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:

• 

  Worst car I have even owned! - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By Jennifer - October 5 - 10:37 am

  This is the worst vechile I have ever owned. I bought it brand new and have had to bring it to the dealer 10 times to fix non-routine maintence items. Brakes went out, check engine light is on all the time and the dealership cant fix it (brought in 5 times), AC broke twice, wind shield wiper motors broke. Only 40K miles! I wouldnt wish this SUV on my worst enemy.

• 

  Very satisfied overall - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By BNSF616 - October 5 - 7:33 am

  Bought used from a friend (off lease) with 36K mi. Owned for almost 7 yrs. Other than expected and reasonable maintenance/replacement items (brakes, batteries, tires, belts, tune-up) had no major mechanical or electrical problems, and it never left us stranded. Finally traded off at 135K mi, but only because we were getting a little nervous about frequent road-trips to remote rural areas for family obligations.

• 

  An absolute blast to drive - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Tim - October 4 - 10:54 am

  I bought this with the ACR package and from reading the other reviews, I am glad I did. 7 inch rims, adjustable struts and the ACR seats. Home-run! Mods are everywhere. I have a short-throw shifter that really improved shifting. This car takes curves with no sliding or squeal. Its a sports car, so to complain about ride would be an oxy-moron, your teeth will get rattled.

• 

  2003 Dakota SXT Regular Cab - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By consultfirst - October 3 - 10:02 pm

  Fun truck to drive with the 5-speed manual transmission. Truck is perfect size between compact and full size. Too bad they stopped making the regular cab version.

• 

  Not A Good Choice, Or I Got A Bad One - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By WCleaver - October 3 - 2:38 pm

  Had to replace engine at 86,000 miles. This is due to an engine sludge problem Dodge doesnt want to talk about. The limited slip differential needed rebuilding at 91,000 miles. Any dealer would say these troubles are do the lack of maintanence, not true in my case. Im done with DaimlerChrysler Croporation.

• 

  Thirsty car - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By smc in Colorado - October 2 - 10:34 pm

  This car is okay, and thats about it. You dont expect an SUV to get 25 mpg, but this thing is like Dudley Moore at last call - drink, drink, drink. It doesnt "hug" the road well, and it really feels only average in the snow (part of the reason for owning an SUV). It hasnt been a horrible experience, but no way I buy it again.

• 

  "Claravan" - 1999 Dodge Caravan
  By lojajujo - September 30 - 10:11 pm

  I bought my Caravan new in Nov 1998. It has been very reliable. It is roomy enough to haul around my own kids and their friends. She even developed her own persona, "Claravan", over the years. My only beef with Dodge is in the quality of materials used. In the first year, my hood was permanently indented from my oldest son leaning up against it. Also, the air conditioner had to be replaced within two years. For the most part, though, this has been an economical and dependable mode of transportation. I average 20-22 mpg even now in my eighth year of ownership

• 

  Mine, Mine, Mine - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Sunbeam - September 30 - 8:46 pm

  I love this car! We have two kids and we drive everywhere comfortably. I went to the hardware store and the guys laughed at me, told me I wouldnt fit everything into my "little" car. Well I showed them, they were amazed! Their next comment was " This should be a commercial for this car" Go Get One!!!

• 

  Sad - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By KSD - September 30 - 9:43 am

  The 96 was much more enjoyable. The transmission has had trouble since day 1 in the 2003 model, and Ive had nothing but trouble dealing with the Dodge dealerships to fix it. Even though the transmission was replaced 6 months after I bought it, it has had problems the whole time of ownership. Ive had the car for 3 years. It has left me stranded on more than one occassion. Ive never been so disappointed in a car in all my life. I know one thing, my next car wont be a Dodge of any kind, ever again.

• 

  Save Your Money Keep Driving when you see the Dodge?Chrysler logo - 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By dsm35 - September 30 - 9:33 am

  Wow what can a consumer say about a vehicle that after 7 years of pmts will be close to 40k. The engine had to be rebuilt at around 22k miles started going out about 10k miles TOO MANY deficiencies to mention. Seriously folks these people DONT LIKE YOU They want YOUR MONEY. You get what you get with Dodge/Chrysler B.S. 24/7 Great commercials on T.V. Too Bad they Produce POS daily. Mistake Waste of Money