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 Grand Caravan - 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By mary - April 11 - 3:10 am

  Currently have more than 176,000 miles on it, same muffler. Just had to have some big repairs, but not until 1 year ago. Ride could be a little smoother. Looking forward to hitting 200,00 miles on it. Will probably end up being my daughters first car and I will hopefully add another new one this year. I drive this vehicle everywhere, and drive daily, just starting to get a little rust. I truly love this vehicle.

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  Nice Van - 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By mrbe1 - April 11 - 2:36 am

  Great price for this van. It has a comfortable Ride and handling. So far reliability has been good. I have 9,900 miles on the van and no problems.

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  X-Vette owner - 2004 Dodge Viper
  By soundman - April 10 - 9:25 pm

  I have owned a lot of fast cars, mostly Corvettes. Some were stock, but most were pretty highly modified. I found that no matter how much I did to the Vettes they were still just Corvettes and people did not react like they do now when I drive my Viper. Dont get me wrong I love Corvettes and I drove the new 2006 Z06 but the top didnt come off and it looked like a standard Corvette with a body kit. The Viper on the other hand was the car I wish the Corvette had become. It reminds me of a modern version of my 69 427 Stingray, raw power, purely American and in-your-face attitude. Some say the Z06 is faster, maybe it is, maybe it isnt? As for me, Ill be saving up my money for the next Dodge Viper

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  Good life - 1993 Dodge Shadow
  By bzieba - April 10 - 12:10 pm

  This was the first of three we bought, and the last to go. Its on its last leg, but its been a good car. For a 13 year old car and 155m plus miles later can`t complain too much. Its on its second tranny, the cooling system gave us a bit of trouble, the hardware is falling apart, the body is fair, minimal rust, paint held up very well, three accidents and still drives straight as an arrow. Mileage is fair, overall performance is down, but, I think these cars were made to "drive till they drop". Don`t see many of these on the road anymore. Nice while it lasted, but, time for the recycle yard.

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  CAN I SAY HOT HOT HOT!!! Awesome Car - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Jefferson - April 10 - 10:00 am

  Very impressive what Dodge created. I WAS a WRX fan but everything changed once i test drove this beast. Confortable seats (it grabs you). Awesome performance. By the second week I had to upgrade my racing challenges because not even a turbocharged civic could keep up with me. hehehehe...I have NO REGRETS...Awesome car...Its worth to grab life by the horns hahahaha i just look back and the mustangs just get smaller and smaller.

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  Dont let looks fool you - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By Dont let LOOKS fool - April 10 - 1:55 am

  Bought used in 2000 and got rid of in 03.<(which is the best thing Ive ever done!) Bought to replace my aging 89 Corsica that I loved till the major breakdowns. Obviously, this car wasnt much better. Tons of problems. Was in the shop more than on the road. Oxygen sensor, battery, alternator just a few of the problems I had w/ it out of many. HIt 2 different deer w/ it and 2 different times. Had 3 different accidents w/ it w/ other vehicles. I think red is a magnet for things to want to attract too. That or bad luck, not sure which? Who knows, but it was always something going wrong. One good thing is that just going to/from work it got good mileage 28/39! Looks are deceiving.....

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  Spirit to Soar - 1992 Dodge Spirit
  By Mindy - April 8 - 8:56 pm

  Everything is great except for a few fix-ups and one more serious fix. I really do love this car though. Its great but in saying that I also have to say that before I owned it, it was maticulously taken care of and maintained by the one previous owner.

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  Fuel Pig - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By opie - April 7 - 12:31 pm

  11 MPG Highway, replaced (at my cost) engine at 60000 miles, all servicing done by Dodge, as per Owners Manual. Using Dodge Syn oil. Four sets of Dodge front shocks in 70,000 Miles, spring booster overloades needed to level drooping rear end

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  My 2008 Avenger R/T - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Matt - April 7 - 9:40 am

  I drive a 100 miles a day to and from work. So far I have only 1400 miles on my R/T but I love this car. The performance and looks makes driving fun again. Its comfortable and very driver friendly.

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  99 Grand Caravan serves our family well - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Bill and Jane - April 7 - 2:00 am

  1999 Grand Caravan SE with captain seats is perfect for our 4 children ranging from kindergarten to high school age. We like the overhead console with compass. 3.3 liter is right amount of power. Maintenance is reasonable. Follow manufacturers schedule and the transmission will work great.