quality of this vehicle. The gas mileage is much better than our Explorer, which we traded for this car. We looked at other brands and felt we were getting more for our money with Dodge. What made it even more attractive was the fact that it uses regular fuel and not premium like some of the other brands. We might the right choice with this pruchase.

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  It is a winner!! - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Mike - June 22 - 7:50 pm

  This is the 3rd minivan from Chrysler that we have owned. This van replaced our 2006 Town and Country and it is the best one yet. It seems to have more power than the 2006. Ride is better and it has lots more storage.

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  It is a Wow! Style, comfort and grear mpg! - 2013 Dodge Challenger
  By John Pagano - June 21 - 2:59 am

  Fantastic car for the price of a boring generic sedan. Looks good, sounds great - V-8 rumble. Gets 20 to 28 mpg - really! and yes I know what the sticker says. Also, goes pretty well in the snow with Blizaks and 200lbs of sand.