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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  Bad choice/ waste of money - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By Southern32 - January 25 - 1:37 pm

  I purchased this vechile thinking I was getting my money worth, bad choice. I have spent much more $$ then its worth, problem after problem this car is always in and out of the shop. I wish I had just purchased and old car for cash. The transmission goes into 1st gear causing me to pull over, shut the car off and then re-starting it, nothing but a hassle. So ready to get raid of it.

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  2009 Challenger R/T - 2010 Dodge Challenger
  By Ralph Medlin - January 25 - 11:42 am

  I purchased my Challenger in January of 2009. Chrysler nailed the look of the 1970 model. Shortly after I took the car home, the windows would drop down after the door was opened, but would not roll back up. It did this several times. The dealership was unable to duplicate the problem. The rear taillight panel had a two inch crack in it which had to be replaced. Some of the body panels and rear taillights did not line up. The lights could not be adjusted. I enjoyed driving the car, although I did not like the feel of the engine when cruising at low speeds. It felt like the engine was holding back. This particular car would spin the back tires, but not for long. I sold the car 6 mths later

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  good van - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By Bill - January 24 - 12:51 am

  I have had very good luck with this van. So far 11000 no major problems

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  The review of the SRT8 Hemi - 2009 Dodge Charger
  By Carman - January 22 - 10:19 pm

  I have test drove the 2009 Dodge Charger(sxt)250hp it was very nice, but it didn`t have enough horsepower too it so my dealer introduce me to the 6.1 hemi V8(SRT8)425 horsepower. I test drove it and the same day it was park in my back yard.

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  1996 ES Minivan - 1996 Dodge Caravan
  By J. Johnson - January 20 - 7:52 pm

  Purchased used in 1998 with 79,000 miles. Owned for 12+ years with only routine maintenance problems. Put snow tires on front ever winter with no problem handling in snow up to 8 inches deep. 3.8 L V6 engine has lots of oomph if needed to pass cars on highway. Love the cruising comfort with 4 captains seats. Just completed a round trip from MA to NC with no complaints. Averaged 23 mpg. Used around town also with 3rd row seat removed for extra cargo storage. Can fit up to 10 foot long pieces of lumber inside if needed. Enjoy the trip computer with built in compass.

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  dodge dependable minivan se - 2000 Dodge Caravan
  By Marisaperry - January 20 - 10:23 am

  this mini van is great.thats all i can say about it.I LOVE IT!

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  Solid car, good value for the money - 1995 Dodge Intrepid
  By Wayne - January 19 - 1:28 pm

  Bought it used with 40,000 miles, now has 150,000. 3.5 liter engine. The water pump and timing belt needs replacement every 70,000 or so. Tie rod ends last about 5 years. Its a solid car, nothing fancy in terms of creature comforts, but dependable. I keep track of repair costs and it averages about 1.2 cents per mile driven, much better than 2.4 and 2.8 for my two Bonnevilles. It needs to warm up a while before driving in our cold winters. Daughter has it at college, and still is dependable.

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  A ONE TON PAPERWEIGHT - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By LAURA - January 18 - 3:24 pm

  Purchased in 2002. A pretty good car. The only work it needed was routine maintenance like oil changes, tires etc. Ive taken great care with it. The other day it stalled out on me and I had it towed to repair shop. Turns out the water pump failed allowing antifreeze to mix with the motor oil which fried all the bearings. I only had 79000 miles on it. Im blown away that such inferior garbage such as this 2.7L engine can do this and is actually what you can expect to happen. I have an extended warranty but it may not cover the expense of a new motor since the warranty wont exceed the value of the car itself. Ill never ever buy Dodge or Chryseler again!

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  Take care of it and it will last forever - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Take Responsibility - January 17 - 5:44 pm

  I bought the car with 4 miles on it and have put over 42,000 miles on it. Im still on my first set of tires, and havent once had any need for service outside of preventative. I know that its a direct result of following ALL of the maintenance recommendations, which hasnt cost me much money or time. City mileage is a bit lower than rated, especially depending on what city youre in. In suburbs, I get 22 mpg, but in Santa Cruz, I got 17 (rated 23). However, I get better highway than rated. 29 vs. 26. Taking into account what the car is (3600 pounds, AWD, shaped like a brick), thats very impressive mileage. Its very capable in all terrains, snow, rain, dry, gravel, dirt, Ive traveled all

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  93 dodge shadow - 1993 Dodge Shadow
  By emilys car - January 17 - 1:28 pm

  Excellent car, nearly 200,000 kms on it and still going... Very comfortable and fun to drive, most reliable car, can sit for 2 weeks at below zero temp and still have no trouble starting. Not many repairs needed over the years. Love this car and will miss it when its gone some day. Doesnt seem like that will happen any time soon tho!