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 fine first car - 1996 Dodge Avenger
  By jmoy - July 24 - 5:15 pm

  The Avenger was my first car out of college, and its still going at 140,000 miles (9yrs.). It corners nimbly, and possesses great sport styling. Its athletic veneer, however, belies its pedestrian engine performance Its pretty slow from 0- 60. unless youre drag racing, It boasts sufficient passing power on freeways. The tranny has given me fits: I replaced it at 95K and am starting to have problems again at 140K. I also replaced the water pump once and all the 02 sensors twice now. Overall, however, its been a fairly decent car. I think it can last another year plus.

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  Its a cute car and its fun to drive - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By ohmightyqueen - July 23 - 8:26 pm

  Just picked it up tonight. 5 speed fun shifting power shifting speeding along excellent comfort and drive. Wished the gas cap was lockable. I am not really crazy about the chill zone as I think its frivilous, but hey I might want a cold one sometime. Its very roomy. The back seat was a little odd until I discovered how to unrecline them. Very roomy cargo area. I have a PT Cruiser that I love but is now a teenage car. I picked the inferno red color and the beige interior. Love the lit cupholders. Cant wait to see the gas mileage. I have put about 25 miles on it tonight. I just think its the most fun car yet.

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  Great New Durango - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By T. Bias - July 23 - 3:47 pm

  I have enjoyed this Durango on our trips and it feels like you are driving on air. This is very smooth riding with great get up and go power in the engine. I have been buying Dodges for many years, and this by far has been the best.

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  Caravan average at best - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By Brautman - July 23 - 3:23 am

  We purchased an extended Dodge Caravan Sport and we enjoyed it in the test drive, but after we took it home it had some faults. We noticed the sound of an air leak from the windshield area that whistled particularly at highway speeds. The interior quality is quite poor as our passenger side sliding door panel fell off. The seats are comfortable and all rows are roomy. Performance isnt great with the 3.3L V6, but hey its a minivan.

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  Dodge lover turns disappointed! - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By Edwin - July 23 - 12:25 am

  Uncomfortable, many blind spots, terrible gas milage, sluggish transmission, but it looks great. I bought one, then regreted it. What were the engineers thinking?

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  Great Little Car - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By KAB - July 22 - 9:20 pm

  I have the Stratus SXT Coupe. I purchased it 1.5 years ago and I love it! I have the ocean blue color. I am always getting comments on how "pretty" my car is! My only complaint is that it is very small. I definitely do not recommend it for someone who has children. Car sits a little too low to the ground. The trunk is huge and mine came with a 4 disc CD player which is very nice.

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  2004 Stratus sold for Taurus - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By dhermesc - July 22 - 4:43 pm

  I posted on how well I liked the Stratus last December when I bought it. Times have changed. Transmission failed at 19,880 miles, despite the granny driving habits of my wife. 6 trips to the dealer later (and two car payments with little or no driving) they finally got it running well enough that I could dump it. Traded for a 2004 Taurus SES. This was my first Dodge in 15 years, I think Ill wait another 15 before I try again.

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  My Red Van - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By LinMort - July 22 - 10:00 am

  I have driven this van from Phoenix to LA, Vegas severial times, I have never been tired when I got to where I was going, when I made the same trip with a car I was always tired, almost like jet lag. I do feel that this van is very comfortable, and most of all I do feel safe in it. This is my second new one.

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  King of the road! - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By CrackaJack - July 22 - 10:00 am

  Dodge built this car for one reason. To wipe the floor with anything that pulled up next to it. You dont drive this car for comfort or for a nice leather covered dash or seats. You drive this car to go fast and enjoy the ride. If you want comfort or a butt warming seat... get a VW or a Toyota...Just make sure you remember that you will be seeing our tail lights.

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  best deal going - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By the real hannibal - July 22 - 10:00 am

  I feel as though I pulled one over on everyone. I bought this because it was the most inexpensive deal that I could get. Turns out that it suits everyone of my needs and is very economical to operate. Took it on a 6000 mile road trip around Europe this summer and it has satisfied me every kilometer along the way. It has enough speed for the Autobahn, sufficient power for the swiss alps, causes me to ignore the high price of fuel in France, and is sexy enough for the Italian Autostrada. I love this car. What a bargain.