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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  It is actually a truck - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By duncan16 - November 17 - 6:22 pm

  Im part of the minority that uses their truck for the reason it was built. I hook up trailers, load up the bed with mulch, rocks, trees, junk, construction materials and occasionally friends. Even when my engine was dying @250,000 miles, the truck never quit, Ive put a new engine in it and it has a new lease on life. Vehicles break, require maintenance and occasionally have failed parts. More often then not the people who hate their vehicles or say they are junk, dont take care of them. Yes there are completely junk vehicles, but I will say this is definitely not one of them. My vehicle: 2001 Quad Cab, 4x4, Automatic 4 speed (5 speed now), 4.7L V8, SLT, few added options

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  02 Dodge Neon (Automatic) - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By andrew30947 - November 16 - 3:01 am

  As I said it is an automatic and Dodge made a programming error in the Neons automatic transmission so thats about the only problem. I bought MJ this year with 83K miles (now 90k) when I bought the car I had no experience in the mechanics and if I had I wouldnt have bought THAT Neon BUT I am glad I did. If you like paying people to fix your car, do not buy a Neon. If you can fix things on your own get it. MJ has been through a LOT (off road, 3 or 4 wrecks, and a half country trip) but she keeps going, I did pay quite a bit to fix her up but a lot was the previous owner (the wrecks were limited to suspension damage and a cracked rim) since the complete fix I havent spent a dime.

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  2006 Charger R/T Riddled with Problems - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By motorhead62 - November 7 - 4:51 pm

  Poor build quality. There was a recall for the shifter assembly that my vehicle was not a part of, that I had to pay out of pocket. Terrible Chrysler customer service. Constant rattle in the front end that the dealer could not resolve. Terrible ride over broken pavement. HVAC never worked properly and it developed a fan rattle in the dash. Parking break never worked. Dodge could not fix. The battery for the car is a M. Benz marine battery and hard to locate. This car was my first and LAST Chrysler product. Never again.

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  rallye w 1.4 turbo 6 spd manual - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By the_wolf - November 7 - 4:40 pm

  To get a vehicle with better gas mileage, I traded my jeep JK with 57 k miles for it. A little over a year later, I wished I had not done so. It’s a fun almost sporty little car to drive and the fuel economy is great. The review would be much more positive except that when the car needed repairs the parts always seemed on backorder. So much so that in the last sixteen months I have been in rental cars of and on for over three months of it. For an economy car, when it runs, it’s roomy exciting to drive and just plain fun, however even with my jeep getting half the mileage it was more reliable and in hindsight well worth the extra expense of the gas.

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  2nd Dakota - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By sixatbat1 - November 4 - 2:51 pm

  This is my second Dakota and I love it just as much as my first one which was an 04. This on is the quad cab 4x4 slt with the 4.7 automatic. Runs great with 122k. It does everything I need it to do, whether it be hauling wood, going on a long trip, or pulling Jeeps out of the mud. Speaking of mud, its difficult to get this truck stuck in the mud or snow. It was out in Nemo, the huge snow storm on LI in early 2013. I got through the terrible road/weather conditions with no problem whatsoever. Its a comfortable ride, and is very roomy on the inside which is great on those long trips. If you need a smaller truck that can do a full size trucks job, buy a Dakota.

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  2009 Dodge Journey Complaint and Fixture - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By lo64 - November 4 - 11:18 am

  My 2009 Dodge Journey SE was having problems starting. It got to the point that it stopped starting all together. I had the battery replaced and that worked for a while. I finally found a shop that diagnosed the problem and they replaced the: Power Integrated Distribution Module RL692302-AE. They got the part from the Dodge Dealer which cost me $919.00. but it was worth it to get this problem solved. This have solved my problem with my Journey starting. I just wanted to let others know what the problem was for me. maybe this will help someone else. Happy and riding again.

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  Loving It!!! (so far) - 2014 Dodge Durango
  By melzmel - October 24 - 1:48 pm

  I recently bought the 2014 Dodge Durango after 8 months of researching it. Wanted the R/t but I ended up purchasing the Limited Trim level which to my surprise had a Hemi! I believe that the Limited trim level with the Hemi is a great value for all the features you get, almost like having a Citadel Minus extra chrome and rain sensing wipers but at a much cheaper price! I had to get used to the gas mileage which is to be expected with a V-8. The Uconnect is awesome, though I had some issues with the bluetooth pairing, keeping my phone paired. This is largely due to the software being capatible with iOS 6 and not 7 (apple users). Updates are to come for that. Other than that I love It!

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  Looks and Power at a Bargain - 2013 Dodge Challenger
  By brownwa - October 23 - 7:16 pm

  Dealer options: Blacktop Package This car totally changes its character with the Super Track Pak (STP). Reviews peg the manual RT as the fat girl of the muscle car bunch. But with the suspension and steering upgrades the Challenger elevates to porn-star like proportions. And its just as much fun to drive. I was a Japanese import fanboy for +10 years and fantasized about buying a BRZ. However just one test drive in the Dodge changed my mind. Power is sexy, and the RT moves just as well as it looks. Buying a 150ft-lb BRZ over this 410ft-lb beauty would be a mistake and for the same price!

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  Disappointing Performance - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By rworth12345 - October 17 - 12:06 pm

  I have the Dart Limited with a 1.4L Turbo Engine, Manual Transmission. Overall the quality of this car is very good both inside and out. Some road noise at higher speeds, but the ride is smooth. Touch screen & GPS are great, it even finds lowest gas prices in the area. OK gas mileage, I currently get 29city/35highway. That is less than other cars in this class. Used both regular gas and plus, not much difference. And if you have the A/C on you lose even more mpg & the engine gets REALLY bogged down, like towing a boat. Manual transmission is OK, 1st & 2nd gear are a bit rough and 3-6 are fine. Clutch was sticking to the floor, dealer says nothing wrong with it.

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  However designed the seats should be FIRED! - 2013 Dodge Avenger
  By gogoallison - October 16 - 2:50 am

  The front seats have a horrible design flaw. The non-removable head rest tilts your neck 45 degrees forward. After driving for several hours, I was sick with a headache. My friend drove the next day and he got sick too. Another person rode as a passenger and she got sick. You wont notice the bad design in a test drive but you will notice it after about an hour. How did such a bad design ever get approved? So far, everyone who has spent time in the front seat of this car has become ill.