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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  Best first car! - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By Kyle - April 19 - 11:18 pm

  Ive had my neon for about a year now. I had it given to me from my parents at 98,000 miles and it now has 101,000 so you can guess that I am happy with it. I love the gas mileage and the dependability, I am not to fond of the power though. Getting on the freeway is not very fun. Overall I am just happy that I got a car that doesnt need to be in the shop every few months.

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  208k And Going Strong - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By R. Sheppard - April 17 - 6:39 pm

  I bought the car used with 185K. have had minor problems, ie brakes, Headlights, Axle. nothing that could persuade me to get rid of the car. the intrepid is roomy and handles well. I have put 28K miles on that used engine and all I do is keep changing the oil. I would recommend the Intrepid to anyone.

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  Head-turner in Europe - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Paganarh - April 14 - 7:03 am

  Purchased as new on June of 09, so not even year old, but Im really enjoying driving this car. Its smooth and relaxed, but doesnt object when you floor it to overtake another car on the freeway. Mind you, 2,4 is already to the "big" side, as far as engines go in Europe on middle class sedans. Only bone to pick is that "chill zone" a bit useless for me, darkening rear mirror works only when somebody is really riding your tail and default battery is weak- couldnt get car started when outside was "only" -20C/-4F, gonna change it for next winter. Other than that, I love this car and it really stands out amongst plain European and eastern cars around me. And theres only 4 Avengers in Estonia

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  The best Dodge ever - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By Alex Povolotski - April 13 - 11:22 pm

  Test drove this beast earlier today. Very comfy suspension, eats up all the imperfections of the road. They borrowed it from Mercedes and I like that. The 3.5 L engine is adequately powered, 6 speed transmission is very smooth. Noise both from the road and the engine is nicely hushed. The instrument panel is new electroluminescent, controls are well laid out. Trunk is huge, third row of seats are useless, so dont take that option. Drives very nicely overall. Was positively surprised. Got a respectable 19 MPG, good for mid-sized SUV/CUV/Wagon.

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  Not impressed - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Jill - April 13 - 2:10 pm

  I purchased this avenger new off the lot and I have not been happy with many of the features. I drive for work and spend a lot of time inside my car. The second cup holder is located slightly under the console/armrest and it makes it difficult to use. At 50,000 miles my radio now occasionally shorts out. I also had a problem that it was just suddenly dying at stoplights however a factory computer update did solve this problem. It runs well otherwise, the net like seats are difficult to clean because small crumbs get stuck under this material. No repairs yet, but the interior space just seems crowded with supplies and the trunk lacks good space as well.

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  i must have got the only good one - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By jose - April 10 - 10:42 pm

  i have a 2001 se with 2.7 v6 and 123,000 + miles on the original engine and tranny. had to replace battery once and brakes as needed water pump at 100k did it myself and timing chain & guides while I was in there anyway. damn good car runs like new. I wonder if all the complainers ever heard of regular oil changes? Ill buy another one when this one dies if ever!

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  Front Seats - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Slrozel - April 10 - 11:29 am

  I love everything about my Avenger BUT, boy are the seats uncomfortable. They are so uncomfortable that I had to rig up some padding. They actually make my back hurt so bad that if traveling any distance, I have trouble walking. I think it puts pressure on a nerve in my lower back. Does the same thing to my husband whos almost 1 foot taller than me. Its not like a T- shirt where you keep the receipt and take it back if it doesnt fit. Also, the 4 cyl. is very sluggish in the low end but once it gets going it performs pretty good.

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  No Problems To Date - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By CC - April 6 - 1:50 pm

  Ive had no problems whatsoever to date with my 2007 Nitro. I like the look of it and the interior is very spacious. Its a very basic model but other than regular maintenance (i.e. oil changes and 1 recall) it has not seen a garage. I find that its turning radius is too wide but otherwise its easy enough to handle despite its larger size. Im not all that tall so it would probably "fit" someone with longer legs better than me, but I knew that when I tried it out for the first time.

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  good investment - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By peter39120 - April 5 - 11:34 pm

  Bought used with 50k miles. good fuel economy, few repairs, just the usual minor repairs. except trans. rebuild. have owned a 92, 96, 02, 04 and 06 caravan. so far, the three old ones all needed trans. repair 70k-100k. but considering other costs are very reasonable, not a big problem. since i paid just $6200 for this van and have put 40k miles on it, its been a dream. good ride. seats could be a bit more supportive. have a 06 caravan too. it has too firm a ride, but does have more supportive seats. i am a big caravan fan. my old 96 had a four cyl 2.4 L would get 20-21 mpg in town but be prepared. caravan are cheap to buy, cheap to maintain. but they will need transmission repairs.

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  Good ride. - 1999 Dodge Stratus
  By Frank - April 3 - 7:51 pm

  I think this is a good vehicle it might just be me but it has already left me stranded onces It was the camshaft sensor and crankshaft sensor. 260 bucks to get that fixed less than a month after buying it at a local fire rescue auction for 2400 and a few days after getting that fixed my master cylinder for the brakes went out plus i had to change my back brakes because they were completely spent. so in less than a month of driving Ive spend an extra 600 bucks on the car. Now it seems to be running excellent and i hope it does not give me any problems cuz im broke now. but its a very nice car to drive if it does not give me anymore problems I wont be sorry i bought it.