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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  Do NOT try to tow anything with this - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By DeanWag - February 17 - 10:00 am

  I have an small trailer that can hold maybe 1000# I have destroyed in the last 3 years 3 transmissions and the current one is showing signs. Odd electrical probles occur intermently like front wipers do one swipe ect.

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  1999 Durango - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By rbecker54 - February 17 - 10:00 am

  Been in the shop many times for various reasons, mostly power window acutators. Ive replaced 7 since buying the car and only have 35,000 miles on it. Very poor gas mileage and hard on tires.

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  Disappointed - 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Charles Mooers - February 15 - 6:16 am

  The battery went dead at 3900 miles and again at 5,922 miles. My first few tanks of gas I only got a little over 10 MPG. Now I only get a little over 13 MPG. Very disappointed with this vehicle. I will never buy another Daimler Chrysler product.

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  Not Satisfied - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Joe C - February 12 - 9:00 am

  My wife liked this car so we bought it, luckily, I dont drive it often. It is impressive looking, even if not to my taste. This car has the most limited visibility of any car I remember driving. I cannot see the trafic light if I am the first car at an intersection without literally moving my head under the windshield. The only unobstructed view is straight ahead. The car seems to be leaking something, not sure what that is yet. Glad I only leased this thing. Even with the leather interior, all of that beer cooler plastic elsewhere makes it cheap looking.

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  Worst Ever - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By Bob - February 10 - 7:37 pm

  Have spent more on repairs for this vehicle than all others owned, combined, over past 40 years. Drives fine, but electric problems, several hard to diagnose computer sensors blown out, water pumps, fuel pump (in gas tank), etc.

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  Lemon Law - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By family of five - February 1 - 5:43 pm

  We purchased our Dodge Grand Caravan in 11/04. We loved all of the features, especially the 6 disc DVD and stow n go. After the first year of ownership, we have had nothing but problems! Chrysler is purchasing our van back because of the lemon laws. We had so many things replaced (tie rods, sway bars, seats(cable broke), leak in the AC and AC replaced due to the recall. We are now looking at Sienna. It may cost us more but at least I wont spend a lot of time at the service center.

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  Meet Babe, the Blue Ox. - 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By sailorbeavis - January 18 - 5:51 pm

  Got this Pearl Water Blue SE with a two-tone interior in March 2010 as a work truck. It replaced a 2006 Caravan. Dodge made some improvements and fell short in others. The van handles better thanks to bigger tires and minor suspension improvements, but the 3.3L engine is a dog coupled to the four-speed transmission. If I had a choice I wouldve gone for the 3.8L; you are not going anywhere fast in this van. Once up to speed its reasonably stout and stable, and road noise is minimal. I love the Stow n Go and the additional storage places, but the cheap plastic on this car inside and out scratches/marks easily and is not as nice-looking as my old van, nor is it holding up as well.

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  This car is just OK - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By phoebeK - January 12 - 10:00 am

  Although I like driving my Durango and it hasnt had any major problems, the car has some drawbacks. 1) Air circulation- this car does not allow you to select fresh or recirculated air. 2) Power windows stick- intermittently- by the time you get it to the dealer itll be working again- and they wont fix it until they can replicate the problem- even though Durangos have historically had this problem. 3) The PAINT SUCKS! It chips VERY easily.

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  Crummy Transmission - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Doug G - January 7 - 2:00 am

  We bought this with about 45000 miles on it. 6 weeks after buying it, we had to put $1,750 into the transmission after (of course) the salesman told us that the transmission was checked. We had specifically asked about the trans. during the test drive. There is now a "thumb" in the front end when doing over bumps... I dare wonder whats wrong NOW!

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  poor quality - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Maz - January 4 - 4:23 pm

  Very comfortable and versatile. Served us well with two teens through college, however constant maintenance was costly and inconvenient. Another example of good basic design but poor materials and engineering of components, especially persistent problems with A/C, Transmission, Alternator, Belts, Wipers, Brakes, Spare Tire, Liftback and Radiator. Other than those things, it ran fine ; )