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:

• 

  This car stinks - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Paula Dambroff - December 1 - 6:36 pm

  Lousy gas mileage, large blind spots, dash board panel is not thought out well, things are just stuck haphazardly around and the back seat is too small. Why did I get this car? I have no idea.... I want my Pathfinder back!

• 

  Dont buy this car! - 1997 Dodge Neon
  By KG - November 13 - 9:22 pm

  Like others, I bought this car b/c it was cheap. But the build quality is horrendous. Huge oil leak, squealing brakes, leaky trunk, a/c that isnt cold, turn signals dont work intermitantly, black rubber seals on door panels stain my clothes, side panel fell off after glue wore out, and such a rough transmission. Just a terribly executed small car.

• 

  Would not buy another one. - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Kaye - November 8 - 11:00 pm

  This van is the small one. Lack of storage and console, no grab bar for front passengers. Inadequate air conditioning for Florida and for passengers beyond the front seats. It has an uncomfortable front passenger seat with limited adjustment. The second seat cupholders are poorly designed and placed. So far only 13.1 miles per gallon city, the same as my previous SUV V-8 which had all the amenities. For the high cost, this vehicle appears stripped and is not a good value. Im so disappointed with vehicle, I plan on trading with my son for his older SUV.

• 

  Nice car, but needs a little work. - 1998 Dodge Caravan
  By Tony - November 2 - 11:30 pm

  Me and my family bought a brand new 1998 Caravan with 5 miles on it, and we liked it, for a little while. Head gasket failed at 16,000 miles, had many porblems with A/C, and after replacing every component, me and the dealer got to the point that it just needed an adjusted belt after every winter. after a few more parts replaced, the trans tore apart at 73,000 miles, just slipped into the warrenty. then recently, the car needed 2 rigorus mainance jobs, because the engine would hesesitate, nearly stall, backfire, shake, jiggle, and then the power steering was leaking, and oil is slightly leaking. I regret ever buying this car, and I wished that I just got a Ford Taurus.

• 

  Garbage... - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By CozmoCarera - October 28 - 12:00 am

  I hate this car. I have a 99 Durango and I have had just about nothing but problems with it. I have had to replace everything... the transmition, every single belt that is under the hood, the power window mechanisms, and today i was driving down the highway and looked down and my speedometer was on 0. In other words, the speedometer is broken as well. The check engine light also decides that hes going to join in on the fun every month or so just for the heck of it. Grade A piece of crap. I wil most likely never buy a Chrysler product ever again.

• 

  hate this car - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Eileen - October 24 - 10:03 pm

  I really hate this car. The inside features are not intuitive at all. My son has been pinched with the door locks that auto lock. The seats make your back hurt after any length of time. The trade in value on this car sucks. I owe more than I could ever hope to get back on it. I am praying for the day that I get it paid for so I can just trade it in and get rid of it. It has 4 doors but absolutely no room in the back unless you have the seat tilted so far back you look at the ceiling. The windows are so hard to look out of the visibility sucks. The mileage on the car runs about 26 mpg if we are lucky. The only good point is that it is very good in the snow.

• 

  Dont by a Durango - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By Sue Able - October 21 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my new durango to the dealer numerous times for an air conditioning problem. They can not fix it and just give me back my car. Now I am have electrical problems. Sometimes my car will not go into PARK it says park but when you let off the brake he goes in reverse. Very hazardous!!!!

• 

  Dont Buy One - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By BeckyP - October 12 - 6:21 pm

  Less than 4 years after purchase this car has been nothing but problems. I just recently had a head gasket replaced, the head itself, and now the solenoid pack in the transmission. Thankfully all covered under warranty. Brakes went-cost $800, battery, tires. I take extremely good care of this car. I always have the oil changed every 3000 miles, spark plugs done, tires rotated, alignment checked, etc. This car has cost me more for being brand new than my 1990 Toyota(bought it in 1995) that I had for 7 years and way over 100,000 miles ever did.

• 

  Run away! - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Leaf - October 8 - 10:00 am

  Everything others have complained of in this vehicle is true. It is a roomy, well appointed money pit, with a weird psychic ability to detect when you have the least bit of spare cash and eat it. We bought ours used in 99. The mileage was not high and it looked like new. The fact that the transmission went a week later should have alerted us. Now, four years later, were stuck with a belly up loan and a constant stream of repairs. It still *looks* nice. I wish theyd put more effort into making the damn thing run.

• 

  Never Again - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By notagain - October 3 - 10:56 am

  This car is the least reliable of any I have owned. At less than 40,000 miles a rear wheel bearing had to be replaced. At 69500 miles the transmission suddenly failed with no prior warning, leaving me and my family stranded 300 miles from home. I had to leave the car at a dealership 300 miles from home for two weeks to get it repaired. The Chrysler dealership- rebuilt tranny failed within one mile of leaving the dealership. Now the check engine light comes on once every couple of weeks, each time for a different problem. Responses to my complaints to Daimler-Chrysler indicate that they are unconcerned.