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:

• 

  Love our van..... - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By LuvsLighthouses - October 24 - 10:00 am

  We bought our van used with less than 24K miles on it. It is black and white with a grey interior. It has tinted windows and both side doors.

• 

  Love my caravan - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By l kovel - October 24 - 10:00 am

  This is the first mini van I have owned. I have had other suvs and full size vans. The Caravan is fun to drive, has all the options/accessories you could need. It was priced great. We love the room, the handling, the comfort, the style. I just love it. I would recommend it to everyone. The automatic doors and rear hatch are ultra convenient.

• 

  love my dodge van - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By chrysler - October 24 - 10:00 am

  Im not much of a van person never thought i would own one until i drove the dodge van it is very comfertable and enough power to do what i need it to do even fully loaded with the family its powerful enough to enter the highways safly especialy here in ca.

• 

  Fun Truck - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By vols - October 24 - 10:00 am

  We use it like and USV which is what we had, but this rides so much better.

• 

  Great Truck - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By thanagan - October 24 - 10:00 am

  My 2nd Dakota. Its a great truck

• 

  Dodge Journey SXT AWD loaded - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Jeff - October 24 - 12:03 am

  I like this midsized SUV alot, Tows 3,500 lbs None of the others in its class are capable of towing at all not even recommended for a bicycle rack! I would have preferred a top chrome cross bar on the grill, I have rally raced it and won every time against all the usual rally cars - Suvs, I do not know why they offer a four cylinder engine in the SE model, anyone one who buys with the four and than complains about power and some of the lower priced trim do not have anyone to blame but themselves

• 

  My dodge gran-caravan - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By gran-caravan lover - October 22 - 10:00 am

  I have 435,000 miles on my baby , going for 600,00 have had no problems with trans and motor but the electronics awful, have no int. lights sliders stop 3 yrs. ago have cut wires in the mec. that moves doors back and forth cont changing window lift mortors back wiper motor went out 4 yrs ago, yet I love this van so much I work out of her everyday and dont let anyone else drive it. I would buy another one if they would.

• 

  Hidden gem that may not be so hidden - 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Jeff K. - October 22 - 10:00 am

  After 1 year of driving 09 Dodge Grand Caravan SE, I was ready to move up to SXT trim. Base engine was too weak and 4-speed AT just couldnt get into right gear, especially at low speeds. This probably contributed to higher than expected fuel consumption as most of my driving is in the city. If you need to get from point A to point B, then base engine will do. But, if you are a spirited driver like me, skip all the engine choices and just go with 4.0L. You will not regret it. Let me tell you: this car drives completely differently. The car accelerates effortlessly. Yes, upgrade to SXT trim will cost you more but with current incentives, the 10 SXT costs less than what I paid for 09 SE.

• 

  Fantastic! - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Gareth - October 18 - 2:00 am

  Love it! So smooth to drive and comfortable to sit in. The looks are so suprising for a minivan. DVD keeps my 2 year old quiet when normally she is a handful. It keeps amazing you with more & more features. My wife says I feel like a rich person now

• 

  take a look despite reviews from Ed - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By jojomoy - October 18 - 2:00 am

  This is a great family car and is much less than a Honda which is what we have bought for years. I was shooked when we drove both and chose this one. Honda does not have anything on this car for the cost.