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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  Charger RT - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By Faulkner - October 22 - 8:58 am

  Fun car to drive with lots of power and comforts. Replacing a 2005 Pontiac Bonneville and the Charger is lots more fun to drive. It has more room, is more comfortable, has more power, but less fuel economy.

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  Bought used Grand Caravan - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Happy with Caravan - October 22 - 6:30 am

  We neded a van for our family due to an accident which totalled our previous Plymouth Voyager. I bought a 96 Grand Caravan (Dodge)with a 3.8L V-6. A ton of room! Five of us, plus grandpa, ride comfortably with pleny of cargo room. Interior lighting is excellent with well-placed lights. We haul furniture, and bulky loads by removing the rear seat. Handling on freeway is superb. Have replaced battery, brakes and a set of tires at 159K, & change fluids regularly. We got a good one!

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  An economy muscle car - 2007 Dodge Magnum
  By Patrick - October 21 - 10:29 pm

  This car is wild. It actually drives like a race car. It gives reasonable economy with tremendous power

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  Great truck - 2006 Dodge Dakota
  By ikestine - October 21 - 9:24 pm

  Traded in a Kia Rio for this wonderful truck. It has a very quiet ride and is very roomy. The interior is nice with some composite graphite on the dash and white tach with bold black letters. The lights glow blue on dash at night. The overall look of this truck is very nice. Dodge has one my family over.

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  2005 Dodge Neon SXT Sedan - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By IDG - October 21 - 5:43 pm

  I bought this late in 2006 after deciding that I needed a cheap, good fuel-economy small car to go to work with and take for occasional longer drives in the Northeast corridor. Ive been very satisfied with it so far. Its got strong brakes, is super-fun to drive, really stable on curves, and zips in and out of traffic like a dream. The kicker audio is just awesome and lets me keep the engine noise in check! Fuel economy is okay to good, but the tanks pretty small, about 12gallons. Id buy this car again if Dodge made some improvements and put this out on the market again, say, in 2008.

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  Charger Daytona RT - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By bigred06 - October 21 - 1:20 pm

  I think this is a great car. I got all the power I wanted with room for three real adults. The Hemi engine hardly seems like its being pushed, even at 80 MPH! I think they also did a decent job of packaging the option together. I really like the fact that for all the power and sport that this car is a everyday driver. I feel comfortable driving in stop and go traffic. (I dont like it) The transmission is much better than the original autosticks they offered. It also finally has five gears. Decent fuel economy for the V8. I also like the fact that it doesnt need premium gas.

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  Gas Hog - 2006 Dodge Dakota
  By dp - October 20 - 9:03 pm

  I have owned my Dakota for one year now and Ive put 25k miles on it. Belt tensioner went out at 18k miles and left me stranded with an overheated truck. Fuel economy is pathetic. Ive never gotten more than 16 mpgs on the highway and I get about 12 in the city at best. This is a great work truck, but I would not recommend it as a daily commuter vehicle.

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  Excellent Utilitarian Vehicle - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By Ryan - October 20 - 1:42 pm

  We have taken the car on two long road trips already. I was worried about the small V6 in such a large car but the pep was sufficient for excellent highway driving. The car is smooth and the steering is sharp for such a large car. Although the small windows in the rear reduce visibility, the side mirrors are the first adequate mirrors Ive ever seen on a car making the car much more navigatable through city streets. Fuel economy is actually exceeding the mid-size sedan we traded in. The transmission is uncharacteristically smooth from my previous experiences with Dodge. Only one minor warrenty issue so far (switch knob).

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  Magnum outside, Minimum inside - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By directr1 - October 20 - 5:44 am

  Magnum RT AWD is a great car all year. Super mileage even with a load. Only criticism, for a $40K + vehicle, less plastic and more style in the interior.

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  Durango Love - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By BigMar - October 19 - 9:48 pm

  The 2005 Durango SLT is my third Durango in a row. It is awesome. I am 65" and love the head room in this vehicle. The Hemi lets me power my way through highways. I never feel like I need more power. I like its tough rugged looks while at the same time giving my family a comfortable and roomy interior for long trips. We took it to the Mall of America packed with 5 adults and one child in child seat and still had plenty of room for the shopping on the way home. One of the great things about this vehicle is the 90 degrees of range to the passanger doors. That is really useful. Not to mention the 4x4 capability. All kinds of storms and you are cozy inside! Thank you Durango!