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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  One word sums it up: awesome! - 1995 Dodge Viper
  By Tom - July 14 - 11:35 am

  It has tremendous load of torque that can be felt at every gear. Comfort level is better than expected. It gets very good gas mileage on highway (21 MPG) due to the overdrive 6th gear. Attract attention like no other cars on the road (except for the Murcielago). If you drive a car for so long and get used to it, youll forget how good looking it was to you (thats why you buy it in the first place), and eventually get bored with it. That is not the case with the Viper. The attention it gets, from the time it starts rolling out of the garage until the time it arrives at the destination and parked, will assure you that youre driving one of a few best looking vehicles on the planet.

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  prarie schooner - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By whoa there - July 13 - 7:00 pm

  van has been real good ,and real bad. tranny serviced as required,but popped at 113000 miles $2000 to fix. shocks&struts at 96000 miles.brakes at 70000 miles. no other problems at 125k.the van has been reliable and worryfree the rest of the time. i had bought an 05 gc to takeover for this one,kept this to run around town. no complaints. many comfortable road trips.

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  Avenger - 1998 Dodge Avenger
  By Joy - July 13 - 5:20 pm

  I bought my Avenger over a year ago and have loved it. I have 115000 miles on it. I love the front, how fast and sporty it looks. It is very comfortable and Ive only had to do minimal repairs. The door handles are a problem. Im developing a kind of shudder when the car shifts now. Im looking into the cause.

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  Wonderful car!! - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By krd - July 13 - 2:26 pm

  Just got my Magnum a couple of weeks ago. I bought the car that the dealer ordered because the one I had ordered wasnt near the point of being built.That is one point I would like to make if you are planning on ordering an RT...plan on a good long wait. Mine has been on order for three months and is still not built. It is a beautiful Mineral Gray with gorgeous leather seats. One of the best new cars I have ever purchased. Very solid feel good power and great handling. I felt right at home in this car from the first time I drove it.

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  My little Dakota R/T - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By Paul Baldozier - July 13 - 12:13 pm

  This is a very fun little truck to have. It is a sport truck so the ride is a little stiff but that is to be expected from a performance model. This seems to be a well built truck, I havent had a single problem with it in the little over a year that I have owned it. At this point and time the only thing that I wish was better about the truck would be better gas mileage at highway speeds, in town seems to be consistent and in my opinion not to bad for a large 5.9L V8. If Dodge would of went with 3.73 or 3.55 gears the motor would be at a much happier RPM for high way speeds.

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  I love my R/T - 2001 Dodge Neon
  By becksr/t - July 13 - 12:24 am

  If you like to pull onto the highway with confidence that you can merge without getting rear ended, this car is for you. I havent taken it to the 1/4 mile yet, but it has all kinds of power. If you want to lay down some rubber youll have to push the trac-off button. But the traction control will be a big plus when I do hit the strip, in a couple weeks. If you are over six feet you might not be comfortable. The wheels arent that hard to clean. Theyre clear coat so just spray on some mean green scrub for 10 seconds with a sponge & hose off good. For a compact car, you couldnt ask for more, sporty, fast, yet toddler friendly.

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  2004 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab 4WD SLT - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By William Ryan - July 12 - 2:03 pm

  If I could get 10 more MPG out of this truck I would be happy. I love everything about it. If you live in a cold climate and you buy a Dakota Quad I would suggest getting the rear window defogger instead of the sliding rear window - you probably wont use the slider that much anyway.

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  Dependable & handles deep snow well. - 1997 Dodge Intrepid
  By Pat Lytle - July 12 - 11:37 am

  I live in Alaska, outside of town with a long uphill driveway. My Intrepid has pushed through snow many times to get me to town. I have had 4WD pickups & SUVs that have not handled as well. I get about 25 MPG, and have not had any major repairs to contend with. The car now has over 150,000 miles on it and burns no oil or has any problems. My teenage daughter, who is a careful driver, is buying it from me for her first car. With dual airbags and how well it handles icy roads, I trust this car to keep her on the road, regardless of the contions. As for my next car, I think I need another Intrepid!

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  91000 miles no problem - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By naskefice - July 12 - 10:17 am

  20+ mpg. Mobil 1 oil change about every 5000 miles. Replaced tires and brakes. Same antifreeze, still clean. Same battery. All weather striping still good. The exhaust system still good. The car is still tight including the sunroof. My wife loves this car. Have never kept a car this long. Still looks and drives like new. The key is to keep it clean and gararge kept. It does now use about 1/2 quart of oil by time to change oil. None needs to be added.

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  The Journey Begins - 2016 Dodge Journey
  By Scott Lane - July 12 - 7:24 am

  There are a couple of different styles and I was shown the bells and whistles first. I had to settle for the one with less options and feel jilted.