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 Car! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By xtec - March 13 - 5:31 pm

  The Charger is the best car I ever owned. It has a great ride, the car is solid, and fun to drive. This is one of the best cars Chrysler made. The transmission is smooth, and the auto stick is great if you want to shift it yourself. The 3.5 has good power for a car this size, and the fuel mileage has been better then I thought it would be.

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  Fast enough for a man, but made for a woman! - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Inferno Red Princess - March 13 - 12:51 pm

  Even though I just got it I love it already! It attracts so much attention. The color is flawless. This baby runs go good. I was looking for something that comfortable and roomy for the kids, flashy and fast for my husband and me. I have heard that his car is a mans car, but I would recommend this vehicle to all moms! My slogan for my Maggie is: Hemi - Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman!

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  Had to trash it - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By phantom - March 13 - 11:07 am

  I absolutely loved this car when I first bought it. Looked great and drove great. After 2 yrs the problems began. The obvious head gasket plus seals had to be replaced. Every sensor on the car pretty much malfunctioned at some point. Every year and yes I mean every year I had to get it serviced due to misfires. One electrical problem after another. Stereo went out. Door looks worked when they wanted to. Drivers side window was loose and leaked. Oddly enough in the 6 years that I owned that car I never replaced the exaust. Not even the muffler. This is a terrible vehicle and I will never buy a Dodge/Chrysler product again. Terrible!

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  Great car - 2011 Dodge Charger
  By Chris V - March 13 - 12:12 am

  This car is fantastic in all aspects, if u want the whole package you must get the R/T MAX .

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  OK so far, 73K miles - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By kben - March 12 - 7:44 am

  Have owned this vehicle since new and it now has 73K+ miles. Had one issue with an air conditioning relay which was a $250 repair and it happened just after the warranty ended. Also had the recall repair for the ball joints. This has been and continues to be a reliable vehicle for me. The gas mileage (about 18 Hwy) leaves some to be desired but it is on the high end for what I expected for this vehicle. The interior components are not the best quality, the break easily.

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  Gold wrapper - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By lateif - March 12 - 6:20 am

  Great car. I wanted a fast car with lots of space, modern technology and comforts. It was a choice between the Magnum, Audi wagon or Bimmer wagon. Im very happy with the choice, but havent been able to get 17 mpg no matter how I drive it.

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  Incentives to buy for a reason - 2006 Dodge Dakota
  By Frank Klassen - March 11 - 5:24 pm

  Need something to pull the neighbor out of the ditch with look no futher. But dont try to pass a filling station because you may not make the next. Fuel economy is worst than my 1991 V8 Dakota with 220,000 miles on it. Try to turn up the volume with gloves on and you shut it off over 80% of the time and remember to watch out for the shifter lever which is in the way to get to the stereo. Window controls are not usable except without gloves and dont try to unbuckle with gloves it dont work. Plow through snow to get to the highway and the alternator belt slips. The armrest is so hard and it shows dirt instantly. Incentives to buy for a reason. Buy the Toyota

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  Enjoying my Van - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Jeff - March 11 - 1:00 am

  Im enjoying my Caravan a lot - my kids love it too. I find it very comfortable, the performance is good (though the gas mileage isnt great), and it gives a very good feel for the road. I do wish some of the interior materials looked a little better - it does look cheap in some spots. But it has an unbelievable amount of storage space.

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  The worst care ever built - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By chuckf - March 10 - 10:00 am

  50,000 miles and already on its 4th transmission. "5-Star" dealer ruined engine by crossthreading the engine mount bolts during the 1st transmission replacement and refuses to pay. Terrible brakes. Unreliable. Terrible service. Dont by anything from Chrysler and dont buy anything from Tobin Chrysler Dodge in Clinton, NY.

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  Awful in New York Snow - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Jaybob - March 10 - 7:48 am

  I love this car in the summer. It is beautiful and gets tons of comments. But if you live in an area like Upstate New York do not waste the money unless you have a winter car. Even with the ESP and snow tires this car is awful in the snow. During he non-snow months this car is wonderful. I wish I didnt need to dump it but after one winter I have to get rid of it. We have a local police department that has this car and even they have said that they had to sit the car for the winter because it is too unreliable in the snow.