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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  Could be great - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Dennis - June 8 - 9:46 pm

  This car certainly is an eye catcher which is why it sits in my driveway. My RT is black with chrome wheels and the spoiler. Lots of little goodies like the heat and cool cup holder, tire pressure monitor, fuel mileage monitor, remote start, autodim mirror with home link, Sirius satellite, and a few other things.

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  Nice Truck - 1995 Dodge Dakota
  By TJ Thompson - June 8 - 2:50 pm

  I bought this truck used with 10k on it. Ive had it for 10 years and its gotten me everywhere Ive needed to go. It averages about 22MPG with the 2.5L 4 cyl and 5-speed tranny. It gets me back and forth 20 miles to work and handles what little cargo I do haul easily. It has the original clutch even after a couple of years in San Diego dealing with rush hour traffic. I had to replace the catalytic convertor at 50k, the AC compressor around 70k and the head gasket around 100k. The radio quit just recently and it needs a new headliner. Overall though its been an efficient, reliable daily driver.

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  We Love it - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Jolene McBurney - June 7 - 11:06 am

  The little car, which isnt that little handles well in all areas of driving, in town and on the open hiway..Gas mileage is improving at a good rate. We have noticed that in high wind(which Texas has alot of) it does dance a bit, but nothing that I worry about..We love it.

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  Kens Viper Review - 2005 Dodge Viper
  By Ken - June 6 - 5:07 pm

  This is my second Viper. I had a 2002, the older body style convertible RT/10. Although I loved the 2002, the new Viper SRT/10 has some significant improvements, particularly in the exterior design and the interior. Performance, as with the 2002, is spine tingling.

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  This is THE minivan - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Jay_dee_ess - June 6 - 2:00 am

  Nobody I know didnt like this. I know many people that own Honda vans, and I did too at one point. But this is so much better. Its much more fun to drive, and the sound system is by far the best I have seen in a minivan, certainly 100 times better than that in the Honda minivan. The liftgate certainly attracts eyes, and nothing has broken down so far (16000 miles). Certainly the best minivan out there, aside from the Town & Country.

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  So far so good - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By froggerSJC - June 5 - 2:31 am

  Grabbed this car due to an amazing deal I got. It does handle pretty well for such a large car. I lowered my reliability rating because of Chryslers apparent lack of responsibility as far as the 2.7L engine goes. So far all is well, though I keep Mobile1 running through her. If my engine does fail, DC better be ready for a stink!

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  Neon R/T - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By Paul - June 4 - 1:27 pm

  This is one of the best cars for the money. Even after 7 years, it cant be matched on a performance for the dollar and reliability basis. I drove the heck out of it for 132,000 miles without even so much as a wimper. No only did I teach two teenage daughters on the car, we autocrossed it hard for 5 years! What other car could be had for $13,000, 7.5 sec 0-60 15.9 1/4 mile and 130mph top end and gets 37+ MPG? To top it off its big enough to haul anything except a sheet of plywood. All I can say is wow!

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  i miss this van - 1997 Dodge Ram Van
  By JLJones - June 4 - 2:13 am

  I purchased this van 1 year old used, a former fleet van. I have owned a 1991 dodge van previously. 1997 van had 3.9l v6 and 3-speed automatic trans. drivetrain not high on power but reliable and the transmisson worked well only problems were a cracked catalyst caused by using bosch platnum plus-4 spark plugs. ran this van overloaded most of the time and regularly exceeded tow rating bu 1500-2000 lbs van held up well to 3-years of my abuse then i traded it for a new 2001 dodge van. my 1997 sold to a friend of mine had 56,000 miles at trade now has 130,000 with no trouble while my 2001 van has been a nightmare 38,000miles 3 sets brakes weak 318 v8 and terrible tranny, eats rear tires, leaks, junk. will buy a ford van next time

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  2005 Dodge Dakota - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By NICK - June 4 - 12:58 am

  Plenty of room on the inside. More room than the competition, especially in the back seat. This truck is amazing. I have the 3.7 V6 automatic 4x4 and it has great power and sound. It drives like a car. The interior is my favorite, very comfortable, quiet, and smooth. I rate it altogether a 9/10.

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  Intrepid- well maintained - 1998 Dodge Intrepid
  By Randy - June 3 - 8:32 pm

  With synthetic oil and transmission fluid this car served me well for seven years. Problems seen with this vehicle are generally due to following the recommended oil change schedule. 7000 miles is too long for normal oil and will get you sludge buildup. I had no sludge with synthetic oil. It still looks good and goes reasonably fast.