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:
Showing 491 through 500 of 11,324.00-
Mixed bad - 2005 Dodge Magnum
By overland - April 3 - 4:55 pmGood power and looks with adequate cargo room. Better than expected fuel mileage - 27 highway and 19 highway city. Several annoying electrical problems - rear windows failed intermittently, wipers had glitches, and constant dash rattles that started at 20k miles. Handling is so so for a big and heavy car - no corner carver. Bland but functional interior.
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Such a disappointment - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
By adrianita458 - April 2 - 10:36 amI bought this car yesterday at a car auction. i knew that buying any car at an auction, i was going to have a lot of things to fix but i never expected anything like this. I left the car auction and was on my way home with the car and i kept hearing this knocking noise. it kept getting louder and louder so i was going to take it to my mechanic when the car practically just quit on me. would start at first but made awful noise. my mechanic said engine (2.7) is bad! so im stuck. didnt even get the car home. reviews on this car is terrible! take a look before buying. im going to try & get a 3.2 engine. dont know if it will work though. wish i would have known before i got it..
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My Best Friend - 1993 Dodge Dakota
By Beach Driver - March 31 - 3:31 pmI bought this truck a little over 2 years ago, and Ive put over 40K miles on here without a hiccup. Ive lifted it put 33/12.5 on here and have never got her stuck I call her my best friend for the fact it has never let me down, it doesnt matter if it is -40 or 110 degrees she still started. The only only thing Ive ever had to do is change a rear seal in the tranny no big deal seeing that it only cost me 6 bucks. Im gonna drive her till the wheels fall off and when that happens Ill probably just fix it. NUMBER ONE TRUCK
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Overall a Great Truck - 2002 Dodge Dakota
By markbg - March 30 - 9:21 pmBought new in 02. Love the looks of this model year and still get compliments on it. Great versatility for hauling cargo and misc. stuff in the bed and comfortable enough to fit four adults or family in the cab. Its been a reliable vehicle, but one thing Id do over is opt for the larger engine. Same or better mileage with the V8 and better performance. Still a wonderful truck!
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Dissapointed customer - 2007 Dodge Nitro
By Dissapointed Owner - March 28 - 4:27 pmI bought the 2007 Dodge Nitro solely for the body style. I liked it the first few months, the Mirrors pose a huge hazard when driving, brings new meaning to "blind spot". I have had a few issues. My biggest peeve is the Battery. I have already had it replaced and if you dont drive it everyday the battery goes dead. The last time in dealership the Tech played it off as the sound system drawing to much and causing it to drain dead. The problem according to my dealership is that the previous owner replaced the system with another and the warranty would not cover the battery. I dont believe the reasoning and think the dealership doesnt want to fix it. Have to Jump it off every three days
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2007 sxt 2.0 - 2007 Dodge Caliber
By Tim H - March 27 - 1:06 pmI have 43,000 miles and have had no problems as of this time. Tires are still good and wearing evenly. I rotate every other oil change and still have substantial tread. I just noticed I will need an oil pan gasket when I took for an oil change, pan is thankfully easy to access. I hear some people having trouble with the transmissions. I thought this was covered by the unlimited power train warranty. Is dodge not standing behind the warranty?
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Its a truck - 2009 Dodge Dakota
By Ron - March 27 - 10:16 amThis is the 2nd Dakota we have owned. The 1st was a 1994. I read all the reviews about the new Dakota and I must say they were not positive. After we took it for a test drive I could not see anything wrong. For the price it was all we wanted in a truck and more. The gas mileage on the 1st 2 fill ups were 15 and 17.
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Could be better! - 2009 Dodge Nitro
By kenny - March 25 - 12:35 pmDont let the look fool you. We had problems with the vehicle after a year of ownership, with the wheel bearings. Specifically the hub on both front wheels and the cost was over 900.00 dollars. Also the winter had done its part in damaging our vehicle. With some mud getting onto a sensor(ESP) that is connected to the rear wheel was damaged. The cost to repair this was around 2000.00 dollars(parts and labor).
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I love my stratus - 2001 Dodge Stratus
By gibbyprls - March 25 - 10:18 amI bought my stratus in October of 2001 with only about 1000 mile on it and now it has 113,561. I love to drive it all the time. It had the original tires on it at 62,353 and my 1 2 3 speed on my air conditioner went out at 96,000 but the 4 speed still works. Even though it a old car i still love it.
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Loved my Durango! - 2001 Dodge Durango
By CAR CRAZY - March 23 - 7:25 pmI had the 01 Dodge Durango R/T 5.9L V8 and LOVED it! It was so fun to drive, it was safe, and extremely comfortable & spacious. The only downfall to the big motor is the gas mileage is horrible, which is the only reason I sold mine. I had to get something with better gas mileage when we moved further from my job. Fun and reliable but be prepared to pay more for gas
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