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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  Very Cool Car! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Hard_Charger - December 1 - 12:13 am

  I bought my RT a couple of weeks ago and I love it. It drives nice and has a lot of power. I love the GPS system and the interior layout (although the cupholders should be larger).

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  2.7L not enough, otherwise OK car - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By Chris - November 30 - 11:03 pm

  Engine sounds great. The steering is responsive, the brakes are good. The handling is fine if you dont ask it to dance. Body motions are fairly well controlled. Its rear-wheel drive (no torque steer!) The body structure is solid. The fit is satisfying, the room is plentiful, the trunk size is fine for a car this big. The base radio sounds surprisingly nice and the car has presence. The bad: Mail slot windows are claustrophobic. Thick front and rear pillars block things you should be able to see. The engine is weak, and the car is heavy (3780lbs!). The steering is too light and does not give good feedback. The car is slow to get off the line, cant turn off traction control.

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  Outstanding family vehicle! - 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By califamily - November 30 - 9:57 am

  We bought ours as our first minivan, coming SUVs, this was a big change. Ive been watching the 3.6l closely and it seems great in all vehicles so far. The engineering in this thing is genius, the top loading oil filter makes my life in the garage SO much easier! The level of attention and brilliance transfers to every part of the vehicle. We have 26k on ours so far and loved every minute. 0 problems. Its drivetrain is super smooth, it took a little getting used to but within the first day of ownership, any doubts that we had made the right decision were banished! This is an absolutely amazing family vehicle. We drive the competitors and this was by far most comfortable and most functional.

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  The Longest Test Drive! - 2006 Dodge Durango
  By DodgeLover - November 29 - 4:50 pm

  We live in Charlotte, NC and purchased a 2006 SLT 4x4 only 12 days ago. This, after 8 months of shopping for that "Perfect Safety Vehicle". The Durango is a "safety tank" 5-star everything. Essentially, we have taken it on the "Worlds Longest Test Drive" by driving to upstate NY (900 miles each way). What a great ride! The seats are great, dash design is sharp, the gauges at night are a very cool aqua green, and it has a very good stock sound system. As for gas, its an SUV, it will not have Honda Accord gas mileage. But, we tracked 5 tanks at an average of 20.2 mpg. Great for the size of the vehicle! Why people buy expensive luxury SUVs is beyond me after driving our Durango.

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  I like it - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By Edvanp - November 29 - 1:10 pm

  Went from a Pontiac Montana into the SXT minivan. Love the stow/go seating. The engine is smooth with good performance over the Montana. The back bench is uncomfortable for long rides, or so my kids tell me. Good storage room. We have had it in for a couple of electronic glitches that have been covered under warranty. My main worry is the tranny as this seems to be the knock on these vehicles, but there hasnt been anything wrong with it yet. The radio/speakers could be better. We avg 22 mpg in mixed driving, 26 on the highway. Overall, we are happy with it to date (2 years & 33k miles).

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  Hillspot - 2006 Dodge Durango
  By hillspot - November 29 - 11:43 am

  The comfort for a family of six is great. The kids have a lot of room to maneuver around and not be crowded.

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  Versitile truck - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By Wilgey - November 29 - 8:39 am

  This truck is all around value. Its great for weekend projects or that all important camping trip. Plenty of cargo room and with optional roof racks hauling longer items is a simple task.

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  Best car Ive sold out of. - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By rmercer - November 28 - 6:04 pm

  I travel the Houston, Texas area and am very happy with this car. The dealer recommended this one and I was skeptical. He was right. It looks small but is very roomy. I get excellant gas mileage and this car is holding up very well in the city atmosphere. Stop and go or on the highway this car is awesome!

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  GLH deja vu - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By C Howard - November 28 - 12:20 pm

  Reminds me of a GLH I had except its an updated version. Am having a little trouble with hearing distributor noise through the stereo system, otherwise no problems ..I have the live n loud system. Whenever I drive the car ...it puts a grin on my face.Just as my GLH did.

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  Great Fun Family Wagon - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By Manny - November 27 - 4:47 pm

  A great excuse to buy a hotrod and say its for the family. Amazing perforance as expected. You sink into the deep bucket seats when you step on the gas. A lot of looks and compliments from other drivers and curious onlookers. Fun and functional, I can carry my boys in the back and still have plenty of room in the front for me. Im 6-4 so that was important. A real sleeper for people that dont recognize what exactly the SRT-8 badge means. I have routinely smoked other unsuspecting sports cars. Always great fun.