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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  Excellent car! - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By Marybeth - February 20 - 3:10 pm

  I like this car so much that the couple of times Ive gone to a dealership to trade it in, I ended up deciding to keep it. I test drove numerous brand new cars, but couldnt find any I liked as much as this one.

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  SRT-4 wolf in sheeps clothing - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By deuxieme chance - February 20 - 2:00 am

  Actually traded in my Corvette to save money and needed a family car now too. This think is a blast to drive, practical too. Amazing to think that it seats 4, gets 22 mpg city and is nearly as fast as my Vette was. Plus, everyone thinks its just a Neon.

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  50000 and going - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By Dave - February 19 - 11:01 pm

  16 months and over 55,000 miles, what you have is the very good, and the very bad. First the good, power, space for my big frame 63", 280lbs, and lots of boxes. Nice, but not overwhelming interior, nav, heated seats, adjustable pedals, all the good stuff. Now the bad, horrible dealer service, makes me want to go back to Toyotas, and Hondas. Priced the 60,000 service one dealer wanted $850.00, another wanted $470.00. Ive had a thumping noise in the right front since 21,000 miles, been to the dealer 4 times they cant find it.Serveral rattles, in the dash, and hatch. I will not buy another Dodge simply because of the dealer service.

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  Great SUV - 2006 Dodge Durango
  By Dave Pummell - February 19 - 9:24 am

  I bought my 2006 Dodge Durango while Chrysler offered $5,000 off or 0% financing (actually the $5,000 off was the better deal with it being financed elsewhere). I love the truck. It is very capable in 4wd and offers plenty of power. I also love the sound of the V8. Nothing sounds better than a V8. I recently drove through the mountains of VA and WVA and was very pleased with how much power the Durango had. The only downer was I only got 18mpg on the trip. If you dont mind spending a little extra on gas, this is a great vehicle!!

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  So Far, So Good - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By TEEJAY - February 19 - 1:58 am

  Well I now have 31k on this truck and no real problems as of yet. I am patiently waiting to see if the rumors are true about Dodge putting a 4.2lt cummings diesel in the Dakota in 08? If they do then I will trade my 04 in a flash. The 4.2l diesel gets close to 30mpg and has over 400ftlb of torque. I could pull my bass boat with eash and still get good gas mileage and the longevity of a cummings diesel. Great!

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  Undecided - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By B - February 18 - 9:00 pm

  Purchased March 25, 2008. Loved the new style and features. Kids fell in love with the VES system, me in the sunroof/Sirius radio and wife in the heated seats. But now (in June 08) we have a whistling problem that the dealership cant seem to figure out. Over 65 mph and the van sings a tune. Van been in shop twice and we are still waiting for problem to be fixed. If we can get rid of this problem, I am sure I will LOVE my new van. Hate the position of the video screens, wish they were off center somehow. Backup camera is nice, but please still turn and look, camera is deceiving. Overall very happy with van, just need to get the whistling to stop.

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  Worst Vehicle Ive Owned - 1998 Dodge Intrepid
  By Terry Buckner - February 18 - 7:59 pm

  This was the worst vehicle I have ever owned. The second Dodge product and the last one! The engine died at 92,000 and a replacement one is 5-6k. The entire car isnt worth that! The 2.7 liter engine is horrible. Needless to say this one needs to be junked!

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  Great vehicle, underrated - I dont understand what all the complaints are about - 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By flyhi152 - February 18 - 3:08 pm

  I am under the impression that Toyota & Honda are paying for bad reviews of this vehicle. I bought mine used from Avis and now it has about 75,000 miles on the odometer. I have changed the tires and the brakes (wear and tear part). At about 60,000 I had to change the EGR valve (bought from Autozone for about $ 80,- and about 2 hours to put it in). One door lock actuator failed after the warranty expired and Chrysler had it fixed as a courtesy without charging me. Mercedes, Honda or Toyota never do anything as a courtesy after the warranty expires. Great car, great company !

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  Best Value in large SUV - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By Dan T - February 18 - 12:44 pm

  We test drove every vehicle in this size group and larger. We kept coming back to the Durango because we loved the feel of the ride, power of the Hemi, and comfort of the interior. In our opinion, this vehicle was far superior to Ford and Chevy. Affordability was not an issue, even though the pricing on the Durango was incredible! We now have 60,000 miles on the vehicle with virtually no problems other than "brake" issues. They have been replaced twice already.

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  Magnum Hooked - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By JTZ - February 18 - 8:59 am

  I test drove more cars then carter has liver pills and this by far was the most solid feeling car I drove. I feel very safe in it, and I do not have any problem with blind spots. There are now rattles or squeaks and it is the quietest car inside when traveling down the road over anything else I tried.