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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  A great little car! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Veggie - July 28 - 1:23 pm

  This is a very stylish car on both the exterior and interior. It is small and easy to park, but carries tons of stuff. I love that it both rides up high like and SUV and handles really well like a sports car. Im 62", and I have plenty of head room and look good driving this car. I have owned only imports up until now - if America keeps coming out with cars like this I will never need to go back.

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  AWESOME! - 1999 Dodge Stratus
  By coo coo - July 28 - 2:00 am

  I REALLY LIKE THAT DODGE STRATUS IT IS A VERY NICE LOOKING CAR THAT IS VERY EASY TO DRIVE... IT WAS MY FIRST CAR... AND I LOVED IT!

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  This Is a Great Van! - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By Phillip Merlino - July 27 - 2:00 am

  This Car In many ways is better than The Oddesy. One reason It has A quieter Interior Because Of not having the Fold Down Third row seat which Makes a sound hole with the opening. The 3.8 Liter V6 Makes Excellent Power Which realy Comes in handy when Climbing grades. The vehicle also climbs grades Wonderfully! I purchased The EX Model With Leather Both Power Sliding Doors And A power Liftgate For an excellent Price of $26,500 This car is a great Buy for the money and is very reliable. P.S I wanted to say Thankyou TO chrysler For building such A good Quality Vehicle.

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  Off Road - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By AWL - July 27 - 2:00 am

  I was in an accident which totaled my previous Durango but I bought another one because of hoe well I was protected from major injuries.

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  98 Dodge Avenger - 1998 Dodge Avenger
  By Hamant - July 25 - 2:00 am

  Tremendous overall vehicle. No major maintenance problems.

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  The Car of Exellence - 1995 Dodge Stealth
  By Meghan - July 24 - 2:00 am

  I havent had any problems with this vehicle. It is fun to drive, and it has saved my life once already. The cars low center force gravity allows it to hug curves easily.

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  Luvit!!! - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By jimbo-d-man - July 24 - 2:00 am

  Looked at (and drove) the "big three" mid-size SUVs, and the Durango won out hands down. Didnt like the feel of the Explorer, and the T-Blazer looked pretty cheap inside. Plus, I REALLY liked the V8 power on the low-end. Tysingers was a dream to work with.

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  ienvbhtbelm - 1991 Dodge Spirit
  By putipinay25 - July 23 - 2:00 am

  car was a salvage. bought at 105K. no problems at all. this car was bought because the plymouth acclaim is great.

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  40000 and still going - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By mlrobertson - July 23 - 2:00 am

  Bought my Durango new in 2000. No problems at all. Lots of room, lots of vroom. My whole family loves this suv.

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  Great First car!! - 1990 Dodge Daytona
  By Danny G - July 22 - 2:00 am

  I have a 3.0L V6 5-spd and this car can really cook. The car is a rocket off the line, 5.0 mustangs and camaros are easily beaten. It has a great body style, and from the back it looks like a mean machine. Its well worth the $2500 i paid for it, just needed a few things, but now it drives like a dream. And the 4 wheel disk brakes stop on a dime.