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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  BIG MISTAKE!!! Done with Dodge!!! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By bargomommy - December 29 - 3:01 pm

  Check engine light came on within a week of buying this piece of junk! Both O2 sensors needed replaced. Then the alternator to a dump and needed replaced! When you go to accelerate, you dont know whether its going to go or be sluggish and need to push down harder on the gas. N matter how many times I clean it, it is a dust collector. The gas mileage has never been what was stated. Then there are the recalls. We are trading this in as soon as we get our taxes and never looking back!!! I will never buy a Dodge again!!!

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  Durango in Eastern Oregon Snow - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By davisranch - December 23 - 8:50 pm

  Tried the Durango in the snow and more WOW. Took it in doughnuts and couldnt even get it to slide sideways with the 5.7L hemi. And on corners there a 4x4 would be in the curb drove like on dry road. They took Subarus technology 6 years ago and took it 6 years newer even with Goodyear all season tires. Comparing subaru with Toyo Open county AT, sipped. I had it sideways in the same circle turning. Still in the WOW stage.

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  Love This Car... - 2013 Dodge Charger
  By 1heididog1 - December 22 - 9:23 pm

  We purchased our 2013 RT Road and Track several months ago. Coming from the muscle car era and not having anything to show for it, decided to purchase my wife and I a new age one. Our vehicle is fully loaded accept for the radar speed control. This baby is black on black and is a true head turner. The Road and Track package gives the car a stiffer ride but for us old dragsters it is not bad. Hands down this is the most beautiful sporty road car inside and out and boy does she fly! Not bad on gas either:}

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  dodge neon 02 - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By nicole30 - December 22 - 4:23 pm

  This car was great at first(80,000), but after a year with 111,000 miles on it, had to surrender to pick n pull....This car will need extra special help if you want it to last. Cheap, but not a good choice if you want a soid car.

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  sxt fwd 3.6 6 speed auto - 2012 Dodge Journey
  By dipstick5 - December 16 - 6:20 am

  bought car last month and love it! quiet smooth ride with plenty of power when needed. not a grocery getter but a highway cruiser capable of towing 2500 lbs. great features inside especially the 8" screen for sat radio / climate control, LED interior lighting. went 100 miles in the rain yesterday and was really impressed with the handling and control of the road conditions while getting almost 30 MPG on the highway. after driving this car i would never consider honda or toyota again dodge did a great job building this car!

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  FRONT END FACTORY TOLERANCE AT LIMIT - 2004 Dodge Caravan
  By kwethington1 - December 13 - 7:39 pm

  This is our second Plymouth/Dodge van. We bought both new. The 98 was great. This van will not align without changing the toe-in to make up for the left veering. The front right side of the axle, is at the factory limit of degrees forward of ideal, the the front left side axle is at the factory limit for back of ideal. Consequently, when aligned, properly, the car is 3 or 4 degrees out of straight and veers left, a lot. The dealership kept it running straight when it was under warranty. It left the factory, driving straight. Both had to set the toe-in off to do this.

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  2.4l l4 sxt - 2010 Dodge Avenger
  By fletchums - December 13 - 4:10 pm

  well, for starters, i have an 09 rio lx and an 04 explorer eddie bauer ed....compared to those vehicles, i wouldnt hate...i love my avenger, its a good reliable vehicle. i understand that its transmission is out of date and the engine is low powered but for the price i got it and the reason i picked it, its great...its one of those cars where you like it for the ride and not the power, like someone said already, if you wanted something fast you wouldnt have looked a 4 banger...the vehicle is a one of a kind beast, i have had no problems with the A/C or the brake lights, i did though buy it after it came out by 2 years, all i can say is it was worth the money i spent on it.

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  Dodge Dart wish it was better - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By savageman - December 12 - 8:01 pm

  Bought the Dart rallye with a 1.4l turbo. From the time we bought the vehicle, it has turbo lag. The engine is not smooth in torque or horsepower and in cold weather running cold is the worst. In order to function at all, it needs to warm up. Ive had my dart in three times for the same problem. It is getting ridiculous and am not happy with Dodge Engineers ignoring this obvious problem that everyone is talking about on the forums.

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  Great in the snow! - 2013 Dodge Charger
  By mndriver2013 - December 11 - 9:57 pm

  We just had 16 inches of snow and the AWD SXT 8 speed handles it better than my Mazda Tribute SUV. Braking and cornering is a dream. I cant even tell when the vehicle is shifting gears... smooth as butter with great exceleration when you need it. All in a V6! We are averaging 24 mpg (mostly highway). Better than the soccer-mom-van we traded in for our "midlife crisis" car. JK. Actually, we plan on giving this vehicle to our daughter after she learns to drive. I feel happy she will be getting a "hand me down" this safe.

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  great buy - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By gunwaleman - December 9 - 2:14 pm

  I have about 2000 miles on my Dart limited. I am impressed with all the features and how inexpensive it was compared to so many other cars. You would pay thousands more for other cars with the same features, if you can find one with all the features and I am talking about even the more premium brands. Gas mileage is decent. The computer gauge is not accurate. I seem to be averaging 29 on hilly Pa roads and got almost 35mpg on a long trip on I-80 which is quite hilly on the part I drive. The computer was off by as much as 6 mpg a couple of times. I find that the 2.0l engine is adequate for hilly Pa roads. I does downshift frequently but one can avoid that if one goes to the manual mode.