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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  Durango 2013 - 2013 Dodge Durango
  By mc9 - April 19 - 5:50 pm

  I owned a 2003 Durango and the improvements in its ride and handling are remarkable. I bought it at Capital Chrysler in Garner from Sal R., who is a very good rep and takes care of his customer during and after the sale.

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  Terrible reliability - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By jim12 - April 18 - 1:54 pm

  Bought this car new in 1995 and just after the warranty was up it was nothing but trouble. The A/C evaporator core (defective but Chrysler wouldnt do anything) went, water pump, steering linkage, etc... I traded it in (it had 71,000 miles) for a new 2004 Honda CRV. The CRV was the best and most reliable vehicle I have ever owned.

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  2003 awd 4x4 slt, 4.7 V8 quad cab - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By slufscb - April 16 - 11:24 pm

  This is my Second Dakota. It is a good all around truck. I have over 200,000 miles on mine. I noticed my gas mileage has gone down since i have had the ball joints replaced. I get 14 mpg in the city and about 19 mpg on the hwy. Outside of normal wear of parts this truck has served me well. For an AWD truck it handles good in snow, rain and mud. I have only had to put into 4 wheel drive when I get stuck in mud. The size of the truck works well for our family, we are all 58" or less and the truck seems roomy to us.

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  AVOID! - 2013 Dodge Journey
  By biowrap - April 16 - 11:54 am

  Not impressed at all. We got this vehicle for my wife to tote the children around based on the safety rating. What we did not know was that Dodge makes a crap product.

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  Almost Perfect! - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By bikenut11 - April 14 - 5:09 pm

  This is the second 2013 Dart Ive owned as the first one was totaled in an accident at 2000 miles. (other drivers fault 100%). My new dart is just past 2000 miles now. Obviously I really liked the car - enough to buy the exact same model, trim and color twice. Both cars had/have zero issues at all. You absolutely cannot beat the value for your money in the economy class. This car is FUN to drive and packed full of features in a very good looking body. The 1.4L turbo has typical spool lag as all turbos do, but the performance in light of the fuel economy is a fantastic balance. Its a sporty ECONOMY car, remember that and youll be happy.

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  One great car :-) - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By scooi29 - April 13 - 2:30 pm

  I owned my 2004 dodge durango SLT 5.7 Hemi for almost 9 years. Ive owned over ten cars in my life and never had a better car than my durango. Only had to replace the battery, and the brakes but thats it. I just hit 100 thousand today and still drives like when I bought it with 8 miles. This car could go for another 100 thousand without a problem!! My sister just got a 2009 ford explorer and that has had more problems than my Durango.

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  200,000 and still going strong - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By dkellyw - April 13 - 7:14 am

  I purchased my 2001 Dodge Dakota (4x4 w/ 4.7L V-8) with about 150K miles on it. It now has 202,000 and still runs great. I started running Mobile 1 synthetic oil in it as soon as I bought it. The only serious problem I have had to fix was the leaking power steering pump. Typical Dodge truck. Mainly, that problem is just a nuisance. I did have to replace the main power window switch and the resistor for the heat/AC control, but those are cheap fixes you can do yourself. Other than that I love this truck. I am currently looking to buy a car because I know that the life of the truck is probably coming to an end, but she still starts every morning and I am gonna drive it until it quits.

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  Will Be Tough to Replace - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By runnikee - April 12 - 8:57 am

  I bought my truck with 40k miles on it in 2002 and it is still running like a champ. I replaced the transmission after 150k miles, but that is the only major issue Ive had with it. Im now at 235k miles on my truck and am having a hard time finding a new vehicle because I dont think I will ever get this type of value again. Mileage is between 15.5 and 18 mph, depending on how I drive. I have the 5.2L V8 (318) and couldnt be happier. Change the oil, tires, and other basic maintenance and youll have no issues. Also, Ive found through test-driving countless newer vehicles (cars and trucks), that most do not have as smooth of a ride as my truck does.

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  Looks can be deceiving.. - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By austiepoo - April 9 - 3:20 pm

  I have the 2.0 autostick Rallye edition. The styling is awesome, I have the black with the carbon grey wheels. It is definitely an eye catcher. The interior is very nice with the red accents in the seats and on the doors. The 8.4 uconnect is amazing and I LOVE having a back up camera because I am a terrible parallel parker! I cant complain about the gas mileage, I am not a conscious driver and like to speed every where I go and I average 22.5 mpg. However I was able to average 43.5 on a trip from Charleston, SC to Charlotte, NC which is about 200 miles. Acceleration from a stop is SLOOOWWW, but that is expected with the 2.0 engine. Over all I love my Dart! You will too!

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  Dodge hits the mark! - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By azrollo - April 6 - 2:02 pm

  I have had this car for a month and love everything about it. Interior is beautiful and very nice for the price class it is in. I am averaging 38.2 miles per gallon (calculated manually)driving mostly hwy at 72 mph. I am very pleased with the vehicle and hope it lasts.