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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  Comfort Ride - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By Dodge Caravan SE - June 19 - 12:04 am

  We love the comfort of our Dodge Caravan. The vans seats were extremely comfortable on a 2500 mile trip we took out west. This is our second Dodge Caravan SE.

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  Great ReliablityI - 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By mb - June 17 - 2:43 pm

  I have owned 5 Grand Caravans and I am sold on its reliability. We recently purchased a new caravan because of a roll over accident with our old caravan. The passenger area stayed completely in tack. The air bags deployed as they were designed and my family was safe. We had a few bumps and bruises after rolling over 3 times. The Caravan is a very comfortable and utility vehicle for a family.The stow and Go especially.

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  First car - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Steph - June 17 - 11:43 am

  This is my first car - all other vehicles have been trucks or SUVs. I love driving this car, and it was easy to make the transition from a Durango to the Caliber. It drives great and seems to have a lot of power for a 4 cyl.

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  expensive choice - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By jc2009 - June 16 - 10:43 am

  I have had squeaking in my brakes from the first week. My transmission jerks and have had it checked repeatedly. Car hops when turning. It floats and is hard to control on the freeway. It leaked so bad that the back floor compartments were full of water, the carpets molded and they had to glue all the seams. They were so cheap they left the removable carpets instead of replacing them although the Journey logo came off due to water damage. Now my front brakes are metal to metal after a week ago of being told they were safe . 600-700 to do the brakes . Dodge needs to recall these for wiring, the brakes and the leaks. I will never buy a dodge again.

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  I Love My Stratus! - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Chris - June 16 - 1:59 am

  I will admit, when I bought my Stratus, I was not pleased at the fact that I was going from a V-6 1997 Toyota Avalon to this four cylinder car, but after about a month of ownership, I fell in love. With the gas prices the way they are, my Stratus sips on gas and has adequate enough power to roll with the big boys! Its quite fun to drive, it has double wishbone suspension, so its nice on curvy roads. It has a humungous trunk, 6 x 9 speakers in the front and the rear (no need to put twelves in the trunk). And its pretty to look at, too.

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  Dakota R/T - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By Dakota R/T - June 15 - 11:38 pm

  I have the R/T and obviously love the power. It is only rated for towing 2,000 pounds, but Ive towed well over 3,500 pounds without any problems running the air conditioning full blast while driving up the mountains in the summertime. However, Ive had lots of electrical problems, and the truck has broken down on me in the middle of the Arizona desert. In addition, I get 12 mpg in the city and 15 on the freeway.

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  Good value, not best van out there - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By DonnaH - June 15 - 9:50 pm

  We have just about 4K miles on the van. Rides very nice. Interior is versatile, hauled a full size couch using Stow and Go which is cool. The compartments in the floor are handy storage when the seats are up. The leather seating is firm and driver/passenger seats are not comfortable compared to Honda. The Stow and Go seats are surprisingly comfortable even for an adult considering the compact size. Have had a few minor problems with trim coming off after only 2 months. Front bumper cracked, how, I dont know, no marks. The dealer said too bad, no warranty, $750 repair. I would have bought the Odyssey, but Dodge came in $5K less plus 0% financing for 5 years. Overall, a decent value. You get what you pay for.

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  Run For Your Life - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By Denise - June 14 - 6:51 pm

  This is by far the worst car I have ever owned. The first year was okay, but it went "downhill" after that. The a/c and heating is far from adequate and very loud especially on high. It took the dealership three years to figure out what was wrong.(it was the condenser) The power locks and windows have worked much less than perfect for the last four years. Now 62,500 miles and 7 years later the motor has thrown a rod and I am receiving information that I am not the only one that has had the motor go "kaboom" at 60,000 miles. So, beware if you buy a 1999 Dodge Intrepid.

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  I must have got a good one! - 1992 Dodge Stealth
  By Mr. Moore - June 14 - 2:38 pm

  Bought the car in 97 with 45000 mi. Drove it until 03 when wife blew engine driving it with blown heater hose. Had 203,000 when motor went. Had tranny rebuilt at 150,000 for $2200 dollars. New engine and shop install cost $5500, way more than car is worth. Just couldnt part with car, its like an old friend. The car is incredibly fast for a base model & handles great. Only real drawback to the design is the placement of spoiler in the middle of the back window blocking rear view mirror, although glad for spoiler over 90 miles an hour, & back seats have no leg room. Love the car & hope for 200,000 more miles.

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  Great vehicle - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Carla Garrison - June 14 - 10:03 am

  This car has been wonderful this past year. The stow and go seating is almost miraculous. I dont know how we ever lived without it. It makes this van extemely versitile changing quickly and easily from a people carrier to a cargo transport. The navigation system and audio, video system have been entertaining to say the least. I think I always want to own one.