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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  My Mag RT - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By John Comon - January 25 - 12:30 pm

  I have had my Magnum Rt for 6 months now and find it is as much fun to drive as the day I bought it. With the engine management system, its gets very good mileage for the engine size. Ive had many compiments about it from strangers and havent found one person that didnt think it is one bad dude!!! It has so many great options I wont even list them here. I had it on a long trip and find it is one of the easiest cars to drive at highway speed. Daimler-Chrysler has hit the mother lode!! I recommend this vehicle highly and believe me, this isnt your dads wagon LOL!!

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  Happy owner - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By lovecoty - January 25 - 2:00 am

  Being in my early thirties and mother of twins I was not keen on purchasing a minivan, even though the need was there. When I went to the dealership, I could not believe the look, reliability and comfort of the 2004 Minivan that the purchase was made. Today Im glad I did and the so do the kids. With the drop down dvd and 6disc changer they love their time in the car and so does mom.

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  OK, but Issues - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By nfonnesb - January 24 - 5:30 pm

  We didnt have any problems with this van for the first 45K miles, but then the transmission seized up and had to be replaced (70K mile warranty covered all but $100, but was gone for a week with no backup which was tough). Some of the electrical features work intermittently, windows stopped working, back lift gate latch doesnt work (have to use key to open each time), engine light is on and off. Even so, it gets good gas mileage and is comfortable and safe to ride in. The DVD is a life saver with 4 young kids and long trips. The stow and go seats are great and we have used this many times, all seats lie flat so it is a like a covered long bed truck if needed.

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  All the bells & whistles! - 2006 Dodge Durango
  By Marci - January 24 - 4:17 pm

  Went from Expedition to Durango and love it! The price was great considering I maxed out the options! Its surprisingly quiet (kids are quiet too with wireless headphones), parks easily (size fits well & steers great), awesome power (gets up and goes when you pass someone), soooo many extras. Gas mileage is not the best but I didnt expect that it would be... actually got better after first 1000 miles! I find that I use the navigations system much more than I ever thought that I would. DVD system is easy to use for my young children and they love that they can listen to their own music. One free year of Sirius Radio a nice add-on. Felt very safe driving in snow & ice on recent trip.

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  Great fun for $20,000 - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By youngsrt4 - January 24 - 1:17 am

  This car is way too much fun. Get on the pedal and this baby will fly. I love that they added a limited slip ATB differential as it gives this powerhouse hardly any noticeable torque steer. Just point and hold on. I am also very pleased with the fuel economy for a car with this much performance. I have averaged about 26 mpg with it (getting 29 at least 4 times) even with the winter weather. This car also has far more performance that anything even close to its price range. Even my friend who is a foreign car lover (he drives nothing but Toyotas) loves it. He told me its like riding in a car from the Fast and the Furious. If I can get someone like that to love it, anyone can.

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  2nd review for this car - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By Case Anarchy - January 23 - 2:24 am

  Ive had the car for over 2 years now and put on almost 50000 miles. Only had to do maintaince repairs, brake pads, tire, no major components replacements. Oil must absolutly be changed after 3000 miles. Car is now five years old but still not showing any rust and the engine and transmission still work just like when I bought it. The drivers door lock switch stopped working but everything else is still in good shape. The car has averaged 30 mile per gallon in the time ive had it. Handles good on winter roads too.

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  The Amercian Wagon - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By gb2 - January 22 - 10:06 pm

  Great car, engineering, features for the money even if you have to pay sticker. Be careful of blind spots on either side. You must use sideview mirrors along with rearview. Hemi power is awesome but still smooth and quiet. Ride quality and quietness at high speed is excellent. Plenty of room to haul stuff and still have a vehicle that handles like a sedan.

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  Great Starter - 1999 Dodge Stratus
  By benstewart - January 22 - 4:08 pm

  Got it for high school graduation with 74,000 miles on it and couldnt be happier. I dont know what the previous owner replaced, but I have spent only 200 dollars replacing oxygen sensors. The Stratus is unusually peppy for its price and size while it gets 30 MPG on the highway. To many of the complaint reviews here: The longevity of the car can reflect the way you drive it. The back right window no longer works. Complaining about gas mileage? This gets 21 MPG city, which isnt good or bad, but keep in mind - you are reviewing it in 2004 or so, compare to cars of the same year, technology progresses! I have to admit, the gauges look cool at night.

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  Horrible Reliability - Never Buy Dodge Van - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By dodgevanowner - January 22 - 7:15 am

  Nothing but non-stop issues design flaws, poor quality and mfgd parts, and multitude of issues. Interesting, when you talk to all the auto shops - which plz take the time to do, they tell you they see this EVERY day with Dodges. After 55k miles, transmission completely went out - which was a $3k repair, dealership would have been $5k. With less than 85k miles still - have already replaced the front left CV joint, replaced alternator, front passenger window regulator, passenger sliding door lock actuator, rear hatch lift gate assembly motor/arm and also shocks, oil pan seal, and more. Bottom line, Dodge vans are total POS and will never buy one again.

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  17,000 Miles and going strong! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By TheOneAdam - January 22 - 5:43 am

  Hello world! I have the Sunburst Orange SXT with all the bells and whistles. Definitely an eye catcher and never a shortage on conversation whether at the gas pump or grocery store. This is a nice fun vehicle, great for traveling as well as city driving. Being in the great state of Texas, driving to Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston (all cities are about 240 miles apart – est. 230 - 250 on at tank of gas) this vehicle is fun! And yes, good acceleration from 0-60 as well as surprisingly good passing speeds. Stable at the 3-digit speeds as well – Oops, did I say that?