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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  Great car - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By Old man - August 17 - 2:49 pm

  Bought new, 275,000 miles, no squeaks, rattles or recalls. 30 MPG on trips, embarrass a couple Mustang GT (to about 40 mph). Only unusual repair was replaced radiator.

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  Good little car - 1995 Dodge Stratus
  By walanr - August 17 - 12:08 pm

  This car has proven to be a nice and dependable car for using on occasion for the last 15 years. Sure, there may not be many miles on it, but the body and mechanical have held up well. Its remarkable how small this car is compared to its successor cars today. Chrysler needs to make small cars like this again.

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  Great Mileage - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Dodge Guy - August 16 - 5:21 pm

  I have had this vehicle for a year and a half and currently have 33,000 km on it. I have been driving back and forth from Oromocto NB to Ottawa Ont. for visits, what surprised me was the gas mileage on the highway with the air and cruise on. I am using 7.2 Liters to every100 km and that my friend is pretty good mileage for a vehicle that is only suppose to use 8.6 L per 100 km. I have have not had any problems whatsoever and it goes like stink in the wintertime.

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  Adored this car - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By AEpixie7 - August 14 - 9:43 pm

  My parents purchased this car when I was in middle school, and passed it down to me as my first car. We live in an area of heavy snow at times, and I swear this car has gotten me through 2 to 3 foot snow drifts without a problem. It now has 210,000 miles on it, has been in 2 wrecks, but it still runs EXTREMELY well. Very reliable and great in extreme weather. I will sincerely miss it when the time comes.

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  Overall good truck - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By burban56560 - August 10 - 2:46 am

  Overall after only owning the truck for 5 months it has been a good vehicle. At 117,000 miles the bearings in the drive shaft literally shot right through the drive shaft cause still unknown. Handles great on the road and off the road. Smooth quiet interstate drive. Overall design is great. Quality is okay but not amazing, after all said and done wish I would have kept my old suburban.

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  Dreading the Day - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By keys8864 - August 6 - 7:07 am

  I am dreading the day when I will have to replace this car. There is simply nothing currently on the market that can replace this cars interior space. Also despite its size, it drives like a much smaller car. I currently have in excess of 100,000 miles on this car after purchasing it new in 2002. Mechanically, the transmission had to be rebuilt at 80,000 miles, and have had no other problems. The interior is still excellent with no visible wear (two children). I also replaced the 17" chrome wheels with Vox aftermarket aluminum wheels due to corrosion causing rim leaks. This has been the best 4 door sedan I have ever owned including Volvos, Mercedes, and Toyotas I owned in the past.

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  Im hurt - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Maddie - August 5 - 1:02 pm

  My doors unlock by themselves, windows roll down, lights come on without me even starting the car. Ive been to the dealer at least ten times to be told they cannot find the trouble. My car has been broken into 4 times because people walk by and see my open. They are hoping to find money. Family Dodge Please help me.

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  I am spoiled! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Marti - August 4 - 12:08 pm

  I got this car in 2006, the RT model. At the time I wanted a mustang but I had to have a car with roomy backseat for my babies (furry ones). Also i am afraid of big bridges and this car flies over with ease. My stepmom loves the backseat roominess (she drives a cozy mercedes and I can tell she likes mine better). I drive like an old lady a lot but I love the pick up when I am passing and annoyed with other cars:) It is a large frame though and parking it is troublesome, have had a few dings. I was sold on the leather interior and heated seats. I dont like the gas mileage though. Overall I am pretty happy with this car. Watch out for me on the road at least once a month:)

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  Love it - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Tracy - August 4 - 10:34 am

  Purchased car it had under 8K miles. I love the hemi engine and almost everything about the car. I do not like Continental tires. I also did not like the difficulty of locating part for awd. Other than that I love my car. I will buy another

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  Reliability! - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By Operator398 - August 2 - 4:28 am

  I purchased this truck new, and have done the maintenance. (4.7 V8, automatic) Its the most reliable vehicle Ive ever owned. 148,000 miles and counting. Cost per mile for maintenance and repairs is only $0.025. 19.6 MPG since the day I bought it(I have a soft tonneau on it). It still looks good and has no squeaks or rattles. Im very happy with this truck.