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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  Love this Beast - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Allen - March 22 - 8:25 am

  This is the becoming the best vehicle I have ever owned. I have had a Jeep Grand, Liberty, BMW, etc. This is the most fun to drive!! Gas is gas, I actually average 17 mpg in town, based on not hot rodding. I get 20 mpg on the highway without the displacement.

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  Estate Car - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By Crosbeian - March 20 - 10:26 pm

  This was my one and only chance to avoid a mini van or the absurd badly built and ill concieved SUV. It basically does the job, looks the dogs, drives as if on rails and is very solid. Gas mileage OK. All sorts of folks still stop and stare at it and ask about it. You can forget about the baby seat in the back driving this. They need to sell a aftermarket kit to unpimp this ride. The traction in the snow was ok, even without chains

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  This is our 5th Chrysler minivan - 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Deborah Solko - March 20 - 9:20 pm

  We have only had our 2010 Dodge Caravan for a week and we love it. It is beautiful, comfortable and we are sure of its reliability because this is the 5th Chrysler minivan we have owned. We shopped around in an effort to find something we liked better and came right back to the Dodge Caravan. Nothing else even came close, especially for the price.

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  Piece of Junk, but still kinda fun - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By Nathan - March 18 - 2:54 pm

  I owned my Neon for almost 3 years, I put 72,000 miles on it. It was OK for the first couple of months, but then the rotors started going bad, the right back speaker never would work, after being replaced 3 times, it was a very plain car with no bells and whistles. It was surprisingly peppy with the 2.0 L 4 cyl automatic, with 132 hp. Not much but I was younger and didnt need much. By the time I got rid of it its speedometer and all other gauges would quit working from time to time which made the mileage not always work, so it probably had about 1,000 miles more on it than what it said. I would not recommend this car to anyone who drives a lot.

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  99 Stratus - 1999 Dodge Stratus
  By al_bundys_dodge_dart - March 17 - 9:04 pm

  90k miles. Reliable car. Replaced brakes often, 3 times so far. Right rear power window failed. Dodge logo hood ornament either stolen or fell off... I suspect stolen.

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  Wow - 2006 Dodge Magnum
  By hemi58 - March 17 - 5:50 pm

  This car is unbelievable. Great performance and mpg isnt all that bad 18.5 average. I only got 23 on my Accord and I havent had to take it into the dealer for any of the usual "new car" problems-this is my 2nd Magnum-1st was and R/T-plus I dont know what all the hubbub is about w/ the Asian cars I had two and they both left me stranded and unsure if they would start. Thanks but IÂ’ll stick w/ the GM Ford & Chrysler that always seem to get knocked for fit and finish. Everyone IÂ’ve had I put minimum of 150,000 miles and w/ no trouble other than the usual wear items-LOF battery brakes.

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  Lemon - 1995 Dodge Intrepid
  By Kelly - March 17 - 4:26 pm

  As soon as I got it, the transmission started to slip. I had to replace that once it just wouldnt go anymore. Then, there was a consistent problem with tie rods and wheel bearings. Ive replaced them three times. Its unreal. They are bad again, and now theres a fuel leak, but Im just going to drive it until I cant anymore. That cars almost ready to be put to rest though, it has around 150,000 miles now. The transmission is also starting to slip again. At times I just hated this car, but then again, I loved it. Its very nice and roomy, and for the most part, reliable. It always started fine, my only problems were transmission, and those stupid tie rods.

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  2000 Dodge Caravan - 2000 Dodge Caravan
  By Kevin - March 17 - 2:12 pm

  We purchased the Caravan, used, for the style, comfort, and price. After about our second year of owning the van we started having problems. The transmission started leaking, I cannot remember the name of the part, but it cost $445.00 to replace. The key would not turn when placed in the ignition and after calling the dealership we were told to put the key in the ignition and tap it with a hammer, which worked. The van has good power and the basic equipment is all we needed, power, two sliding doors, keyless entry, etc... I know when youre buying used you may be buying someone elses problems but I will buy new next time and it will be foreign.

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  Awesome - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By sentor35 - March 17 - 4:10 am

  Love this SUV. Very roomy compared to most I compared in its class. Looks outstanding, drives smoothly, and has some great features. I couldnt be more pleased!

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  Great first car - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By William DeVoe - March 15 - 11:09 pm

  Beautifully amazing car. This was my first car and not only is it a smooth ride but in also has amazing gas mileage with up to 41 mpg on the highway and 31 in the city.