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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  Nitro is fantastic - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By nitroluvr - June 14 - 12:13 am

  My Nitro 07 is the beast vehicle around for the price. It handles great, it is solid, with tight steering and power. The look is tough and cool. I am about to lease my 2nd Nitro. I have a different vehicle as well, more expensive than the Nitro and the quality is not a good as the Nitro. Just because it is a lower cost SUV your not losing anything compared to the higher cost SUV. Get one now!

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  Expensive brand new, but OK overall - 1997 Dodge Neon
  By Kayla - June 13 - 10:32 pm

  Im the original owner and this is the first car that did not have a lot of problems at all. Had the car for 10 years and plan to keep it for my son. Yes, the doors with no frame are a little disappointing. They leak a bit when raining and its noisy when driving, but overall the car has been doing OK. I just had some regular jobs done on it. Recently put a new engine, but hey, its been 10 years! The paint is still in great condition, I have the hunter green. My 16 year old son likes it and looks forward to having it for himself, and this is a manual car!

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  LEAKING SUNROOF - 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By jmie2 - June 13 - 9:39 pm

  My factory installed sunroof has leaked from the beginning and now AFTER 5 times in the shop for 42 days, Chrysler has taken the position I dont clean the drainage system properly and will not do anything. The new design allows water to leak around sunroof and be directed away by a drainage system. WELL when it allows water it ALSO ALLOWS dirt, pollen and maybe tree sap in which clogs the drains VERY QUICKLY (my last incident was only 52 days and I had 1 1/2" of water in my center console) i have a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica with a sunroof parked in same driveway as van and it has never leaked - WHY does this need so much maintaince - EASY POOR DESIGN but Chrysler will not take responsibility

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  The best car. - 2016 Dodge Charger
  By Osmany - June 12 - 1:45 pm

  The car now have almost 11000 miles and is a great car, everything is excellent. look very nice and the traction is very good for a 3.6 liter engine.

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  In 2005, the ONLY Minivan to consider! - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Coachleif - June 12 - 11:13 am

  Just ended 6000 miles through the western mountains and desert carrying 4 Adults, 3 kids, and a rooftop carrier with 110# of camping stuff. Total load 1250#. 1 tank @ 17 mpg in San Fransisco, all others range from 19 to 25.2 mpg. Thats real world driving at 75 - 85 mph with the A/C on the whole time. Friends with Honda and Toyota minivans cant touch this mileage under similar conditions! Im very happy as gas was $3.50/gal in Needles! Perfect design. 1st 4 seats provide absolute comfort for adults up to 6 1" 250#! In mountain driving, 8 consecutive switchbacks in Silverton-Ouray region were a dream. With this load, it accelerated up 8% grades easily to 75mph. It has a great feel, not Honda harsh. Has the best price, features, economy, and handling in its class! Very solidly built. Great fit and finish and material use. Buy it!

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  Solid ride for the money - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By s-works - June 12 - 5:43 am

  I bought this Durango with just under 100K on the clock. Had the tranny serviced when I did, and shes run fairly well since for a $10K car. Ive had problems with the weak AC (tried everything, nothing seems to work), and poor cooling (had overheated twice, both times on hot summer days, on the highway). 4X4 is amazing, with low setting in the transfer case, able to extract itself from frame-rail deep mud. Mileage OK, 15 while commuting to work, 18 on the highway. Interior perfect for growing family and dogs. Seats 7, but can be parallel parked by anyone. Ride is somewhat trucklike, but expected from a body-on-frame design like this. A best fit for comfort, convenience + capability.

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  Great Truck - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By Great Truck - June 11 - 2:05 pm

  This truck performed beyond expectations and is comfortable to drive. Great truck except for the poor fuel efficiency

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  140K - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By Edtexas - June 11 - 12:44 pm

  I bought this car at 75K. I had never bought a car with so much mileage on it, now it is at 140K and the time to get a new car is coming. I liked it so much that I feel tempted to get a newer model, but I dont want people to think that I suffer from lack of imagination. It has been such a great experience to have this car it was worth every penny.

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  Dart GT - 2016 Dodge Dart
  By Gerry - June 11 - 1:16 am

  Bought a 2016 Dart GT, replacing my 17 year old Jeep. I wanted something that was fun to drive, roomy and had a trunk, after years of driving SUVs and pickups. I tried out the Ford Focus and Mazda 3 sedan. While they handled well, they were cramped compared to the Dart, and I found myself hitting my head on the door frame on both entry and exit from the Mazda. The Dart handles well and gets great mileage (granted, compared to an old Jeep, most anything will get great mileage). The customizable guage display is cool and the 8.4 touchscreen infotainment display is easy to use. I got the Sun/Sound package which gives it a sunroof and 506 watt amp and 9 speakers, so it cranks the tunes. It has the push button starter with remote start, which is nice to get the AC running before I get to the car. It has a power drivers seat with power lumbar adjustment and a number of automated features, such as headlights, high beams and windshield wipers.The only annoyance I have with the car is a rattling that comes from the base assembly for the rearview mirror which seems to be looser than it should be, and so it buzzes against the windshield on occasion. Other than that, its a blast to drive

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  Great Vehicle - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By kk - June 10 - 6:07 pm

  I bought this vehicle in Feb of 2006 and could not be happier! The vehicle runs great. All problems have been covered by the awesome warranty.