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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  The Best Vehicle Ive Owned - 2001 Dodge Caravan
  By Lee Etheridge - April 17 - 12:04 pm

  The only problem Ive ever had was with the front steering/radial arms. The bushings on both sides wore out after about 3 years. Other than that, I havent had anything go wrong with the car that wasnt normal "wear and tear" (such as changing belts. air filters. etc...).

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  Grand Caravan- Good design, poor quality - 1996 Dodge Caravan
  By stofman - April 16 - 8:17 pm

  Bought this van new. Pretty much one problem every time we drive it! Great design, but very very poor build quality! So far, the tranny went out at 60,000, A/C at 62,000, coolant multiple times, etc etc. Its been in the shop more than it has been on the road. Would NOT recommend anyone buy this van!!

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  Awesome Ride - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By Hemi II - April 16 - 10:00 am

  Love the upgrades to the new GENII Durango. Awesome ride and power. Get the Limited with the Hemi!

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  hemi - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By wrm - April 16 - 10:00 am

  this is a 5.7 hemi. great performance and fuel mileage is 1 mile less than 4.7

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  Not too bad, after 8 yrs and 160k miles - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Dave - April 16 - 4:10 am

  Purchased in 2004 with 20k miles on it. Swore Id never own a minivan. LOVE the carrying capacity, although removing the bench seats to make room for plywood sheets was a pain. The built- in kid seats (2nd row) was very handy after the kids got out of car seats. Love all the power outlets. Multi-zone climate control was nice. Very comfortable overall. Mechanically, the brakes/rotors got worked on more than Id have preferred. It needed some kind of engine sensor replaced ($300) at about 160k. Tires = normal wear/tear. Fuel = approx 17 (but I have a heavy foot). A/C is still awfully cold, cruise works fine, very pleased overall. Just bought another used one!

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  Welcome to the future of style - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By korrykind - April 16 - 1:40 am

  Love the style. Fits the year. I’ve seen cool concepts for years. I’m glad that were finally starting to see them. The mileage could be better, but what do you expect? It’s on a truck chassis unlike all the new crossovers on a car chassis. Good ground clearance off road too. I got the 6 speed for the fun factor but I had to get body colored fenders. The others don’t look too good but just my opinion. Maybe I’m biased though I sell them brand new and maybe that makes me like them more. Anyway I love mine

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  91 Daytona ES - 1991 Dodge Daytona
  By mandawg2020 - April 15 - 8:04 pm

  Well I got the car and alomost immediatly I started to have some problems with it. I eventually got a new engine, catalytic coverter, radiator, and the tranmission rebuilt twice. It runs good now but there are still some things that could be better. The radiator fan is hooked up to a manual switch on the dash because when the engine was changed the person that did the work screwed up the wiring. I would like to get new glass all around and a new paint job aswell. Im working on getting new tires and wheels for it. I would also like to soup up the engine and get more horse power out of the 5speed manual 2.5Ltr 4-banger engine. Its my first car and Im learning a lot and want it to run better.

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  Engine problems - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By sdw - April 15 - 1:36 pm

  I bought my first new car and was totally excited that I wouldnt have car problems for a while. My car has 40,000 miles on it and I need a new engine. I would have been better off buying a used car, I would have probably had less problems.

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  Love my Caravan Sport - 2000 Dodge Caravan
  By MisterNL - April 15 - 12:27 pm

  My short wheelbase caravan sport is a terrific car. Handles well, carries volumes of people and stuff, looks cool. Floor-thru is one of the best features. The floor is flat. You can put lumber all the way to the front console. Even the dog can ride between the two front seats. People deride the Caravan as for soccer moms. I say its ten times more macho and practical in real life than an SUV. And the feeling of spaciousness inside is just unbeatable. Its the little truck that could. Thank you Dodge.

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  GLH!! - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Mike - April 15 - 4:25 am

  This car is by far the fastest, most responsive and most fun vehicle you can get for the price. Period. It will run with the bigger dogs, able to keep up with cars 10-15K dollars more that its price (perfect example: this will out run the most expensive, upgraded $32,000 version of the RX-8). It looks great (although I do have to admit that other than the dual exhaust and wicked huge spoiler, the back end looks a little plain) inside and out. And I cant say enough of how I love those seats! Spectacular support without sacrifice of comfort. The tires look great, and perform wonderfully no matter what the road conditions (I was amazed at the grip they had in the winter months). Awesome.