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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  Unreliable piece of Junk - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Unreliable - runaway - August 12 - 10:00 am

  Bought this Grand Caravan SXT with 19K and 11 months old. Paid extra for extended warranty, got my moneys worth after replacing the Door motors SEVEN TIMES! Now post warranty, drivers side only opens auto (no manual door motor clutch stuck), passenger side is only manual, door motor shot. Radiator rusted at 80K, now just dies with no notice, no error code while on HWY at 50+ miles an hour. Hey Chrysler, try a curve at 55 with no power steering %^&*! Dealers and my mechanic cant find anything, no error codes. AC controls on dash, lights flicker on/off, poor solder in unit, had to replace. NOT SAFE, get a HONDA 2011 Odyssey like I did. Still have this Caravan for I cant sell it, unsafe!

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  I have owned better - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Tom from NJ - August 12 - 4:03 am

  I purchased this as a daily commuter vehicle averaging about 100 miles round trip. The interior was making noise from the vibration upon acceleration. I applied clear silicone to where the plastic touched metal and this seemed to stop. The car is not insulated very well and the cabin is very noisy at highway speeds. The pickup is horrible. I expected more from the 177 HP engine. The gas gauge is screwy and no where near accurate. When the light goes on you better get gas quick! Although there were plenty of places to put things it seemed as though I never had enough room. I traded this car in @ 22K miles.

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  Great Car for the Price - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Acerx1 - August 11 - 7:46 pm

  Probably one of the quietest cars in its class. Stunning with the 19 in chrome wheels. More storage than I could ever use. I love the green LED floor board lights, handy if you drop something. A fun car to drive...love that Auto Stick...Im used to rowing my own gears. Cool the way the middle seats pop up and forward out of the way. The wide opening door are great getting grandma in and out but you must watch the kids opening them to far in tight parking lots. Overall I love this car. Waiting for the Chrysler version.

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  Dodge Caliber SE - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Violette - August 11 - 12:03 pm

  I purchased my Caliber two months ago, and I am in love with it! It handles very well both on the street, as well as the freeway. The only complaint I have with the Caliber are the driver and passenger headrests because they arent very comfortable. Other than that, the Caliber is flawless. It is very easy and fun to drive, and surprising easy to clean and maintain. Id recommend this car to anyone who is in the market for a new car.

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  Not my idea of a car - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By enrique - August 11 - 2:21 am

  My model of the Dakota has constantly made a grinding sound at high speeds when moving towards the left. Also, it occasionly pulls to the right. The car is pretty nice but mostly the only thing wrong is the gas mileage that it trails. it is horrible. A semi gets better. It doesnt have much horsepower but it does the job. Also, I tried pulling out a tree with small roots and the car had trouble. I believe that my 95 Isuzu Trooper would have been more competent for the task.

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  My best investment - 1997 Dodge Neon
  By Dee - August 10 - 8:03 pm

  I bought my Neon new in 97. Aside from normal maintenance such as tires, brakes, etc., the single only repair I have had to make was replacing my starter at 90k miles. I love my Neon and would gladly purchase another. Key point: take care of it. My oil was changed regularly with protective additives routinely. I havent even had so much as a belt break. I drive about 200 miles a day for work 4 days a week now, and I am thankful for this car and its dependability.

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  Great Buy - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By SpraggLags - August 10 - 1:23 am

  We test drove several Trail Blazers and Ford Explorers and of course Dodge Durangos before we chose the Durango. What we noticed is the Durango and the Explorer were much more solid and had more power then the Trailblazer. Since weve owned our Durango we have averaged almost 19 MPG fuel efficiency, not bad for a V8. We have had the opportunity to take it on long and medium trips and we have found it to be very comfortable. We had 5 Adults on a trip of about 1500 miles and it was quite comfortable. We put down one side of the Third Row Seat to Store more luggage. We moved from an Ext. Minivan and the lack of storage space behind the 3rd row seat is the one negative for the Durango.

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  Lackluster - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By wwl - August 9 - 6:56 pm

  I bought it new and wanted to comment when I saw that several reviews had noted problems with the replacing the brakes at fairly low miles. I have also had to replace the front brakes on this vehicle at 38,000 miles (pads and rotors). There was no warning that these brakes needed replaced until one of the rotors warped. I kept asking the dealer to check them and they always told me that they were fine. Funny how now that the van is just out of warranty that they need replaced. Typical MOPAR quality.

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  One more round! - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By comfort king - August 9 - 3:03 pm

  This is my 2nd Grand Caravan. The first was very reliable. I owned it 10 years. Bought a luxury car and realised I missed my minivan. So here we go again. This one has 98000 on it, Im hoping I will have good luck with it, because I really enjoy the comfort and ride. I feel a little more confident since Ive got 10 years and 231,000 miles experience out of my 1st one. Plus I only paid $3600 for it used from the original owner who was a Chrysler retiree. I feel I cant go wrong.

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  Great Van - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Bob - August 9 - 5:06 am

  I am driving les as I have gotten older, however the comfort of this van is just great. I have had no problems, and the mileage is superior. When I first get in the van I know I am not going to have any operating problems. And I cant wait to start the engine and take off to do errands or visit friends. This my second new van and Chrysler has a winner. In the summer, plenty of air conditioning and lots of heat in the winter. The nice thing is, passengers can enjoy these features when they are in the back seat.