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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  Still going at 257000+ miles - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By ken_86gt - April 27 - 2:58 am

  I bought this van used at ~93k miles. This van has been incredibly reliable. Normal maintenance items ONLY- oil, filters, tires, brakes, plugs, belts, battery. Still on original hoses. I have only replaced the starter and alternator once, I consider this normal. It is starting to use a little oil, have a transmission leak that is significant, and uses coolant frequently. I just keep them topped of at this point. I will be looking for another Caravan soon! I have friends with Honda and Toyota minivans that required much more maintenance and repairs than mine! I keep thinking that this will be the last set of tires I buy- and then 50K later it is time again...

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  Highway mileage joke - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By squareorbit - April 26 - 6:44 pm

  We bought our Caravan because our 95 Caravan had 190,000 miles and had a transmission problem. Our 2005 Caravan is supposed to be able to get up to 27 miles per gallon on the highway. The only way you can get milage like that is to be going down a steep mountain. We get 17 to 18 miles per gallon. We will not be buying another Chrysler product.

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  Problems! - 1999 Dodge Stratus
  By Danny - April 26 - 3:03 pm

  So many problems with it. Dashboard randomly went out and none of the gauges worked for a period of time. All four tie rods went bad at 83,000. Has not been generally reliable

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  Had a neon before? This is way different - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By fishandring - April 26 - 2:00 am

  I am going on one month of ownership and this vehicle handles like a champ! It outperforms all cars under 25000 and most cars under 30000...barring the handling of the miata.

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  Dodge all the way - 1995 Dodge Dakota
  By rob - April 25 - 10:41 pm

  My dad first owned the 3.9L V6 Dakota Sport and we went on family vacations and he used it for business. My mom also drove it around to and from work (errands too) for years. The Dodge has been through a lot of travels!! It now has 205,000 miles on it and is running wonderful!! Only normal fixes had to be done. Great truck. Now I own the truck and enjoy it a lot!

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  Fun to drive - 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By johnwanamaker - April 24 - 10:15 pm

  As 2 over 70 people we like the upright seats of a mini-van. Visibility is great in all directions. Power was very adequate on a recent trip in the mountains. It was helpful to downshift with the lever because it would try to shift up too soon otherwise. Mileage was very good even when doing lots of driving in 4th. Mileage is much better (27+ at high speeds (70+) than around town (23) Stow and go seating is the only way to go. We haul a lot of stuff and need to put the seats down often. Very easy to do.

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  Great Full Size Alternative - 2006 Dodge Dakota
  By L.T. - April 24 - 12:24 pm

  I bought this truck to downsize from an 03 1500 4x4 and have really not looked back. The gas mileage is so much better and that saves a lot of money. The only real difference is the bed space, but I rarely used all 8 ft. of my old bed anyway. The Dakota is very nimble, easy to park, and extremely quiet on the highway. I would recommend this truck to anyone that occasionaly needs a truck for hauling, but still needs comfort, economy, agility for everyday use. Probably not the best choice for the hardcore rancher with 12,000lbs. to pull, but a great choice for the active weekender. I am very happy with my purchase!

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  Love it - 2001 Dodge Neon
  By Shawn - April 23 - 2:48 pm

  I got the car used, it has 150,000 kms on it now. The car has never let me down. I bought it when in school, and it was a great buy. The car seems to have a bad rep, I however really cant find many bad things to say about it. I sold it to buy a new BMW 3 series when I finished school mainly because I needed a more grown up machine. If you want a cheap, long lasting little economy car, with a bit of sport, but an RT Neon.

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  i love my caliber - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By seraphangel13 - April 22 - 11:23 pm

  i bought mine with 15miles on it. i bought it 3 days after it first came out and have had no problems with the car. i personally love my car. if u keep up with the actual maintenance recommended then it shouldnt be bad at all. i have had the car for 3 years now and love it to death.

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  I love my Magnum - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By Trisha - April 22 - 10:21 pm

  I fell in love when I first saw the Magnum but to actually own one is a dream come true. To have the Hemi and the power in a station wagon is so wonderful. You have the power of a truck or SUV but the space and comfort of a mini van. I am completely happy and satisfied with my vehicle and cannot wait to drive it everyday. It goes when I need it to and gives me the comfort and safety I need on the roads today.