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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  Nice truck - 1994 Dodge Dakota
  By p_s_xpress - June 13 - 6:23 pm

  I bought this truck because of the design and size, not too big, not too small. Has been a reliable truck, a few repairs here and there, but no major repairs other than a clockspring replacement in the steering wheel.

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  2002 DURANGO - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By JDL - June 13 - 10:00 am

  WELL BUILT TRUCK, ROOMY, RIDES GREAT FOR A BIG TRUCK

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  Saved my life - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By chryslerfan12 - June 13 - 7:58 am

  I just posted a while back how much I loved my 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. My Grand Caravan had 86000 trouble free miles on it until January 24 2013. I was traveling to fast for snowy conditions slid off the road took out a HUGE hemlock tree did 4 360s and tumbled down an embankment. The right side of the van was gone, the glass blew out of it, the dashboard collapsed, and the roof buckled but I was able to unbuckle my seatbelt and walk away from the crash uninjured. I really miss my van!

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  Be Careful - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By dtojeo - June 13 - 6:09 am

  I purhased a 2008 Grand Caravan. Big Mistake. The vehicle has numerous electrical prolems costing hundreds every year in repair and towing charges. A few problems I have encounterd: Horn blowing in the middle of the night, locked out of the vehicle, Windshield wipers turning on for no reason, windows going up and down when the vehicle is parked, radio changing stations for no reason, lights blinking on and off while parked and now the ignition system as failed. I was told by the dealer that the key is proably bad and it will have to be towed in. It cost $240 per key, $90 for system diagnosis and it may have to have an entire ignition system on top of a $90 tow charge. Reliability = 0

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  Durango - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By Joe - June 11 - 11:37 pm

  Nice styling, comfortable seating. Large, with a good turning radius. V8, 239 cid has good power with 235 horsepower and a strong and smooth shifter. Nice metallic color offerred by Dodge. Caddys watch out, the Hemis getting bigger every year. Quality craftsmanship with a long dealer warranty. These SUVs will be the best overall, if not already, soon.

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  Worth the purchase! - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By Sarah B - June 11 - 3:16 pm

  We were in the market last August for a car, and came to Edmunds.com. Of all the cars we looked up that we were considering, the 2003 Dodge Stratus R/T coupe had the best review. So we made the purchase and have not been let down! I would tend to agree with the other reviews regarding the emergency brake placement, but other than that we cant complain! Definitely worth the purchase!

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  2005 stratus - 2005 Dodge Stratus
  By terry - June 11 - 10:23 am

  For the money, it seems to be a good car. We like the leather, and the sporty appearance of the chrome package. The fuel mileage was poor at first (19 Hwy) but seems to be improving.

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  Compliments on the vehicle - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Stilts - June 11 - 3:36 am

  I have been getting a lot of compliments on the style of the car. The people say the body style is in its own, but wish sometimes it would go back to old style Charger. The people that have ridden with me says the performance is great, and the handling is outstanding. The interior is comfortable and roomy.

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  I Guess Im Addicted To These - 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Steve Blum - June 9 - 10:33 pm

  Sounds like the other reviewer got a lemon. I dont think Chrysler would be the # 1 Minivan if it was like the one he seemed to have gotten. I love these things and you cant beat the value.

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  2005 SXT after 9 months - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By ikarus - June 9 - 8:36 pm

  A couple of things with the interior design are irritating. Window and door lock controls are not back-lit. You cant see them at night. Ditto for the steering wheel controls for radio and cruise control. You cant see the hood release and parking brake release at night. Also, theres too much clutter on the radio and A/C panels. Just too many buttons. Power seats do not lower enough. Ive bumped my head many times getting in and out of the car. And the leather seats are not that comfortable. Mileage on a round trip to Arizona settled in on about 24.5 mpg. Of course this was at speeds between 70 and 75.