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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  Dodge - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By Robert J. Darragh - November 20 - 7:20 am

  When you sit inside you feel like your in a full size truck. The ride is great,and it handles very good.This is a great truck.The 4 doors are great, the back seats are great.The price of the full size trucks just shocked me when I was looking to buy. This listed for 23949.00 and I bought it for 21214.00 I paid that 10 years ago for a F-150 4x4 XL with no A/C. THE PRICE IS RIGHT compare to other trucks this size. And for a 4x2 It looks like a 4x4

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  Great Car! - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Chris - November 19 - 1:16 pm

  Ive had this car for a week now and am pretty amazed at how great it is. MyGIG is fantastic. Fuel Econ. is good. Interior is very nice. Driver seat sits a bit too high for 62" person even at its lowest position. Drives extremely smooth. Plenty of room in rear seat. After reading some of the other reviews I was surprised that the 4cyl. had pretty good acceleration, the trans. shifted fine and the engine noise was normal. Be wary of some reviews. Try it out for yourself before taking other peoples word. A lot of people have pretty crazy expectations which nothing will meet.

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  After two years - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By teacher65 - November 14 - 7:03 pm

  I drive to Florida each winter and find this gem more comfortable to travel in than my minivans. I owned a 1996 caravan and a 2000 Chrysler.

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  Awesome car - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By lancen - November 13 - 10:23 pm

  Just after we purchased the car we took it on a long road trip with 4 adults and one child in a car seat. The car was extremly comfortable and had excellant pickup for passing and hills. No complaints at all.

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  Dodge charger srt8 2008 --- beast ! - 2008 Dodge Charger
  By ben dover - November 10 - 6:00 am

  its black on black -black tinted windows -2008 looks new -had some recalls 2014 on airbag and the key dodge fixed it free in 1 hour and gave my new keys -- all around nice car ...

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  Great Van (especially for the money) - 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By ryan4904 - November 8 - 2:48 pm

  Bought this van 2 months ago and it has been great so far. I certainly didnt expect to own a van at the age of 29, but with the kids and the dog, it was necessary. First of all the, the van looks great, inside and out, way better than the other minivans in the class. We test drove the Dodge, Toyota, and Honda minvans, and didnt notice too much of a difference in ride quality, although maybe the Toyota was a little smoother. But then again maybe the only reason I noticed was because I read the reviews ahead of time and expected it. This van is great, and a comparable Honda or Toyota with all the same features costs about $7K or $8K more (the Toyota salesman acknowledged that).

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  Never to old to drive a hotrod - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By debbie collier - November 7 - 8:00 am

  This car is great. I have had 3 new cars in the past 2 years, and when I see this one I had to kiss the others goodbye and Im glad I did. I love everything about it.

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  Smile every time - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By cormikeday - November 5 - 2:16 am

  I cant help it, I love this car. You cant help but smile when you look at it, sit in it, or drive it. Add the mopar blow off valve for added pleasure. Its quick and sounds like a muscle car. Theres not much not to love about this car.

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  Performance & good gas mileage - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By jrjcloud - November 4 - 2:00 am

  When driven at 70 on level ground, I have gotten 48 mpg. It has plenty of power when I want it. Best shift points for performance are 30, 55, 85, 115. It would easily do 120 in 4th, but no tachometer. Dont want to over-rev.

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  awsome car - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By richard you aint got - November 4 - 2:00 am

  handels great nice suspension