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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  Quality Is - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Lv2mix - March 15 - 2:00 am

  I purchased my car in July and god it looks incredible! Have had it 4 months and put 12,000 miles on it already. It is so much darn fun to drive! Even with the 4 cylinder, with the 5 speed, it just screams drive me fast! Love the dash configuration, but some items not thought out very well, i.e. head rests, cup holders (front and back), you know, minor stuff, but still an incredible car!

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  Great Old Truck - 1993 Dodge Dakota
  By FourDakotas - March 14 - 8:24 pm

  I purchased it with 165K miles two years ago. Truck had been neglected and vandalized prior, but has never failed us in 14K miles. 3.9 L still uses no oil, drives fine, just a great, dependable truck. It has lived a hard life before I bought it, and has some rust. But here in Michigan, most of the 93 S-10s and Rangers are rusted away, and the 93 Japanese pickups were rusted away and worn out years ago. Where does JD Power get these "2 of 5" mechanical ratings? These trucks are bulletproof--at least all four of mine have been. One more reason to Buy American--or at least try something other than GM junk before you send your hard earned GDP to Asia.

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  FAST AS FAST CAN BE - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Magnum 44 - March 14 - 4:26 pm

  This is one of the sweetest vehicles Ive driven. Plenty of room and feels like you were shot out of a gun when you walk on it at any speed. Has a nice exhaust note without being intrusive, handles great with a firm but comfortable ride. I guess the styling is love it or leave it as there is nothing out there quite like it. I personaly love it and find I have more compliments and questions from others than I have ever had before, and Ive had a lot of new vehicles. The gas mileage is respectable about 19 MPG with a 50/50 mix of hiway and city driving, going up to 28 MPG on a hiway trip. Winter driving is OK but on glare ice it could use a set of ice radials, which I cant find in this size.

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  Dodge has been hooked on the Dakota! - 2006 Dodge Dakota
  By Tim - March 14 - 5:45 am

  I have owned nothing but Dodge Dakotas and driven nothing but Dodge Dakotas. Before my new Dodge Dakota 2005 was purchased, my first truck I bought in 1996 and it really made me feel good about driving. And I continued that same feeling buying the 2005 model and am loving even more! So if you are looking for a truck out there that is relatively inexpensive, has a great look to it, and comes with a variety of options, then the Dodge Dakota is exactly what you are looking for! :-)

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  Fun to drive - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Fun to drive - March 13 - 8:57 pm

  I just bought a 2003 R/T and its really fun to drive. Good performance from the engine, although it could use a little more power. Many aftermarket parts are available to increase horsepower if you want that though. This is a great car to drive that feels like a sports car, and at a low cost compared to others of the same type. An especially good value if you buy it used like I did, only 24,000 miles and a fraction of the original cost.

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  Big Blue Van never dies! - 1996 Dodge Ram Wagon
  By duckboy - March 13 - 10:00 am

  I admit it. I own a big blue van. The big, 15-pass airport shuttle bus van. I bought it because I race motorcycles all over the country and I dont like towing a trailer. I can fit two bikes, all of my gear, my significant other, and still have room to crawl in the back seat and take a nap. Very noisy, interior trim is very cheesy, and Ive broken a lot of plastic pieces. However, the drivetrain seems bullet proof. I almost ran it out of oil once and I just refilled it with no consequences. Has a lot of highway power, but oviously slow off the line, seeing how its nearly 6,000 lb. dry.

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  Bumpy roads ahead - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By bdomnor - March 13 - 10:00 am

  Get ready for a rough ride! This thing sucks when it comes to a smooth ride, even worse off road. With 6 people, it becomes even more horrific. The noise and bumpiness makes everyone in the cabin sick. Total waste of gas.

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  Going GREAT GUNS at 100,000 miles - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By quenoharts - March 13 - 2:00 am

  We bought this car at an auction. At the time it was only a year old but had been taken care of well. It had 60,000+ miles when we purchased it. It had been a corprate car used for a lot of highway miles. We got it with new tires & we believe new brakes. No problems so far. We get over 350 miles to the tank (17 gal, I believe). Great excelleration, even on long uphill stretches. Runs away from anything. Smooth ride but all weather tires make for a noisy ride. Very comfortable for long drives or short. Handles well in cornering. Loads of trunk space. Full size snowboard (for 6 son) fits inside trunk with all the other gear. Cant say enough good stuff about this car. Thanks Dodge.

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  Transmission failed two times - 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Samtheman - March 13 - 2:00 am

  Had number of problems. Transmission failed at 60k and 100k. New Belt failed at 80k. Dealer was not any help. I will not go back to this dealer any more. I will not buy or recommend this van.

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  NeedsQuality - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By BadQuality - March 13 - 2:00 am

  This car has been nothing but trouble ever since the day I purchased it. I will NEVER buy a Daimler Chrysler product again. There is NO quality in them, and they treat customers like trash! Gosh! Peice of JUNK!!!