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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  Great Truck - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By Moki - April 26 - 10:48 am

  This truck rides like a luxury car on the highway and in the mountains it is a very stable well balanced ride. I have towed a heavily loaded 20 foot trailor over many of the mountain passes in Colorado, handling is supurb and the V6 Magnum engine has plenty of power to assend these high passes - many of them over 10,000 ft.

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  1997 Dodge Intrepid - 1997 Dodge Intrepid
  By Debbie Eubank - April 26 - 8:30 am

  I bought the 1997 Intrepid for my teen. She learned to drive in this car. I felt that it was very safe for her. I bought the car from a neighbor who had kept it in the garage so the paint was in mint condition. The Intrepid has been reliable and is a very comfortable ride. It has quick acceleration and power. It is a great car for road trips and handles well. It is not economical on gas because it has a 3.5 liter engine. It definitely has the power when you need it. Have never had any major mechanical problems with the Intrepid.

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  POWER - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By Eraser - April 26 - 2:00 am

  The overall power and handling has won me over. I would suggest this vehicle to anyone looking for a mid size SUV with great power.

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  I love my Stealth! - 1993 Dodge Stealth
  By Stealth Mode - April 24 - 11:27 am

  Although I havent had it that long, I have quickly fallen in love with this car. Before, the only things Id ever shifted were Suzuki Samurais and Nissan pickups. This was an easy adjustment, its so agreeable! It has every option available that year, so Im a little spoiled! Im only 17, and I know its the fastest, prettiest thing in the school parking lot. It gets the attention of a lot of rubberneckers!

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  Piece of Junk! - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By Piece of Junk! - April 24 - 9:48 am

  When I first bought this SUV I loved it, then came all the problems. Last year I had to put new engine in. Now Im having problems with the oxgyen sensors. I have gone through at least 2 of them already! Im finding nothing but more and more problems. I do not recommend this SUV!!

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  Im a Dodge woman, but... - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By melinda - April 24 - 7:36 am

  Purchased used in 2005, had to rebuild transmission. The glove box latch tricky then finally broke, passenger side back door mysteriously broke, no one seemed to know how. I suspected the children until I was driving down the road one night and the one behind me suddenly blew up! Not a clue what happened, hoping the dealership will let me know tomorrow. A lot of pinging in the engine when accelerating. Uses oil like crazy. Cant roll the back windows down if going very fast because of the ear popping and noise. I have gone through 2 alternators and the check engine light is always playing tricks.

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  Fantastic car! - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By dnstrom - April 23 - 3:43 pm

  This was a compromise between an SUV, sports car, luxury car, and an economy conscious car. What a perfect fit. It does all well and is fun to drive and be seen in! I already have a truck that gets 10 miles to the gallon and wanted something to fill the gap and yet I dont like most cars! Wow!

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  Nice Change - 2005 Dodge Stratus
  By Brian - April 22 - 11:10 am

  Bought on a whim!, Styling and price caught our eye. Have had for 1 year and 12,000 miles and still extremely happy with all aspects.

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  Engine Blow! - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By Alice - April 20 - 10:24 pm

  I was another victim of an engine blowout on the 2.7L engine. The car was also a pleasure to drive because of the amount of space, but the brakes were a bit of a hassle and required new break pads more often than similar cars in its class. The engine started giving me troubles a couple years ago and I kept putting small bandaids on the problems (mostly to do with the way the car handled oil). Then one day, I noticed a louder-than-normal knocking and then grinding and then.... Im disappointed I didnt get more life out of this car, but it did get 146,000 miles, so its not a total loss, but I wasnt prepared to buy again so soon.

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  Dodge the Dodge - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Tom - April 20 - 2:10 pm

  This van has been nothing but problems from day 1. Starting with Entertainment system as we drove off the lot. Then the brakes after 5,000 miles and 8,000; 12,000; 17,000 and so on plus a shimmy and squeak from the front rotors. DVD got stuck in the play and took a week to have removed and repaired with kids upset. Last straw security issues and now it wont start and waiting to hear what they are going to do about that.