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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  Run of the mill sedan - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By Dave - January 21 - 9:32 am

  Very frusturating car to own. Ive experienced steering and electrical problems from day one. Blower fan not working on all speeds, radio turning on/off by itself, rear defroster problems. Had to replace the rack and pinion at 42,000 miles. Transmission pan to low to ground making it easy to bottom out resulting in leaks.

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  Nice Truck except for the Problems - 2006 Dodge Dakota
  By 2ndLDDodge - January 20 - 7:44 pm

  I downsized from a Ram to a Dakota for better gas mileage. Stuck with Dodge due to the reliability of my old Ram. Unfortunately, my Dakota has been in the shop ten times over the last year. Three for wheel vibrations that appear to be fixed for now, and seven for belt problems that still are not resolved. Belt tensioner broke at 4000 miles. Since then it has been through three additional belts and in-and-out of the shop for belt squeel when making tight turns in parking lots. Should have contacted a Lemon-Law attorney before it went out of waranty as a friend has the same truck and has never experienced this problem. Other than that, its a pleasure to drive, and looks great too.

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  Best Dodge ever owned - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By xtec - January 20 - 1:14 pm

  Every time I drive my Charger,if feels like the first time. This car has a awesome ride. The transmission is one of the smoothest I ever had. The doors are solid when you close them. The 3.5 is very powerful for A V6, and my mileage has been around 20 in the city, which is great for a car this heavy. I have bought Chrysler products most of my life, and will say this is the best so far.

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  150K and still going strong - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By Robb - January 20 - 12:44 pm

  This car has been the best I have ever had. Bought with only 16 miles and now have over 151K. I want to go over 300K with it. I would buy another Intrepid but I look at new cars now, since this body style is not available and can not find a car I would like to drive. Highway driving every day I feel very comfortable. Strong engine and great handling. Michigan driving in all weather not a problem.

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  my 2003 neon - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Bens4A - January 20 - 10:00 am

  I recently bought a 2003 neon. I have never really liked neons in the past, so I was sure that I wouldnt want one. When I saw this car for the first time, I actually was impressed. The body style and interior were nice. The car drives good, and it has more power than I expected. I am very satisfied with this car.

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  Not Bad!! - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Triangletalk - January 20 - 10:00 am

  We have driven our van from coast to coast repeatedly and have had relatively little trouble with it. We did have a transmission seal leak the first year but it was covered under warrenty. We are at 111,120 miles now and the transmission needs replacing. This time its on my dime. So far so good!

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  Better than Eclipse - 1998 Dodge Avenger
  By Misti - January 19 - 12:47 pm

  I bought this car last year at a buy here pay here lot. You can tell it had had a rough life because of some damage. We took this car under our wing and started with a few minor repairs. In no time we had this car looking good. As far as the motor goes, oh my gosh, blows away the Eclipse. My boyfriend absolutely loves this car. The power is amazing! It has 180,000 miles on it and still running strong.

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  I loved it, just a couple minor issues. - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By Chris Jensen - January 19 - 11:48 am

  I bought one of the first cars available. I loved the muscle car look. I buy my cars probably 75% on appearance first and go from there. The Dodge Stratus R/T has been fun to drive and still is. As far as problems in my fourth year as a Florida resident (heat) my dash started cracking in 3 spots and continues to worse all the time. The turning radius is awful with all the U-turns required in Florida. Front bumper catches on parking curbs constantly almost ripping it up. Other than these minor issues the rest of the car has been awesome and at that time in my life would do over again.

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  Great Family car - 2006 Dodge Stratus
  By luckieleah - January 19 - 11:42 am

  We have owned this car for a few months and absolutly love it! We had been looking for a toyota or Honda, but decided on the 06 Stratus instead because of the space and price. Since we were buying a used car, it was an added bonus that the car still had a factory warranty! We have a 2 year old boy and the car is big enough that we can haul all his stuff around and still have plenty of room for the three of us and a guest or two. My husband and I are both above average build and the front seats are very comfortable for us as well. The longest trip weve taken was a four hour drive through Kansas and the car handled well and we had no spacial complants as well. Great car!

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  I will probably always own a Dakota! - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By chriscat870 - January 19 - 8:01 am

  First Dodge and 3rd pickup Ive owned. The other 2 were full size. They were a waste of money! The V6 only has 25 fewer horses than the V8 and gets about 18-19 mpg. Put a K&N filter and some exhaust and youll get your horses back with even better mpg! Next to an Audi A6 Quattro, this is the funnest vehicle I have ever driven! It holds the road like a sports car, but carries cargo without strain. It does not do well in wet conditions, but that can be fixed with better tires. The fact that this model was viturally unchanged for 10 years should be a testament to the appeal of its looks.