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 eL - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Don B. - February 22 - 10:00 am

  Good ride. Good Power. Lots of room. Reliable.

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  Our second Dodge van - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Gerry - February 22 - 6:46 am

  Bought with 14800 miles on the odometer and since have driven it 2000 miles. It rides and outperforms the 98 Grand Caravan that we had traded in. This is one of the one of the most user friendly vehicles on the road. We had great luck with our old one for 5 years and 122,000 miles and expect the same from our 2004 model.

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  Love this muscle car! - 2016 Dodge Charger
  By Ellen Grace - February 16 - 10:41 pm

  This is the first vehicle Ive owned that I have ever loved. It snowed where we live, and because we have no garage, my wife started telling everyone she thought I was going to knit it a sweater. Fast, luxurious, gorgeous, I love it!!

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  Low Priced Pocket Rocket - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By USAF69 - February 16 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car on faith in the reviews I had read about it because Dodge dealers will not let you test drive them (insurance issues?). It lived up to the reviews, and in some cases exceeded them! Its without a doubt the most fun and the fastest car you can have without taking out a 2nd mortgage on your house. I get lots of "looks" from other drivers while in this vehicle and even had one guy call me up on the phone and ask me what kind of car it was! This car is like the P-51 Mustang of WW II...its FAST out of the box, but can be made even FASTER with a few minor upgrades.

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  EX is EXcellent - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Hola - February 9 - 2:00 am

  This car has given flawless ability to me and my family. We purchased this car for 32000 we managed to barter it down a little and with our trade in of our 99 caravan to 24000. It has every single bell and whistle availabe and Me and my family could not be happier! The second i got home though i realized that the 2005 model is going to have fold in the floor middle and back row seats Maybe ill trade this one in for an 05

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  Simply Marvelous! - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By justKC - February 9 - 2:00 am

  There is absolutely no SUV available today that comes close to the 04 Durango. The ride is soooo sweet! This is an awesome vehicle! I love it!

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  MAGNUM... What wagons were meant to be! - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Americancrabass - February 8 - 1:46 pm

  I just bought my Magnum 2 months ago and I absolutely love it. The body design is amazing. I love the hard edges and lines throughout the vehicle, and it carries over to the inside with the same style that looks simple and not so flashy, but also captivating at the same time. Everything is laid out perfectly on the interior. From the way the guages are set up, to the radio and AC controls. The simple accents of chome along the inside make it work so well. The car drives amazingly, to say the least. I purchased the 3.5 ltr SXT and must say that it is enough power under the hood to satisfy me completly. The car rides so smooth it is almost unbelievable that it is not a whole lot more expensive.

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  Intrepid - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By Rosa Andromeda - February 6 - 12:06 am

  Excellent condition. Remote start/keyless, quiet engine, spacy interior w/beautiful black cloths, entry/trunk lid. RUns beautifully. White gauge cluster, center console/storage. Had for less than one year. No problems whatsoever.

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  13 months and 17K miles: still going great - 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By oregonfamily - February 5 - 6:13 pm

  This is an update to our previous reviews, and we remain very satisfied. The only problem weve had was intermittent cruise control at about 12K miles, which was fixed with replacement of the "clock-spring" wiring in the steering column, under warranty. Its been great as a daily driver, for long family trips, and loaded with kids for school field trips, soccer games, and the like. Weve learned having the luggage rails up needlessly reduces mileage by nearly 2 mpg on long trips. This has been a exceptional, high-mileage year for us: we should be driving a bit less from now on, and plan on having the car for ten years or so.

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  2017 challenger sxt plus - 2017 Dodge Challenger
  By Earl - February 4 - 1:27 pm

  Im 63 and have always wanted a Challenger....Worked for 43 yrs cutting meat for a living.. I am recently retired and this is my gift to myself... The car has been awesome, no problems and the dealership and salesman were outstanding to my wife and myself..Went on a little road trip and the car was quiet and tight and was really comfortable to be in.. The only thing I have to get use to his being careful when looking out the mirrors and the back when changing lanes...The view is restricted a bit and you just have to pay attention...Love the car and am looking forward to many years riding in style and comfort...... I have now had my Challenger for seven months and the review I gave when she was new, stands true today...Absolutely love the car, have had no problems with her at all.....The ride is still awesome, comfort and quality of the interior has been top notch... My wife is retiring this coming June and we are going to take the Challenger on the road and hope to see a good bit of this wonderful country...