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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  Great so far! - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By John42 - August 19 - 2:00 am

  Weve owned our 2000 Grand Carvan Sport for 2 and a half years and 45,000 Miles. No problems to report. Mileage is about 23 mpg with the 3.3 liter V6.

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  Well built for a small car - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Nice Small Car - August 19 - 12:03 am

  A nice all around car! Better looking than most small cars. Handles great, good on gas. I would buy it again.

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  1999 Dodge Grand Caravan ES AWD - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Ted C. - August 18 - 5:43 am

  Despite all the warnings not to buy one of these, especially with all- wheel-drive, I can now say, with 152K miles of mostly around town driving on the clock, that this van owes me nothing. Yes, the serpentine belt went out at 70K miles and the speed sensor went out early on, but both are minor. The transmission is just now starting to slip a bit between 1st and 2nd, but otherwise this has been an incredibly reliable and well thought out vehicle. Id be hard pressed to improve on my van (office, pickup, camper, taxi). I am most impressed with the ergonomics and space. Unfortunately, for me, there is no longer any vehicle on the market that can meet all my needs as this van has.

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  Needs more Power! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Leslie - August 17 - 1:26 pm

  We bought our R/T off of the showroom floor. The first in our area in July of 06. I had my doubts when we test drove it. I was used to driving a V6. But all in all we wanted a new good gas mileage car with cargo room. We took it on a long trip and avg 27 mpg. Not bad. The only downfall for us on this car was the acceleration. It just doesnt have that "get up and go". It actually got to the point of us being hesitant to pull out into traffic. We only had it for 6 mths and traded it in. I would say the Caliber is a good choice for someone who needs a smaller car with good gas mileage and cargo room.

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  This 2005 Dodge Neon SXT is my 4th. Neon - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Marshall - August 16 - 10:40 pm

  My 2005 Dodge Neon SXT is very comfortable and fun to drive! This is my 4th Neon, and my SXT has comfortable seats for long trips. The Neon SXT is both a peppy and responsive car. The interior is very roomy with Daimler- Chryslers "cab forward" design. The instrument panel looks rather nice with the white round indicators. I like the tachometer and the green jewel-like lit up instrument panel at night. The car has good brakes and a very good air conditioning system. The electronically controlled 4 speed automatic transmission has a good feel to it. The Neon SXT handles like a more expensive sports car. I like the looks and the feel of my 2005 Dodge Neon SXT! Neon SXT is a good buy.

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  Tough Tittle Dodge - 1993 Dodge Dakota
  By tarfee - August 16 - 9:55 pm

  This truck is just the right size for me. I drive my full size truck very little now. The Dakota is comfortable and drives well. It has a real seat in the extended cab a real plus to other smaller trucks. The body is rock solid and tough. Keep the touch up paint handy however or the paint will fly off. I have had no mechanical problems. The transmission is like most Dodges, it shifts down very often even will just a light load. One of my favorite trucks to own.

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  Disappointing - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By Rick - August 16 - 6:47 pm

  What sold me was the smooth luxury car like ride unlike many other SUVs. Lots of electrical problems with this one from the very begining. Latest episode left my wife stranded due to failure to start and had to hitch a ride to the airport. Had just gotten it out of the shop for other issues. It is back there again!Poor fuel economy.

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  I was in love - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By flyboy843 - August 16 - 5:32 pm

  I bought my Intrepid in November of 2001 and have had a great experience with the car. The ride is compliant but not soft. It handles nice . Has good power. I had done nothing to the car except for maintainance (oil changes, brakes and tires) for 52000 carefree miles. Then then the honeymoon was over. The engine died with some serious knock deep within the block. Spun a rod bearing among some other things. At 52k miles! Ended up replacing the engine. Im now afraid to drive it but I commute 68 miles daily. The car runs nice now and looks exceptionally nice, but beware of Intrepids with the 2.7l engine. Find and ES or R/T model as they have different motors. I wont buy Chrysler any more!

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  The Real Durango! - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By JS - August 16 - 5:21 pm

  Absolutely the finest perfromance vehicle I have seen since the 70s. This vehicle for its size and weight just moves out. Power, comfort and reliability are excellent. If gas mileage is your issue, then you probably cant afford the vehicle to start with. If you can afford the vehicle, the gas mileage doesnt matter!

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  Got my moneys worth - 1997 Dodge Stratus
  By Steve Pavkov - August 16 - 2:59 pm

  For the low price of just over $13k, I feel the car performed well over the years. There were numerous "little" problems with it, such as electronic issues. I also had a fuel injection problem with it costing me $1K. When the car reached seven years, interior stuff like seats and plastics started to fall apart.