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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  SRT 10/ /Review - 2003 Dodge Viper
  By rtv10 - January 15 - 2:00 am

  With all the 2003 cars sold, and 1/2 of the 2004 cars also I would say this is one car the planet is waiting for.

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  Very reliable to me. 4 Cyl Van. - 1999 Dodge Caravan
  By Caravan John - January 14 - 2:00 am

  4 Years and 57000 miles and not one problem.

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  Great Car for Small $$$ - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By Apex - January 14 - 2:00 am

  I have owned this car for a little over a year. 0 Problems with it. Great Fit and Finish, great interior fabrics. Overall very nice layout. Would recommend this car to anyone looking for a small car with midsize interior room, fun to drive, with great reliability.

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  Reliable Transportation - 2001 Dodge Neon
  By Ozgurozayvar - January 13 - 2:00 am

  Cheap,reliable vehicle.I have 14.000 miles without any problem.

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  SRT-4 Review - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By EIDE - January 11 - 10:00 am

  The SRT-4 is a true American Sports Car. The SRT-4 has extreme amounts of power. When you get on the gas it wants to boogy. The exhausts are totally awsome; they are music to everyones ears. The brakes are very sensitive and never give up at all. It handles very nicely; and has a comfortable ride for a sports car. The Viper seats really hold you in. It has a great sound system that booms. This car is "UNBEATABLE" for the price. It also gets good gas mileage. The boost gauge is sensitve to every movement of your foot. It tells all. The interior is nice with the silver accents. The gauges are great.

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  great overall - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By nblett - January 9 - 2:00 am

  This is an all around great automobile. I have no complaints and will be diving it untill the doors fall off.

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  Outstanding - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By AVan - January 9 - 2:00 am

  What a great car - I have never been as happy with a purchase as I am with my Stratus. Its powerful and fun to drive and has more room than most other sedans, esp. in back seat and cargo areas.

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  My 1991 Stealth R/t - 1991 Dodge Stealth
  By R/t Driver - January 8 - 2:00 am

  The car is great. I have had a few problems with it to be honest. The entire front end fell apart on me. I had to replance control arms trailing links ball joints cv shafts and tie rod ends all in one project. I went to the dealer and the cost of all of this was over the cost of the car. I ended up devoting two weeks of my time and $900 + in parts for the stealth. It handles great now. I also have a few porblems with the transmission. The second gear syncro is horrible. afWhen cold the thrani grinds into second even after double clutching to stop the motion of the intermediate shaft. It is an expensive repair.

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  Dodge! Oh Ya 3.3 - 1990 Dodge Dynasty
  By Dynasty Fan - January 8 - 2:00 am

  Not a Looker(granny style) But quick, quiet, and comfortable.

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  Wow what a great vehicle - 1998 Dodge Caravan
  By Its2Easy - January 8 - 2:00 am

  what can i say. dodge did a great job.