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 Durango - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By firecatman - April 22 - 2:00 am

  I love this SUV, its much better than a mini van

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  All Dodge! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Dodge Man - April 14 - 4:26 am

  I love this car! I have had 2 Durangos and still own a 92 Dodge truck, but this one is by far the best looking and most fun to drive. It has an amazing ride, is very quiet, has a great sound system, and what a honey to look at!

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  Get the Hemi - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By LTPIGGY - April 13 - 7:06 am

  I had owned a 2002 Durango for three years. The 2005 Model blows this away. The Hemi has so much power that I was doing 75 mph at 1900 rpm. My best advice is get all the bells and whistles, youll love it. Much more roomier than the 2002. I had my dealer take 4,000 off sticker and 4,000 rebate. What a deal. Fold up seats are easier to use.

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  Fun car - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Archer75 - April 11 - 10:00 am

  Great car, lots of features. Much better value than the Honda Civic or the Toyota Corolla and its a blast to drive. The RT has alot of power, though id like to see that power in the SXT model.

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  i like it - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By jeh - April 11 - 9:53 am

  great buy

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  Love My Caliber - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Me & My 45 caliber - April 11 - 7:20 am

  I love the gas mileage and the performance of my 2007 Caliber. Get all kinds if looks and comments on how sweet it looks. Not your average little car, thats for sure, its sporty, zipy and great looking.

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  48 hour ownership - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Michael Arbuthnot - April 9 - 6:20 am

  We had our RT for 48 hours! Woman on a cell ran a stop sign in a rural area and we drilled her! The air bags performed perfectly.... I had a small contusion on my left knee and my wife has lingering aches in her chest from the shoulder harness. Thats all. The car was declared a total loss and the crumple zones worked as they were engineeered to. We replaced it with an identical vehicle and hope to hell this one lasts a bit longer. We are both 70 years young!

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  Buy one - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Charger R/T - April 9 - 5:40 am

  Ive had my Charger R/T for a few months now and I love it. I have the performance package, a must, and dressed it up with stripes similar to the Daytona on the back fenders and R/T emblems under the hemi sign on the front fenders, as well as a body coloured spoiler. This car turns heads everywhere in this town which is full of BMWs Mercedes, etc. It goes like heck and is really fun to drive.

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  340 magnum - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By pam gilbert - April 4 - 6:36 am

  This is a smooth driving, head turning car. People look and want to see inside my car everywhere I go. The fuel mileage is better than I expected. The cool vanilla color is very classy. i love my new car

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  Love that zippy car! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By CINDY - April 3 - 8:43 am

  After driving a van for over 7 years, I was concerned about going back into a car. This car rides and drives like no other I have ever driven. By far the best quality vehicle for the money. All the added special features make you feel that you are driving a luxury vehicle and all the safety features make sure that you have a fun and more importantly, safe drive. For a 4 cylinder it is very quick and does not bog at all on takeoff. The gas mileage is definitely a plus!