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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  This Car Rocks! - 1999 Dodge Stratus
  By c_cuccia55 - December 4 - 2:00 am

  From the day I bought this car I have enjoyed driving it and have felt safe with its reliability. The 2.4L engine has a lot of power for a 4 cylinder which gives me great acceleration and no problem with passing cars or trucks. The styling is also pretty sexy inside and out.

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  Very Pleased - 2001 Dodge Caravan
  By dhiggin02 - December 4 - 2:00 am

  We bought this van used. We had one minor problem with the rear wiper but it was fixed under warranty. Otherwise all is good. Like the built in child seats in the middle bench seat. Very useful when small children are riding in your van. like the overhead console, dual zone climate controls.

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  Perfect! - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By Mike2 - December 3 - 2:00 am

  After 19000 trouble free miles,its still perfect! No warranty or other repairs and the 100,000 mile warranty is a comfort. Its a great car, good on gas, great looks, comfortable as hell. After several Bad experiences with Taurus and Ford in the past, I bought this because of the warranty and was pleasantly surprised by how great the car turned out as a nice vehicle.

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  4 DR Quad Cab 4WDR - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By brandy66 - December 3 - 2:00 am

  I bought this truck in june of 2002 with the 4.7 engine and tow pakage. I have taken it hunting fishing and camping. Ive pulled my boat with it and have had no problems at all. It is grate for the family plenty of room in the back seat for two kids and room left over.The 4.7 is awsom chevy and ford dont make a small truck that can compare.I drive a mix of highway and city and get about 15.3 miles to the gallon with 3400 miles on the truck now. Iam hopeing this will get alittle better as I get more miles on it. I chose the dodge truck for a few reasons.Looks, Price the price is better than the ford or chevy.style, interior room. power from the 4.7 is great.

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  06 Charger R/T - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Tim - December 2 - 6:10 pm

  I love the fact I get 25-26 mpg with combined highway and city driving. The Hemi engine has alot of pep for a 4,000 lb vehicle, but am addicted to power so more would be better. Aftermarket upgrades for the engine are plentiful so hp upgrades are relatively easy. Smooth ride, with lots of features and the sound system is flat out great for a stock system.

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  A Nice Covered Truck Room - 2016 Dodge Durango
  By Paul Amenta - December 1 - 5:24 pm

  vacation 4 adults 4000 miles 100percnt

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  Excellent car a must buy - 1997 Dodge Intrepid
  By Rickalliston - November 30 - 2:00 am

  i bought a brand new 1997 intrepid back in mid 1997, i use this car on the daily basis and i use it heavily in traffic and also on the highways, this car has never let me down, the only problem is that the engine light is on but my mechanic says it says that because it is due for a maintance but no major problems. The only thing i would want is that the car would come with a CD player and subwoofer powerful stereo system to listen to my music, even thou its 6 speakers are good enough. Excellent american car.

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  SRT4 - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Moparmike98 - November 29 - 10:00 am

  This car is amazing, I tested the SRT4 against the Civic Si and Focus SVT and they couldnt even come close.

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  2003 Dodge Grand Caravan is versatile - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Hector F. - November 29 - 10:00 am

  After driving the 02 DGC Sport for 2 months, I find that it is versatile. It is the ideal van to travel on your vacations. It handles very well, it is reliable, and it turned a few heads in my companys parking lot. Some co- workers have even bought 03 Dodge vans and trucks.

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  2003 Dakota Club Cab Sport + (4.7 auto) - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By DustyK - November 29 - 2:00 am

  2003 Dakota Club Cab Sport Plus with 287cid V8 (4.7), 545FRE automatic, LSD, 6010 GVW & handing package, PW, PL, AC, front/rear sway bars, P245 70R16 on/off road tires. Exceptionally smooth and powerful engine/transmission combination. Plenty of power when pulling a load on hills. At 3500 miles, worst gas mileage was 15.04 (city w/load), 21.87 highway (65MPH). Current average is 17.38 mpg. Very comfortable seating, good ergonomics. Very quiet, except tire noise. Build quality & fit & finish near 100%. No performance, reliability, or quality issues yet.