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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  Chrysler Hit It Out Of The Park - 2016 Dodge Durango
  By patrick - September 27 - 11:00 pm

  I previously owned a 2003 Tahoe Z71 totally loaded and I loved it. I just retired the vehicle with 245 thousand miles on it and it was still a mule. For six years my middle son used this as his primary vehicle for high school and college. Oh what stories I would hear if the vehicle could talk. Of course, I wanted another Tahoe until I went to the dealer and went into shock at the price. A friend told me to look at the Durango. I had owned Jeeps before and liked them a lot but needed the third row. Upon further investigation I found out this is a Jeep with the third row as its made on the same platform since the last four years. I needed the Hemi to tow boats and snowmobiles and wow, how cool a vehicle. And it has far superior gas mileage for the big powerful V-8 paired with the new Fiat 8 speed transmission. I wound up with the Citadel trim level and its plenty posh yet durable enough to last. I cant see having any regrets as I scoot around in this very peppy SUV. Brand loyalty can be a good thing but sometimes it pays to switch and big time in this case!

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  not too shabby - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Robert H - September 27 - 2:00 am

  The only van you can compare the Anniversary Edition to is the Toyota XLE Limited, which actually cost a few bucks more. Have had the car for 3 months, it has been perfect so far. I already have 7000 miles and is still running strong.Havent had any tranny or engine probs. Would recommend to anyone who wants a van.

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  Good solid car - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By dab - September 26 - 2:14 pm

  Now over 6 yrs old, has never given much trouble. Have had 2 wheel bearings, one covered by warranty, and heater fan lost 1 speed. Also a tie rod replaced. FM portion of radio just stopped working. Thats it for repairs! Have driven coast to coast. Average mpg lifetime around 31 mpg with 2.4 liter engine/automatic. Original tires went over 76K miles.

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  The NEW Charger !! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Robert Benson - September 26 - 8:43 am

  Thank goodness this one is built better than its namesake. Ive been looking at these a while, and final bought. It drives great, even the V6 has more than enough get-up-and-go for most. Mileage, so far on mixed driving, is just over 25 mpg, which is good. Easy to drive, comfortable to own. This IS a great car.

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  Yes! - 1999 Dodge Avenger
  By Doodikums - September 26 - 2:44 am

  Coasting by on the strip. With added , (many many many) big speakers, the thing sizzles. Used to drive an APV van-now drive accelerated speed booster(with leather and extra bass and rims and da club). Just dont pick up your grandma in it though, the seats are horribly uncomfortable.

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  Fun to Drive - Nice car - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By redone-83 - September 25 - 5:00 pm

  This is a great car with the Hemi engine. The perfomace seats were done nicely and actually hold you in the seat. Dodge did a nice job with some of the colors choices on the Daytonas. I have to warn anyone about buying a 2006. There is a issue I have discovered since purchasing as it relates to the brakes on the RTs. The rotors began to squeal and make noise at 600 miles because the rotors were bad. The dealers will turn them for you under warranty. This will hold for a while. I later discovered on the Charger forums that this is a problem on the 2006s that is fixed on the 2007. Otherwise this is an awesome car.

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  60K mil Report - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By lhowie17 - September 25 - 10:00 am

  We had the water pump go out about 56,000 miles. The tires on the car wear down very fast. Seems like every quarter we are buying a new tire. The air controls dont blow when putting the button on air at the top and feet for some reason. Same problem was happening on our 99 Dakota. Dealer ordered the part but never called again to say in and then it was out of warrenty. The truck drinks gas like crazy!

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  2006 Dodge Magnum SE 2.7L 4CYL - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By DE - September 24 - 11:42 pm

  I had this car for 6 months now and have had no problems at all. It runs and drives great. I would like to see a little more power but that is my fault for buying the one with the small engine, (for gas mileage reasons), and it does get excellent fuel mileage.

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  My second Charger - 2008 Dodge Charger
  By NCarDebt - September 23 - 11:43 pm

  Beats the pants off of my go mango Daytona!. You have to be careful with these SRTs as they hit high speeds pretty darn fast!. The Daytona was a great car (got totaled by an abandoned previously wrecked vehicle in the middle of a darkened highway, very sad) and a bit more comfortable as well as confident due to the less aggressive gearing and pc. I absolutely love the SRT!.

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  Biggest mistake! - 2007 Dodge Durango
  By my3sons - September 23 - 6:06 pm

  We bought our Dodge Durango on 8/4/07. Weve had problems with it slipping out of reverse. A piece of interior trim between the windshield and the drivers door has come loose and is hanging. A piece was also missing out of the interior tail gate door. Weve made one payment and its already been in the shop more than all our other vehicles combined. Seriously thinking of trading it in or starting the "lemon" process.