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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  Dodge Grand Caravan - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By marilynh1 - February 11 - 10:00 am

  It drive great, very comfortable.

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  Love my van - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By MIndypin - February 11 - 10:00 am

  This is my second Dodge Caravan. I love it. It is really comfortable and gets good gas mileage.

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  Extremely Pleased - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By GKgrandma - February 11 - 10:00 am

  We bought our van because we were left raising two of my grandchildren and they wanted a van. ITS BEEN THE BEST THING WE COULD HAVE DONE!!! The girls really enjoy it and weve made several long distance trips (16,000 miles or more) in the time weve had it, with no trouble. Youre right - its extremely comfortable to drive and ride in. In fact my son, who has a Honda Odyssy, says hes buying a Dodge Grand Caravan the next time they buy. (Ive riden in his van, and its noisy, small and uncomfortable.) Our ride is also very quiet - something that most comment on when they ride with us. A VERY SATISFIED CUSTOMER

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  I LIKE MY VAN . . . A LOT - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By SCRATCH - February 11 - 10:00 am

  WE BOUGHT OUR VAN DECEMBER 03 IT HAS BEEN A JOY TO DRIVE AND WITH GAS PRICES UP, WE THINK WE GET GREAT GAS MILAGE FOR THE DRIVING WE DO.

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  Great Deal - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By Durango2004 - February 11 - 10:00 am

  We looked long and hard at the Durnageo, Expedition, and Pilot. The Tahoe wasnt even in the picture. In the end, the Durango had more room and power than the Pilot and was actually less money. The Expedition was bigger and had dual temp control, and a keyless touchpad. The biggest advantage it had was that it seated eight. The Durango had a much better engine-HEMI! It also was quieter and handled better. In the end, it was $5500 less than the Ford which is why we bought the Durango. We have less than a thousand miles on it, but it is getting 16 MPG with almost all of it on the highway. Better mileage than people are getting with the Expedition.

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  Best yet - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By firesocks - February 9 - 2:00 am

  When you sit down and compare apples to apples the Dodge Boys end up on top. Something that the neh sayers need to take into consideration is the Diamler effect put into these vans. Fine German engineering is quite evident in the interior. Fit and finish excellent. Would never opt for retractable rear seat unless the split 50/50 rear could retract individualy.

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  SAFE great car for me. - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Rhe - February 7 - 8:12 pm

  As a mother with a young child this car was perfect. I recently totalled mine. I should have been a lot worse of than I was. The car is a total loss insurance wise, but it didnt take near the beating it should have hitting a guardrail end head on due to snow/ice. I adored this vehicle. I bought it pre-owned. It had been kept up mechanically and when I got it the two majorly known problems were the arms and the undercarriage frame and they were in better than should be condition. I replaced the arms right away to ensure safety but the frame was able to wait a few more years. It was a very comfortable ride as a front passenger or driver, a child would find the backseat alright but an adult not so much. Cargo space was excellent for small hauling of furniture and a great grocery run. I only had to make two repairs on it. The arms and alternator ( my fault hit a spot of road were water covered it doing 60mph cause i couldnt see it at night) but it lasted 2 months before dying on me completely. I mainly used this car for to and from work, but also a few short trips. It was a smooth drive. Im really going to miss it. I highly recommend it for small families.

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  Dodge Minis SUV - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By JB in Pittsburgh - February 7 - 2:10 pm

  I have had the car for about a month. Great radio/CD system but do not understand why there is no aux. imput. Car pull slightly to the left so I am having dealer look at alignment. AWD drive cars go out of alignment easily and chew up tires. Fuel economy is 22- 24 mpg in commuting,slightly better on highway, but no AWD car will match a two wheel drive car in mpg. The CVT seems to do better at mpg in city driving. Pick-up could be better. I would recommend that Dodge consider the Turbo-Diesel used in Europe ( 220 foot pounds of torque ) or a 30 hp upgrade to the 2.4 using a milder version of the SRT turbo. Have not driven in snow yet.

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  My Thoughts - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Gene E. Waktz - February 7 - 10:00 am

  I currently have a 2004 model. This is my second Dodge Caravan. The first was a 1999 which performed very well. When I traded it in on the current one it had 69000 miles. The only problem I had with it was the emergency brake unit which had to be replaced at around 20000 miles, it was covered by the warrenty. The main reason I traded was the great financial deals they were offering at the time. I did upgrade to a larger V6 engine. There is a big difference in performance. I also added the power sliding doors, great.

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  Awesome Mini Van! - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By elboricua - February 7 - 10:00 am

  You have to love the power liftgate, the smooth drive, and the stow and go. We drove other mini vans, and there is no comparison to the interior room and comfort of the Caravan. And the upgraded engine is responsive, yet quit. Definitely worth it.