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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  Get One Now! - 2006 Dodge Durango
  By Jeff - April 29 - 8:33 pm

  Best vehicle on the market for a family of 4 to 6 kids. Car seats fit great. Fun on the highway and off the highway. Mileage reasonable for the power. Ride is superb. Cornering is solid. Has and incredibly tight turning radius and is easy to park even for inexperienced drivers. The look of the vehicle is stunning in with the metallic black paint job. Roomy interior for tall people. Cargo room is breathtaking. Dodge made a mistake. The vehicle should be priced $10K more for something that rivals the drivability of a Lexus, Cadillac, or a BMW SUV. And oh by the way, the Durango can tow where these upscale SUVs cant.

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  "Sport" model for a reason - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By sebago588 - April 29 - 4:44 am

  We purchased our 01 GC Sport in the latter part of 2000 out of a 96 Sable wagon. We love our van. Not only can we tow our 20 ft bow rider with it, the cargo room when all the seats are removed is like a Uhaul. The engine has power and sounds throaty like a Durango or even a Charger. Reaching highway speeds is no problem for the peppy little 3.3 liter V6 even with 7 adult sized passengers. We had one power window motor die out on our son while he was at a car wash (horrible scenario) and once needed a new starter. All of which were not ridiculously pricy but, repairing anything on a Chrysler product is thankfully never a "remortgage the house" situation. Engine smokes my sisters Odyssey.

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  Happy, but not completely satisfied. - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Charles Carson - April 28 - 8:50 pm

  For its cost, I think this is a very good vehicle. I have the Hemi engine and it has plenty of power for towing, etc., and the ride is exceptional for a AWD SUV. I love the "bluetooth" U- Connect phone option and the "Sirius" satelite radio. However, there are some things that bother me about it. The interior plastics look a little cheap and too dark. The leg room in the 2nd row is tight, especially in the center position, and I wish the the floor over the 3rd row would fold flat. I also miss the interior room of my old Yukon and having "Onstar" and daytime headlights. Ive noticed the front door hinges appear to be loose, but they arent, the atachment points are flexing for some reason.

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  All good except the transmission - 1993 Dodge Caravan
  By Lance - April 28 - 7:18 pm

  My van has the 3.3 litre V6 engine with the 4 speed trans. with overdive. Its not a good tranny as youve read here. The rebuilder said its similar to unit fitted in the old Dodge Omni and Horizon compacts from the 80s. Guess they had lots of spares. You can expect to replace it about every 40 000 miles. The engine is very good actually, I never had much trouble with it other than a head gasket being replaced once. The ABS system failed at around 150000 miles and it was under warranty for life, low cost repair.

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  poor - 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By op - April 27 - 10:56 pm

  bought this vehicle with 19000 miles, it has now 44500 miles and water leaks in from driver side and passenger side every time it rains, transmision nose dives when coming to a complete stop. some problems with electric power doors. Would not recomend this vehicle if youlike to use to travel in.

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  So far so good - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By TooFast4You - April 27 - 5:45 pm

  I bought this car in Feb of 03. Now with 40k miles, no problems to report other then my 3rd synchro going out and multiple torque mounts breaking on me. Its really a love/hate thing with this specific car. Either you love it cause youre an OG neon owner like myself, or hate it cause it got caught with the old Neon stigma. Truthfully I dont think I will ever part with it. I love it that much!

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  Love this car - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By blackmag - April 27 - 4:30 pm

  Head turner everywhere you go. Everyone wants to know what it is. Great gas mileage. I had a Dakota 5.2 that I traded in for the blackmag and the Magnum seems to have as much get up and go and looks great doing it

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  2003 DURANGO SXT - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By WAYNE RHODES - April 27 - 10:00 am

  REAR DIFF. HOWEL BETWEEN 50-55 MPH. RATTLES. NOT MUCH HELP FROM DEALER

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  Top Notch - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By HammerMaster - April 27 - 9:07 am

  The Mercedes Benz based 4-matic is amazing. I will never drive another car without it. Wet weather traction like i have never seen before. All this on top of 340HP! Styling speaks for itself. Love it or hate it. Interior is huge. Turning radius is great for such a huge car. Speed, well there are cars that are faster but I dare them to do it in such a good looking car or loaded up with 5 people and groceries and still have power. Eat that import lovers. My only minor want is at $34k why could I not get the auto turning mirrors when the car is off like its German cousin. All together, I dont think you could get all the things this car offers from anyone else at the price its offered.

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  My MiniVan - 1997 Dodge Caravan
  By David - April 27 - 7:08 am

  After researching for another car I decided to look at the ratings for the Dodge I own. It was unexpected to see such lower ratings for it. I figured I would help out and show that my minivan did not fall apart like the others. I bought my minivan in 1999 when it was a 2 year old model. My wife and I have loved every minute of it, and we have 2 kids. I have the 3.3L Sport, and I get at least 19-21 mpg, with good passing power and comfort. I currently have 134,000 miles on it, and I havent had any issues at all. The engine is still strong, and the interior looks good, even with kids. I can remove the seats, interchange them, and still have plenty of room in the rear. No complaints.