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:

• 

  Will make excuses to drive somewhere! - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Amber - November 6 - 2:06 am

  This is the most fun vehicle I have owned. The Magnum turns heads where ever I go. The Hemi will force you back into your seat and even has kick when already at high speeds. Has lots of room, I fit a willow tree in it! Adults love all the room in the rear seats. Worth every penny I paid for it.

• 

  great ride - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By imaso001 - November 3 - 11:40 am

  The ride on this suv is amazing. The R/T has a performance suspension and it is well worth getting. The suv hugs the corners and stays steady through out and handles rough roads easily. Has a very quiet ride at high speeds as well. The V6 mated to the 6 speed auto works great together. Dont get the 4 it is underpowered The drive train provides plenty of power and the 6 speed shifts up and down smooth. The third row seat came in handy when my nephews rode to town with us. DVD system kept all 4 kids entertained and the sound quality with the infinity system is excellent. I have had the car for a month now and can find nothing negative to say about it. You can do anything with the MYGIG system

• 

  Jodys review - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By Jody68 - November 2 - 9:30 pm

  Just purchased it and I absolutely love it. I love the chilled compartment for your drinks and the gas mileage is great. I got the burnt orange color and I love it. Great car

• 

  Great Car - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Sherry - October 31 - 9:36 pm

  After months of looking and test driving several cars, I found this lovely delight. I would not change anything about this car, it is a great family car and my husband loves to drive it. Dodge did a great thing.

• 

  A Great Choice - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By jhrapp - October 31 - 1:20 am

  So far I cannot find anything to complain about. It has preformed very well and is getting 16,6 City and 25.8 Hiway. The Ride is very good. I travel between Fla and Geo. once a month and drive 10 Hours at a time. It handles very well. As of this time I am very pleased. This is my first CHRY. Product and I think its a great BUY. Thank you Dodge.

• 

  Magnum RT AWD - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By arcadia - October 30 - 10:20 am

  Great ride with comfortable seating. The Hemi is great for passing and merging. It is an eye-catcher.

• 

  NICE - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By hmdavid - October 30 - 10:00 am

  I wanted an SUV but the wife wanted a minivan. My only thought on that was if I had to drive a minivan it had to be the sportiest one on the road, Caravan! We have enjoyed the room and styling of our Grand Caravan and plan to drive ultil the wheels fall off. We have only had a couple complaints about the van. One is the comfort of the front seats on long trips. A lumbar support would be nice. And second, the ignition wires that Dodge uses, stink.

• 

  Best Van Available - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Travler - October 30 - 10:00 am

  Bought the eL after much shopping, looked at them all, Honda, Toyota, Ford and chevy. Dodge beats them all in ride/handling, comfort, and price, about the same on MPG as Honda/Toyota. Our eL is actually better than advertized on MPG. With only 1200 Miles (1 month old) on it we are consistantly getting 28.5 highway and low 20s in town. We got the 6-CD changer and the whole sound system is AWSOME. My wife and I are card carrying AARP members and we travel a lot however we needed a vehicle with room inside and lots of comfort. This van is it!

• 

  Great Vehicle - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By John Reed - October 29 - 11:00 pm

  Great perfomance. I get lots of comments from friends and family,and I believe that some are jealous of our purchse. Its great for traveling across the couintry, is very comfortable on long distance drives ,especially in the Southwest. Weve used the A/C a lot. It keeps the vehicle comfortable.

• 

  New 2004 changes make this a MUST have! - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Docace - October 24 - 10:00 am

  With 500 miles behind me now I am just more and more amazed how much car Dodge crammed into the price of $21k. This car has unsurpassed braking ability, incredible acceleration and total road holding ability. This is the new car by which all others will be judged. Finding one was tough and the fact that most dealers will stick to selling the car at the MSRP means that anyone that wants one can with a bit of patience have one. 2004 model year changes such as more horsepower, limited slip differential & better tires then last year alone makes this car such a great deal. Dodge did their homework on these issues and it shows every time you put your foot in it.