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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  Has served me well for 67k miles - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By powerllama - October 15 - 11:38 pm

  I bought this car new in 2004. Ive driven it ever since. I dont put as much mileage on cars as do other people, but 9 years and 67k miles can do a lot. The car is incredibly roomy on the inside, and easily fits four. Though its not great for road-trips, as it doesnt have cruise control. But boy is it quick. It doesnt handle corners well, and has a giant turning radius, but in a straight line its hard to beat for the price. Other than that, its just a normal car. Nothing too special about it.

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  good at times.. horrible at times - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By jay9544 - October 15 - 12:31 pm

  i got this car with 95,000 miles and now have 132,000 thats it for now i dont plant on driving it anymore. The ECU is done.. I dont think its worth the money to fix this car. I have already replaced the transmission and the cam shaft sensor. I have changed the oil and filter religiously since i have gotten it. I just bought some new tires as well. In the end the car is decent looking for its size and pretty comfortable for a big guy like me even. But it is horrible quality and uses horrible parts.

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  Nice Vehicle - 2009 Dodge Caliber
  By queeniepreston - October 3 - 3:10 pm

  I dont know why so many people are giving bad reviews. I drive the 09 SXT CVT 6 speed & automatic, sunroof, & it had 70,000 ml, ground effects, fog lamps, the seats can fold over & not to mention the cooler, & have driven it to for very long distances, up & down mountains. I only wish that I wouldve been on top of my game to actually take a look at the brakes, the inner wall of the tires, & strouts, this summer the 4 of us had a family reunion & we literally packed it up & headed up to Nashville, Tenn. & came back with extra stuff. Its a very handy vehicle, I can fit a huge brand new trash can without folding seats, guess it depends on how you drive your vehicle. Respect it.

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  Fits my familys needs... perfectly - 2013 Dodge Durango
  By m_mora15 - October 3 - 2:33 pm

  I did an exhaustive search (in other words: I was looking for a bargain). We werent looking for anything fancy, but we had to find an SUV with 3-rows, decent mpgs, something we can take camping, doesnt look like a giant rollerskate (quadruple check)... And we found one, the 2013 Dodge Durango. First, I REALLY like the exterior. The front looks very manly. The side view is ok, but the rear is reminiscent of older BMWs and its cousin the JEEP Grand Cherokee... fancy. Plenty of room for our luggage with the 3rd row folded down. Overall, very attractive vehicle.

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  A Blessing - 1997 Dodge Intrepid
  By carguru1986 - October 2 - 11:50 pm

  Is this really dodge/chrysler? I cant believe how comfortable it is. Cozy interior, and a war attack of an exterior. Good on gas, and doesnt stop rolling. Bought with 111k miles. Now @ 151ish, and still running with no check. Engine lights, no problems. This is what a car is suppose to do. If it ever dies ill rebuilt it and drive it again til it dies again, rinse and repeat.

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  valve seat nightmare - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By imkutap1 - September 29 - 8:36 am

  this car is made with cheap parts on the interior. ac vents and headliner fell off after 12000 miles. carpet on the flooring pulls out of the seems as well. MOSTLY is the fact I have run on synthetic oil every 5K miles since day one. I have a cold air intake and custom cat back exhaust so it can breathe better and stay cooler. high performance thermostat to turn the fans on sooner too. valve seat dropped blew the engine, intake and O2 sensors. 100K miles and 7500 to repair, car worth 10K now. research shows hemi engine does this a lot! really bad investment and a horribly made car all the way through. DO NOT BUY!! you cant prevent the failure and Chrysler doesnt care so many have failed

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  Not what I thought it would be - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By duster29 - September 27 - 9:35 pm

  I just wanted to say I have always been a mopar fan... I am a proud owner of a 71 duster... When I saw the new Dart I knew it was a car I wanted to buy... So I did... The first 6 months the car was everything I hoped it would be and more.... But after I reached 20,000 miles on my car I have had numerous problems with it.... The radio screen give a bright white flash and and shuts off then reboots atleast once a week and the dealer has tried to fix it once... The clutch sensor has failed three times and now the engine is shuttering so badd it feels like Im driving on a blown tire... Each time I turn the car in it takes anywhere from 7 to 14 days to get it fixed...

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  Great Affordable US made car - 2013 Dodge Avenger
  By lameduck9 - September 26 - 9:35 am

  You must buy this car with incentives to get a great deal. We paid $16K and got a great trade-in price. This car is great looking, fun to drive, not to bad on gas and gets some great comments. The 2.4L is fine for everyday driving but if you want to super acceleration opt for the V-6 with 283HP. They should do away with the 4sp auto have the 6sp auto as standard, but its not that bad. The SE exterior looks super sharp with a little bit of chrome tweeking. The interior is great looking and functional. The trunk has plenty of room. The handling and ride are superb on this model and better on the more expensive models. You cant go wrong with this car and the average family can afford it.

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  magnums rock - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By turbododge2 - September 21 - 8:14 am

  I bought an 05 sxt awd. it now has 89.000 miles on it and I have never had a problem. keep up with the required maintenance and it should last a long time. I installed a mopar cold air intake from mopar performance and bought a predator tuner and did the 93 octane performance tune and what a difference. with the predator it is like a different car. you can change the axle ratio for quicker acceleration and the transmission to shift firmer. you can make the autostik so it will not shift for you so you can actually hold the gear to the full 6.500 rpms.. my magnum is black and gets a lot of compliments. I just replaced the sparkplugs myself and taking off the upper intake manifold is not to bad

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  I HATE THIS CAR!!!!!! - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By cj95 - September 20 - 5:43 am

  my stepbrother has owned a 98 for about a year and is constantly bringing it to me asking me to fix this and that, the things rides like a hotwheels on concrete, you can feel every bump in the road, and when you hit the throttle first of all, it feels like your going no where and second the pathetic, noisy 4 cyl can wake the dead! I hate dodge! Ford all the way!