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:

• 

  Power monster - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Malachoz - May 31 - 10:00 am

  Car is a power horse, flies like it had wings or should

• 

  Turbo fun! - 1990 Dodge Shadow
  By Sean V - May 31 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car for $1000 canadian, it was in very good condition, all i had to do was some exhaust work. Since has been working very well. I was very surprised by the amount of horsepower (150) out of the 2.5 litre, 4 cylinder engine... especially the fact that it is now 12 years old, and has 197000ks. At least my first car was a decent one.

• 

  Reliability - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By prochap - May 30 - 2:00 am

  Drivability and handling has been great both in the city and on the highway. Performance with 4 cyc has been just fine for my needs even in mountains at times. Plenty of power on freeway.

• 

  My Favorite Car Ever! - 1997 Dodge Neon
  By Joelabc - May 30 - 2:00 am

  I recently bought a 97 Dodge Neon Sport, 2 door car from Winnipeg, Canada. The car has 70000kms (43000 miles). The funny thing is that this car has the DOHC 150 hp engine. According to this site the 97 neon sports do not have this engine, they have the SOHC 132hp engine. It could because this is a Canadian car and varies slightly from the American car. But anyway i bought the car for only $7000 CAN, or $4500 USD. This car runs like a dream, its fast, looks sweet, is remarkable on gas, and is cheap to fill up as well. This car also has plenty of aftermarket modifications you can do to it which i plan to do in the future. Buy a neon!

• 

  Excellent Combination of Features - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By jwhite - May 29 - 2:00 am

  This is the best vehicle Ive ever owned, including an 89 Acura purchased new. The Dakota with 4.7 L V8 has excellent leg room for a 6 footer, more power than I can possibly use, an excellent sound system (infinity), a quiet cabin, and good structural integrity. I compared the Dakota with the Ford Ranger and the Toyota Tacoma. These vehicles did not offer the same level of luxury and features as are found on the Dodge.

• 

  Fast and Furious - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By seven oaks - May 28 - 2:00 am

  My first car and still loving every minute of it. Bought it in fire engine red color with manual transmission and it is loads of fun to drive. Had to do standard maintenance with oil changes every 3K, etc. Just had my timing belts changed at 102K.

• 

  Spanking Good - 1992 Dodge Viper
  By Big Bob - May 25 - 2:00 am

  Its mad fast and it will BLOW you away

• 

  First-time minivan owner - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Tonja - May 25 - 2:00 am

  We looked for months at other vans and SUVs to buy for our growing family. The anniversary edition was a plus and sold us on this wonderful minivan. I love driving my minivan and the sliding power doors are a big help with two small children. My only complaint is that Ive mysteriously locked myself out of the van while getting gas and again while running in to drop off something. The doors automatically unlock when you open them, but somehow re-lock themselves when they shut?!? Anyone else have this problem?

• 

  good car - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Kingfisher57 - May 25 - 2:00 am

  My Dodge has been an excellent vehicle. I have 132000 on the car now and have had only 1 scary experience with itas the fuel rail broke with 5000 miles on the vehicle. Other wise there has been no problems with it.The car is still all original except for brakes and 1 battery

• 

  Dodge 2002 Grand Caravan - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By jackson - May 25 - 2:00 am

  This has been an excellent vechicle and the ride and comfort makes you forget that this is a mini van!