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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  A great family car - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Nick H - June 22 - 10:00 am

  This is a great family car. We had it for about a week and I cant believe how perfect it fits into our lifestyle. With all the storage and room inside we can fit our kids and there toys as well as go grocery shopping and still have enough room for anything else. Definitely suggest getting the SXT model with the DVD player because the kids have never been so quiet on a trip. It also feels like your driving a luxury sedan its so smooth to drive and the outside noise is virtually eliminated. Great family car.

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  Poor MPG - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Pete - June 21 - 8:43 pm

  I drive 90% highway and the best MPG i have averaged is 22 MPG. Do not buy this van if you want 26 MPG. It does not exist.

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  50/50 Chance - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By NYYFan - June 21 - 7:14 am

  The Dodge Intrepid with the 2.7L engine seems to be a coin toss. If you get the good engine, the size and style of the car make up for its other shortcomings which include a higher level of maintenance issues. If you do get the lemon engine, the car is worthless past the magic 60K mark. I had been crossing my fingers, but sure enough, at 65K, my engine died. My mechanic said even if I wanted to fix they wouldnt do the job because the engine is so unreliable and hard to find because of the demand for replacements. Avoid this car at all cost. Buying an auto shouldnt come with such a high level of risk.

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  Rollover - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Pat - June 20 - 11:10 pm

  I recently had a horrible accident in this van and miraculously survived! I swerved to avoid an animal on Interstate 70 in Utah and when I tried to correct, it didnt happen. I was traveling at 75-77 MPH on cruise and the wheels caught the concrete and I was accross the freeway and hit a large light pole, then rolled 3-5 times as I was told and somehow came out with only a broken clavicle, severely sprained back and lots of cuts and bruises. The recovery is slow, but the air bags and seat belts must have saved me...or a guardian angel? Whatever it was, Im sure something helped me survive. I would buy another of these vans ASAP. Insurance said this was an excellant rated van for this crash.

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  Indy Red R/T - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By jacob - June 19 - 10:11 pm

  I ended up test driving a lot of cars and the Stratus R/T had style and speed to back it up and it wasnt too expensive. Ive owned the car for about two years already and I still love driving it. The leather interior and Infinity sound system make the ride all the more enjoyable.

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  Got to Believe ! - That Dads Wagon ? - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By Jellobrand - June 19 - 4:33 pm

  The car is a car, a truck, a wagon, a SUV. But inside the heart and soul is a sports car trapped in a wagons body!

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  A great car - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By boblop - June 19 - 11:49 am

  This is the best car I have ever driven. I got the torred color with the road/track performance group and it looks awesome. The bright color and big chrome wheels really stand out. My wife said we will never lose the car in a parking lot. I get thumbs up all the time. Ive had it over a month now and my gas mileage is about 20 mpg. Much better than I expected. The ride and comfort is great.

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  So-So SUV Wannabe - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By joey - June 17 - 10:23 pm

  The engine is "complaining" all the time. noisy & rough. it keeps searching for gears once at a higher speed. rattles like diesel. the ride is so soft that when cornering it tilts and sways. the rpm stays at 3000 rpm all the time. so I doubt about the gas savings as it is a high-revving engine now its mated to a bigger and heavier body

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  Daytona, yes! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Jeff27 - June 14 - 6:00 am

  Of all the cars I have owned and purchased new, this car has given me the most pleasure of them all. I still dont know if I am more impressed with the power or the amount of features that are available for this car.The nav will get you just about to the front door of where you are going and the sound system upgrade was well worth it. The heated seats warm up very fast on the cold nights. I am impressed with how smooth the transmission shifts also. My daughter is just upset that she has no heated seat in the back for her. Heck, with the leg room and video system I dont mind sitting back there.

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  My Durango - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By Barry Jones - June 14 - 2:00 am

  I test drove a Pathfinder, 4Runner, Xterra, Passport and Rodeo before I finally came to the Dodge and I stopped looking after a 10 minute drive. The seats were made for Americans and I am tall (64") so I wanted a SUV where my knees didnt hit anything (console, dash, etc.). The seats are comfortable and the dash is stylish yet simple. I am sure there are other good SUVs out there but you cant go wrong with this one. It has a third row seat, great towing power, full size spare tire and a quiet engine with a nice sounding exhaust