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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  Awesome Vehicle - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Andy Stebbing - May 12 - 2:50 am

  Our 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan gets 24 mpg, is flex fuel, 3.8 v 6 for power, 16 inch tires for snow, mud while hunting, dvd for the kids.

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  Poor steering - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By g bell - May 11 - 6:36 pm

  The Dodge Magnum is having a problem with the front end pulling to the right. Ive had it in the shop 5 times since I purchased it in August. Its better, now the car just drifts to the right, but on a distance drive your arm will still be sore .Dodge said its engineers are working on the problem but its been a couple of months. Though Im past the lemon law, I love the car and dont want to give it up. I hope they come up with something soon! My friend at work has the same problem with his and and loves it to much to give it up

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  My last Chysler - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By J - May 11 - 2:46 pm

  After purchasing two Caravans this one will be my last. Way too many transmission rebuilds at low milage. I feel like a sucker for buying a second one. Its hard to believe Chrysler has not tried fixing this design problem after all these years.

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  windows - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By youre kidding - May 11 - 10:00 am

  This is one of the worst vehicles I have owned. You cannot open the windows with other people in the car, it feels like your head is going to explode. Sometimes it feels and sounds like a helicopter is hovering you. If you are by yourself you cannot have more than 1 window open because its the same thing and for $36000. I expect a little more from a car and also this problem has been going on for at least 5 years from the reviews Ive read while researching this. Shame on Dodge this is inexcusable.

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  Great car for the money - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Ed - May 10 - 1:00 pm

  Car is a blast to drive and outperforms many cars that cost more than twice as much. I have owned two SRT-4s and have found them to be very reliable. On the downside, the interior looks cheap and there are various squeaks and rattles. These surfaced very early on. Build quality - particularly the paint leaves something to be desired. Mechanically, Ive had no issues. The SRT-4 has many practical features and has been great as a daily commuter and is not bad on long trips. For the tuner crowd, the SRT-4 is well supported by the aftermarket and there are plenty of performance upgrades available.

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  Nothing but problems - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By Nick M - May 8 - 11:48 pm

  Ive had to replace the a/c condenser, radiator, Ive gone through 3 batteries, the alternator just quit out on me, the shifter cable broke a week ago. Ive had to tow this thing 3-4 times. Ive owned the vehicle since January 2014. 2.5+ years, Ive put 55k miles on it and it has been nothing but problems. The engine cover that is underneath constantly gets stuck on things and needs replacement. Im about to have to replace it for the 2nd time. The engine shakes constantly. It has real trouble switching gears. The electrical issues are enormous. I know 2 other people that own the same model and constantly have issues with it. DO NOT BUY THIS CAR!!

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  good overall - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By dozier - May 8 - 3:43 am

  Good overall minivan choice. Very comfortable seats, good design. Rides nice. Fit and finish could use improvement. Transmission had seal leakage, fixed under warranty.

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  Great Value - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By adam - May 7 - 7:33 pm

  This is the 3rd SUV I have owned and I like far better than the other two(1996 Explorer and 2001 Pathfinder).The ride is similar to that of a luxury car in terms of comfort and noise. The 3rd row of seats is actually easy to use and big enough for two adults. Overall I think its a great vehicle.

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  Mitsubishi=good Dodge=bad - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By Great car - May 7 - 5:45 pm

  Everything about this car is Mitsubishi except the frame and paint. What screwed up? The paint. I caution those considering one of these that is black. This car is a 2001, and by 2004 the paint was burning off in the sun, and I live in a temperate climate zone. The ride is like the v6 Eclipse, fast, smooth, and comfortable. The car is very fun to drive and has held up great for 88k miles thus far. Uses expensive tires and likes to eat them, but if you drive conservatively this shouldnt be too much of a problem. And, for a sports car, this car gets pretty good fuel economy. I gauged it at 26mpg using 93 octane gasoline. I love this car and will hate to get rid of it. Poor warranty

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  Powerful, reliable and versatile - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By dodge driver - May 6 - 5:49 pm

  I am the first owner of an 2001 Dodge Durango, which I drove off the lot with about 7-8 miles on it. This is an extremely powerful, comfy to drive, versatile and reliable car. Biggest repair was new computer, which I got aftermarket with lifetime warranty for about $350. Only other repair was the idle control valve. Would buy one again, but delayed, because the new version is ugly, chunky and way too big. So I decided to drive it until it doesnt drive anymore, junk it and find another car as good. Friends sold theirs with 250k miles on it! Amazing.