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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  Decent SUV - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By Derrik - November 20 - 6:59 pm

  Vehicle has great pulling power and torque. Has some reliability issues but usually nothing major. Gas mileage is terrible. Nice to climb and mud in. I know several people that own Dodge 4x4 including some with Durangos and the general concensus is the transmissions tend to not last longer than 140k mi.

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  Move over Toyota, Dodge Dakota is back.. - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By david autry - November 19 - 6:36 pm

  Traded in a 96 Dakota with 189,000 miles. Dodge has been good to me, no trouble with ownership. 2005 Dakota is comfortably roomy and has power to move. Mileage on highway is 22.5. Love the design on the inside. It is bigger than the Tacoma. Love the satellite radio. 5 star crash test rating.

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  Not bad so far - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By Bartbilt - November 19 - 4:32 pm

  Good reliability and MPG, up to 30mpg on highway witht the 3.3 V6. No transmission problems. Im 64" and have plenty of leg room, even with the console shifter. A\C broke and I have no intentions of fixing it. Currently have 147,000 miles on it with a few oil leaks. Handles well in the snow. I inherited the car from my wife and use it mainly to commute to work, 50 miles per day. Exterior is holding up well with regular washes and yearly waxing. Black exterior trim pieces are peeling. Also, lost two of the four center hubcaps on the wheels. Noticed that most others with the same wheels are missing some or all of the hubcabs. Wanting to see how many miles this thing will go.

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  Almost a lemon - 1999 Dodge Caravan
  By Rich - November 17 - 10:25 pm

  This van started with major breakdowns at 15,000 miles and continued with the breakdowns after Chryslers basic warranty period expired. Some of the major repairs needed were three serpentine belts, two idler pulleys, three trans axle speed sensors, A/C compressor and dryer, A/C evaporator core, three new batteries and a passenger power window motor. The $200 optional clear coat paint job began fading and peeling within 3 years and now looks like crap. The headlight lenses have turned milky white. Felt headliner falling down in a dozen areas. I hate to say it, but the extended warranty would have been a real moneysaver with this car.

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  Hard Worker - 1993 Dodge Dakota
  By donny - November 17 - 9:49 pm

  i traded my 1990 3500 service truck for this 1993 Dodge Dakota and it is one of the best trucks Ive driven. It handles great, but needs some work like a new fuil pump. Ive pulled over 25,000lbs with it and it worked it but it wont stop running. I love it

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  Some problems - 1998 Dodge Caravan
  By ctj101502 - November 17 - 5:08 pm

  Steering column has gone out. Air conditioner is bad after 90,000 miles. Had it fixed and it happened again at around 170,000 miles. Need new transmission at 194,000 miles. Seat belts in front do not work. If you suddenly stop or yank on them quickly they let you just go. I pray we never get into an accident. Very little went wrong in the beginning, just minor issues. But at this high mileage I am thankful it still runs!

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  Looks nice but not built well - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By john Mcconnell - November 17 - 12:43 am

  We have had our 2008 dodge grand caravan for 6 months now. I will have to say we are disappointed with the interior quality of the van. It rides nice and looks great for the design, but Chrysler just did not focus on the details. I will have to say for a van that now has 350000 miles on it, it sure has a lot of interior rattles with the cheap plastic hardware everywhere on the dash and center overhead console. Secondly,when going over rougher roads the rear suspension chatters a lot.

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  My Favorite Car - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By Kerry - November 16 - 7:20 pm

  Owned many new and used cars in 35 years of driving. This car has been my favorite. Bought with 9,000 miles on it and now has 203,000. Roomy and reliable with good road manners. Needed a large car for entertaining customers and this fits the bill. Long legged passengers enjoy the roomy back seat. At 62", I never had to move my seat forward to accomodate rear seat passengers. No major work done, but she is showing her age. No rust in 6 yrs of Maine driving. Always serviced at recommended intervals. I have more than gotten my moneys worth from this car. I love this car.

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  Nitro 06 - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Craig Phillips - November 16 - 7:20 pm

  Good handling for an SUV. Very comfortable drive. Better than average gas mileage for its class. High value for the price.

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  Awesome car Dad! - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By javaguyinaz - November 16 - 3:05 pm

  I have only had it 4 weeks, and I love the car. I have been approached twice asking about the car. I bought the car used, saved myself $4K. I will not miss my Surburban. My 8 yr old will only go with Dad, forget about the minivan.