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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  A heck of a truck - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By ChristaLynn - November 2 - 2:00 am

  I needed very specific things in a vehicle, towing capacity for a horse trailer, room for 3 kids and their stuff, 4 wheel drive, comfortable front seats for long drives, and most importantly, a cool looking vehicle (bye bye boring minvan) The Durango was the only mid-sized truck that met all my criteria. I love, love, love driving this truck. When I hit that accelerator, this baby moves. It handles great, corners well and is just so fun to drive. Also, I bought my Durango used on Ebay and saved over $6,000 so am doubly happy. Hope you buy one and love it too.

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  Has been very good - 1994 Dodge Caravan
  By KC - October 27 - 10:31 pm

  Caravan SE bought in 1994 with 10k miles from Thrifty Car Rental. Has been a very good car. 3.3 is peppy and fairly economical. Nice and roomy. Not sexy but love the practicality. I dont use the third seat since I usually dont have passengers. Had a starting problem a few times and replaced starter. Air bag light came on but it was just fuse #13. No problems, just regular maintenance. A friend bought a 96 and had many major problems. Strangely, this Caravan has been more reliable than Honda and Toyota of same year/mileage in the family!

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  Great Buy - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By gusser - October 27 - 2:45 pm

  We purchased on looks and very surprised with performance and reliability. In 33,000 miles the only repair has been the low tire warning sensor. We purchased the R/T package with the Tow kit. Miles are evenly split between city and highway. Only word of caution: the 20" std equipment tires will hydroplane easily. We will probably replace with ice/snow tires to improve road grip. Well buy another if still available at trade in time.

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  my rental - 2009 Dodge Charger
  By phil - October 27 - 10:57 am

  Rented this car for 10 days.It had 22K on odometer.Drove for app 3K miles from Alabama to NYC and then to NC mountains.Very comfortable,quiet,decent power.MPG blew mw away.At interstate driving slightly over posted speed I got a low of just over 26 and high of just over 30.I was expecting 22-23 range.That is great for a heavy, full size sedan.Only negative is the gas pedal feels too firm and a little out of comfort position,Other wise for a tall man, it was a pleasure to drive.I feel dodge wont hold value well so prob wouldnt buy a new vehicle, but a late model used charger should be fine.I will look for this model next time i rent.

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  2001 Dodge Grand Caravan - Grand Indeed! - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By babirusa - October 27 - 2:26 am

  Got my 2001 Grand Caravan used with 50,000 miles on it, now have 165,000. It has been one of the best cars I have ever owned. Driving comfort, road performance, utility, reliability; all top notch. I replaced the stock air filter with a K&N filter at 90,000 miles, and noticed an immediate increase in fuel economy of almost 10%, as well as noticeably more power under acceleration (3.3 liter V6). Only maintenance and normal wear type expenses with this car; brakes, one set of rotors, one rear windshield washer motor, one set of anti-sway bars. It has all-original exhaust system and shocks, and has never stranded me.

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  Great Car - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Mike - October 26 - 2:08 pm

  When i saw the Avenger it took me by surprise. This car looks like a charger and i think it looks better. dodge has done great with makeing cars look the best. Other cars like the Camry,accord,and Altima just look to basic and boring compared to this car. I had the car for about four months now and ive had no problems. Sometimes when people see my car they say nice charger and when i tell them its not. They are amazed to find out it is cheaper and great on gas. i love how dodge made a mid-size car look so big and mean on the streets. Please before you look into buying another boring toyota or honda like most people look inot this stylish great car.

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  nice truck - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By BILL - October 25 - 11:06 pm

  This is a nice truck, inside and out. On rough rodes the front end tends to bounce in one direction. I have the V-6 in my truck and it seems to be under powered. The ride is nice.

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  256K and transmission died - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By stekicar - October 24 - 10:43 am

  SE 3.0L 3 speed Bought it with 99640 miles on it on 08/2002. Since then, I was free of any problems. Taking care of it, oil changes every 3000 miles, transmission oil every 30k, tune-ups every 50k. And finally, transmission start hard shifting from first to second a week ago. Currently in the shop with $1950 to $2200 bill waiting for fixing transmission - total rebuilt. Plan to drive it for two more years minimum. Engine is still strong. Average is 22mpg. On freeway, with 65mph it reaches 24-25mpg. Rust is everywhere. My friend tells me that soon I will not have to open the door to enter inside :). Construction is still solid.

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  Caliber Is Fun - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By JoeTennessee - October 24 - 1:13 am

  I purchased one of the first Calibers available. We knew we were purchasing an inexpensively built car so high expectations for quality of the interior and ride were not a factor. It was a sharp, fun, inexpensive car. The fuel rating also sold us and is the only negative we have. We have driven the car 24,000 miles now and the typical overall mileage is around 23 mpg even though the "city" low rating is 26. This was a severe misstatement by Dodge. I have owned several new cars and trucks over my 35 years of driving and have always gotten at least the minimum reported mileage that was disclosed. Yet, we still love our little yellow Caliber!

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  Number 7 Chrysler Minivan - 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By John - October 22 - 10:30 pm

  After owning 6 other Chrysler Minivans, this one is by far the best. Great build quality, no squeeks or rattles, good performance out of the 3.3L, comfortable seats, really neat blackberry color, black interior (ok,dark slate). Stow and Go an engineering marvel. I cant think of anything I would change. Maybe the sport suspension from the 4.0L engine model, but the stock suspension is just fine, very Honda-like.