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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  My 1996 Dodge Intrepid - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By FireBird - May 27 - 10:43 am

  I traded in my old Saturn for this car and only paid $100.00 for it. I have only had to replace the water pump one time at 181K, This car is a real nice build, about $35.00 will fill it up, and I drive it all year round. The A/C is nice and cold. I love this car!

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  Me and my cute Caliber - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By maxine liles - May 27 - 8:10 am

  i have thoroughly enjoyed my Caliber. it is fun to drive, and people are always asking me about it, and those that dont actually talk to me are looking and looking. It is really the most fun and reliable, so far, of any vehicle I have had. I owned a l996 Intrepid and I never thoughtI would find a vehicle that I loved as much as I loved my Intrepid, but I have found it in my cute Caliber.

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  not bad... - 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Mike - May 26 - 9:00 pm

  The wife and I hit the dealership the last day of the "national mini-van" sale and got an amazing deal. We bought the SXT "special edition" grand caravan for 23 thousand (a 32 thousand dollar vehicle). It has all the bells and whistles they offer. The wife was happy as she drives it to work. We owned a 2002 Grand Caravan that we traded in for this one. I have to say the 2002 was more quiet and had more headroom than this 2007. I believe its because of the stow n go seating storage bins being so close to the road it picks up a lot of noise (?). The wife likes it so Im happy, no issues with it thus far.

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  Fun and reliable - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Rene - May 26 - 7:20 pm

  After years of driving minivans and big SUVs I thought Ill never get used to driving a sedan but I did and I love it. It feels like a sports car (and drives like one) There is lots of room for my 2 kids in the back with car seats, plus enough room if I have to take my German shepherd with me. I wish fuel economy would be better (just a tad better then my Expedition) I love this car

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  The Big blue Van - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By elmo - May 26 - 10:00 am

  So now Im 30- something w/ 2 kids; so now I have a van. Well, i must say that the Dodge Grand Caravan is a really cool van, as vans can be. The van has all the features(except a C/D player) we wanted and was exaclty priced at what we wanted and could afford to pay for a van. The cool thing is that the Grand Caravan is the cheaper priced- just as nice cousin of the Chrysler Town and Country.

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  4x4 3.9 Dodge Dakota, What a Joke - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By chris - May 25 - 9:44 pm

  By far the worst pickup truck Ive ever owned up to this date. From the second I drove it off the lot there was nothing but problems with my 2003 Dodge Dakota. The list is unfortunatly too long to list everything. Lets just say that now Im having problems with my airbag! Like I said, everything wrong with it. This is a poor excuse for a 4x4. Absolutely no power to the tiny 3.9 lawnmower engine it has. Transmission makes the engine race and yet never pulls into gear. And lets not forget that when driving it constantly feels like youre dragging an anchor.

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  Dakota Owner for 6 years - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By Jim - May 25 - 11:41 am

  I liked my Dodge Dakota before my extended warranty ran out. When the warranty expired I had a hard time understanding why when one small part fails you have to replace an entire module, e.g. The check engine light bulb when out and the way to fix it is to replace the entire circut board powering the odometer, speedometer, safter lights, temp, etc. The part must be bought through the dealer and is not less than $995 plus labor of taking the dashboard apart. And emissions will not pass me without the check engine bulb working. so now Im stuck with a $1500 repair on a vehicle that only has a $4000 value. When will these designers wake up?

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  An astouding vehicle for the money - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Scotch - May 25 - 10:45 am

  Ive wanted this car since it was a concept, and I will say that the production car seems even better, if only because of the turbo. There are so many things to appreciate about this car: fantastic power curve, LSD, decent (but stiff-legged) suspension, the exhaust note, the excellent aftermarket support, even the mileage (27-29 mpg on average for me) has been very good for a car of this type. I have very few serious complaints about this car, except that I wish it were lighter and handled as well as my 96 Neon, but that car has Koni adjustable struts - unfair comparison. I could have ordered an 06 ACR, but I didnt feel it was worth a nearly $3K permium over my car paid $19,7XX for mine.

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  What an engine - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By Rx:MagnumQd - May 24 - 10:19 pm

  Wow! This is one incredibly fast car. It replaced my Magnum RT, already a fast car. This one simply flies. The whole car has been upgraded from the suspension to the transmission to the brakes. It feels like a complete package. Handles suprisingly well for a 4300lb car. Seats are terrific, way better that the stock RT seats. Driving the car is an exercise in right foot restraint. The barritone soundtrack that comes with a quick jab of the throttle is worth the price of admission alone. The thrust that comes with this right foot exercise is very impressive indeed. Remember, this car has more horsepower than any Corvette (except Z06) produced in the last 25 years. Overall, a blast to drive!

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  Fun in the snow - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By mopar fan - May 24 - 5:39 pm

  Powerful toy, fun to drive in the snow. Very reliable, only complaint is slow braking power, sometimes scary. Ride is pleasant concidering that it is a truck.