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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  Best Vehicle Ive ever owned - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By daboyds - April 24 - 4:41 pm

  I ordered my 2004 Durango while stationed overseas in Germany. It was shipped to me there from the U.S., and we used it for 2 years traveling all over Europe. We then shipped it back to the U.S. and then to Australia where we used it in the middle of the Australian Outback with the extreme heat, red dirt and dust. Weve recently moved back to the U.S. again and we still have our Durango and have never had any issues with it at all. Matter of fact, weve only had it in the shop for routine maintenance. This vehicle has been from the cold in Russia/Europe to the heat of the Australian Outback with out any issues at all. We just LOVE it it!!!

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  Surprisingly Reliable! Sporty and roomy - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By kristinholmes - April 20 - 9:19 pm

  I had not ever owned an American car (and Im 48 years old) because I thought they were not reliable. so when we bought this one used with 37,000 miles from a dealership we also bought the biggest maintenance warranty available for $2500.00. Turned out the only repair ever needed in the last 3 years only cost about $360. It was for a broken motor mount and some kind of a gasket on the exhaust system. It has been very reliable and I would recommend it. Ours now has about $80,000 on it and still going strong.

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  A blast to drive - 2011 Dodge Avenger
  By krs4 - April 16 - 6:43 am

  3.6L Penstar V6 LUX Model MSRP $27805 Fully loaded I researched this car for weeks. Looked at the Ford Fusion, Nissan Altima and Honda Accord. I have had it less than a week and everyone who sees it says, "wow", nice car." This car is a blast to drive, is stunning to behold compared to its rivals. It has ever bell and whistle I wanted. Any of the others were less well equipped for the money. This is a sports car at heart. It will get up and go if you want it to. The interior is awesome. Comfortable, well laid out and stylish. Be different and buy this car.

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  What a Great Buy! - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By moprhead1 - April 13 - 10:27 am

  Just took Delivery this month, what a great buy!. Citidal with v-6, loaded with everything under the sun. Looked at BMW, Merc, Audi, and you just cant beat what you get for the money. Love the way the car handles, very nimble for such a large SUV. Blackberry pearl/Tan interior combo is just outstanding. Quality is every bit as good as the others I looked at. Getting 25 HWY...all this and it seats 7.

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  Well Worth A Look!! - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By westys_4_ever - April 1 - 11:04 am

  I have had this car now for 9 months and 14k miles. It is amazing!! I can drive this car all day long and arrive at my destination fresh. Roadtrips, the miles woosh by silently as the V6 purrs along. That 75 mph, it spins along under 2,000 rpm. It returns mpg at that speed 27-28. The interior does have a lot of hard resting spots but is so full of cubbies and storage bins, who cares, really? Two bins under the floor in back, another huge bin in the cargo area under the floor, another bin under the front passenger seat cushion. Cupholders everywhere, door and console. The rear seats recline and move back and forth for legroom. The third row is just for kids though.

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  Excellent Value - 2008 Dodge Durango
  By austinp - March 27 - 4:14 pm

  Our Durango SLT has been absolutely flawless. When the salesman pulled it up for us to see we instantly hated it. We would NEVER own a white car. We however got an excellent price on it. We did not know when we bought it how commited it was. It just hit 65000 miles on the odometer and still looks new! The Engine has always started first try and it has never failed us. The 4.7 has been a pleasure to drive, its very fuel efficient and is very powerful. It will haul 7 People with ease. It runs real quite until you step on it then you get a powerful growl. We have had absolutely no issues with it. We expect great things from Chrysler and will continue to buy from them.

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  Thank you Dodge! LUX - 2011 Dodge Journey
  By workshop - March 24 - 9:14 am

  I will start of with the negative. I dont like where the front cup holders are located. I dont think I can fairly comment on Build Quality and Reliability because I just started driving the car. So far so good. BTW. I could afford any SUV, wagon, etc. I wanted. Tried the Benz-seat sides hard.Ouch. Plus there are silly bars in the middle. BMW-yes its great, but mmmm is it worth the price? I literally got every lux item in this car accept the name. Journey is a great design and price.

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  Best Car Ever - 2011 Dodge Charger
  By paulnn - March 22 - 10:45 am

  I have the 2011 R/T Road and Track special. It is the closest thing I could get to the SRT for 2011.(SRT returns in 2012) It has all available options including the Redline 3 paint. The car holds the road like it it glued to it. The redesign is near perfect. It turns heads everywhere I go. Overall the car is so much more than I expected. I bought this car while it was leaving the factory, sight unseen. I am still excited just to look at it, driving it is an absolute pleasure. Nice ride for cruising, raw rubber burning power for showing off. The legendary HEMI lives and breaths anew in this classic redesign that actually made the car much better.

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  RT Fuel Mileage better than expected - 2011 Dodge Charger
  By jowica - March 21 - 12:37 pm

  Dont let the V8 Hemi tag scare you off. The V8 has a fuel management system that shuts 4 cylinders down when not needed. On one open stretch of I-95 I bumped it down to 65mph and averaged between 31 and 33mpg. The system also kicks in while driving city roads around 30mph. The car has averaged about 21mpg in the city, just as good as many V6 models out there without the fuel management system. The car itself is great to drive. Fit and finish are excellent. The RT base package is all ones really needs- remote start, 8.4" Uconnect w/bluetooth, 18" alloy wheels, spoiler. A similarly equipped V6 will save you a few thousand dollars, but youll get the value back with the RT at trade.

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  New Owner - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By fds1961 - March 19 - 6:10 pm

  I drove a Dodge Charger last year and like the ride, so when it was time for a new car I went for the Magnum. I like to be able to load stuff the flea market and go fishing so I went with the wagon. It was like driving a SUV, and the speed!!! I had to check myself a few times, but this is the most powerful car I ever had. I drove a Nissan Altima for 2 years and this is a whole new class of car. Stylish, fast, a real head turner. It had over 80,000 miles, but you cant tell by the way it rides and excels on the road. So far so good, it seem to be a well build wagon with AWD for the snow, glad that I got this....