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 Truck - 1993 Dodge Dakota
  By Chub Walters - January 3 - 4:59 pm

  Truck could haul a 2 bedroom apartment from Austin, TX to Waterloo, IA. Very dependable. Nothing major breaks down.

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  Charger SXT - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By Batista - January 3 - 1:41 pm

  The car is smooth, handles well, quiet and comfortable. The tires are lousy and will slip with too much throttle. It is much better car than the competition because of the RWD 53/46 weight distribution.

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  NICE BUT...get something else - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By Aghast - January 3 - 10:00 am

  Dodge has done something with this 4wd that I just cannot understand-All this money poured into the new design and an underbody skid plate that is lower than anything under the vehicle and FLAT! READ- It acts as a shovel- not turned up in the forward portion and only about 6 inches off the ground-UNBELIEVABLE! Dont think about taking this thing off road- you will high-center in a second on even the slightest rutted roads!

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  Fast, fast car - 2006 Dodge Viper
  By viperman - January 2 - 9:07 pm

  Sweet. This car is amazing. It is so beautiful and is extremely powerful. I would not trade it for the world. It is my absolute favorite car ever.

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  I was always an SUV believer, until now. - 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By cindra471 - January 2 - 3:08 pm

  I just bought my first Mini Van. I thought I never would. But, after seeing all the bells and whistles I get in this baby, Ill probably never go back to a SUV. The price for what you get is unbeliveable. Id only be able to get a base model SUV for the price I got the CREW Model. Oh, and the gas savings, you cant be it. This little van has everything you can think of and then some. I cant say enought about this van. If youre considering you wont be sorry. Im very pleased with my purchase, did I mention I traded a Cadillac for this, I dont miss the Cadillac at all!!!

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  I would not reccomend this car to anyone - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By Ashley - January 2 - 2:33 pm

  I wouldnt recommend buying this car unless of course you like having your vehicle in the garage. This was the first new car I have ever bought in may of 13, the car was great for the first 3-4 months. My car was backed into and I had to take it in to have the bumper replaced, while in the garage the told me there were "updates" for my computer. This is when everything went down hill. A month or so later my cruise control function stopped working, went back to garage of course they couldnt duplicate it so its still not fixed. Next up there Id a glitch with the abs, when I slof on ice with my foot on the brake all my electronics/lights fail. The rotors on the drivers side are both shot after 10k miles but the other side was fine dodge says its normal wear and tare. Then my passenger side sun visor broke off, has that replaced finally most recent is has to have the car towed from Walmart this past December cause it wouldnt start. Turns out the battery shorted out. Obviously there is a computer problem with this car that they do not want to fix! My car has 26k on it tried to trade it in but was only offered 9k for it. Terrible! Also cat is terrible in the snow!

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  More than just a wagon - 2007 Dodge Magnum
  By martin roberts - January 2 - 1:33 pm

  This is the affordable fun wagon I was waiting for! V6 engine is plenty, but the SRT8 would be a dream!

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  2005 Dodge Dakota 4x4 SLT Quad Cab - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By JCH - January 1 - 7:23 pm

  40000 miles. Original Goodyears gone, new Michelin LTAs should last longer. 8 oil changes and regular maintenance never let me down off road/on hwy/anywhere. Expecting 160,000 miles out of it before trading up. Would buy it again and would recommend it. Has good road manners. Gas mileage averages 18-19 miles-per-us- gallon. I do mostly highway driving.

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  Love it! - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By troy - January 1 - 3:04 pm

  I had Chrysler products in the past and thought I would never buy one again. I was wrong! The Charger has power, lots of room and 4 doors. I know a Charger with 4 doors? I have 2 kids in car seats and there is plenty of room for them in the back seat. The traction control is the best I ever used. Being in Wisconsin I thought the rear wheel drive was a bad thing. The charger traction control is better than the FWD with traction control Honda Oddysey my wife drives. She prefers driving the Charger when she can. I love this car and I get alot on compliments with it.

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  No longer a Ford man - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By J. Burke - January 1 - 2:40 am

  I was so impressed with the overall performance and comfort of the vehicle. It is superior to any other similar van I have owned or driven in. It has been such a pleasure to drive, has excellent visibility and great acceleration on the freeway. Best of all is the stow and go feature, it has been a real asset. The vehicle is nicely fitted with amenities that you get wonderful luxury and dont have to rob a bank. I looked at other vans including Toyota and Honda, and this van is in their class no doubt about it. The audio system controls in the steering column was a very nice feature to add as well.