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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  Should Have Shopped Around - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By sbrazee - November 8 - 10:32 pm

  I bought my Intrepid last summer and paid more than I should have. I have had the car for a little over a year and I have had to replace the water pump, radiator, thermostat, and the fuse for the transmission that kept blowing. I wanted a car that was roomy and could be comfortable to drive. Instead I got a fix and repair daily pretty much. DO not buy this car for the 2004. Its not worth it.

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  Its a Lemon!!!! - 2012 Dodge Journey
  By court90 - September 19 - 12:41 pm

  In June of 2014 I bought the used 2012 Dodge Journey with 24,000 miles on it I thought it would be great. I had a 2009 Kia Spectra that was starting to have problems and I wanted an SUV Chrisler were the only ones to take me with my credit so I bought this car. within 1 week of having it the breaks were bad they got replaced then it started having a strut problem so I took it back. they keep putting new things in it to stop the noise but it hasnt helped. The car goes back to the dealership everyweek its there more then I have it. Finally this week has been the last straw they dont know whats wrong with it so tomorrow I am going there and they are taking it back either way!! dissatisfied!!!

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  Strong engine, weak everywhere else. Not worth it. - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By cfresh96 - September 13 - 3:13 am

  I used this car for primarily getting to and from school for a few months, and it had no problems. I purchased it at 95,000 miles. I didnt really have problems with it. I treated it like garbage and raced it, drifted, etc. It lasted, I couldnt believe it. I then started delivering pizzas to make extra money, and then everything came back at me. Again, I used the power of the car to get me where I needed to go quickly. I put on 18,000 miles on it in a matter of 6 months. It no longer can last 10 miles of driving due to it overheating.

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  Great gas mileage but..... - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By msaltmyer - August 11 - 4:45 pm

  The base car does not come with AC. No power doors. You have to reach into the back seats to unlock. Cheap materials. For a stick shift with no other features, it is way over-priced. Within 4 days of owning and 150 miles, there was some problems with shifting gears. Errors are lit. I had to get rid of it as quickly as I could.

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  Stay Far Away - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By garfish1 - July 25 - 2:13 am

  I just traded my Dart in so I figured I would write a review. I had a rally with the 2.0 automatic and only had 6,000 miles on it. I did purchase it new when they first came out. On a good note I will say the interior was very nice and held up well. The touch screen is huge and very good view for the backup camera. The exterior is another story and found it to be very cheap. The underbody plastic was starting to fall apart already on me and had to be removed. I also found that the paint seemed to be very poor quality, I wonder if it is a water base because it scratches and chips very easily.

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  2013 Dart Ralley 1.4 turbo 6 speed man - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By maggiewalt - July 15 - 9:53 am

  Bought this car for my wife to drive to work (40 miles one way) Love the looks. But the car has been in the shop to much for a car that is just over a year old and 23000 miles on it. Trunk liner clips broke, was told they had to order whole liner. took it home that day and took grocery out of trunk. Whey we closed it, they broke again. Heard it hit the trunk floor. Had the clutch cyld replaced as it would stay on the floor "TSB for this one" Now 3 months later and it back in the shop for the same thing. (Parts on national back order) had to beg for a loaner even though its still under warranty and I purchased the life time warranty. Engine was skipping was told needed oil change.

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  Do Not Buy Intrepid 2.7 or Any Other Chrysler Product - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By derek_a - July 11 - 12:27 pm

  I wouldnt recommend buying any used Chrysler product with no warranty. My 2004 Intrepid 2.7 lived in the shop. The car couldnt go 6 months without needing a repair, but this cars biggest problem is its cooling system when the engine is properly maintained with 3000 mile full synthetic oil changes as I did. Ive been thru 2 water outlets! a radiator, a coolant reservoir, 2 thermostats, and 2 thermostat housings. Then the cars water pump, which is at the center of the engine, goes bad causing the car to overheat and blow part of the head gasket. On top of that, the car is now tapping. Tapping, waterpump, and gasket fix will cost the same as getting a new engine. Im getting a new car!

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  Steering column is broke and is on national back order - 2014 Dodge Durango
  By mileymoo - July 11 - 9:59 am

  I bought my Durango in February of 2014. Like the previous reviewer mentioned, it was my dream machine too. I really enjoyed driving it. My only criticism was that the inside storage capacity is compromised by having a DVD player in the compartment between the two front seats. However, soon after, I noticed that during hard acceleration, my RPMs were going up without the car actually accelerating. Took it to the dealer, and was told that the steering column is defected, and that can affect the transmission, as well as abs breaks, which could make the car dangerous to drive. It has been 5 business days since they ordered a part, and the part is still on backorder

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  junk - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By frddfrd - July 9 - 2:29 pm

  bought it used with 33,000 miles on it. ive put six thousand miles on it, thats it. throttle position control gone bad, already. forty thousand miles!!!

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  Great for four months - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By twhawk - June 22 - 3:17 am

  Bought the car used four months ago, ran great until a week ago when voltage light came on. Battery and alternator tested fine, three days later the throttle response light came on and it had to get towed. The garage said the oil was tacky (only used oil so I question this) and the top half of the motor was burnt up. I just financed the car four months ago, so had to again buy another car. Very disappointing, liked the car a lot until it did this.