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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  Love My Magnum! - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By CG - May 18 - 3:16 am

  Great design, fun to drive.Turn heads every where I go. I receive compliments on body styling.

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  Best $5K I ever spent - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By ETPHONEHOME - May 17 - 1:37 pm

  I purchased the car used for about $4K. I knew it had an oil leak when purchased. I had to change the head gasket and drive shaft seal, and also decided to change the water pump. Another $1K invested. The head gasket was known design defect that was fixed, and Ive had no leaks since. The car now has 160K miles on it and still runs great. No problems. Its fun to drive. It has a good interior and great head room for persons under 6 ft. Im getting 36 mpg (70- 75 mph) in warmer months with good Mobil gas...generic gas about 3 mpg less. Best $5K I have ever invested. An excellent basic commuter car.

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  Performance and Reliability - 1993 Dodge Stealth
  By bighillk - May 17 - 11:52 am

  Bought this car used. Had 90K on it. Now, at 199k it runs just as good as the day I bought it. Do scheduled maintenance and youll have no problems. The performance of this car has literally saved my life on several occaisions. Handling and braking are unmatched. Fuel economy is great. Even at 85 mph the care gets 28 mpg. This fall Im retiring it and restoring it. Its too great a car to ever get rid of.

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  2015 Dodge Charger SXT Plus - 2016 Dodge Charger
  By Revron - May 17 - 7:57 am

  Bought this car about 5 weeks ago and still learning many things about the features. So far it has been working great. It is a comfortable ride, so quiet that often you are up to speed quicker than you realize. It has all the safety features we wanted and they work extremely well. Have had several compliments about the looks of the car as well as the ride. The gas mileage is still increasing as there is less than 1000 miles at this time. We test drove several vehicles and this was the best overall for the money. It is not a $60,000+ car but the interior and amenities are right up there. The exterior is retro but modern. In reading some of the other reviews, we wondered if those drivers who had nothing nice to say bought the car without a test drive or really looking at it. The technology works fairly easily but does take a little while to learn. Our salesman sent us videos to help learn things as well and that was a plus. We got a great deal as this was a leftover new 2015. It is very heavy and could use a little more horsepower for the size/weight but definitely moves and we made the choice to buy the 6 cylinder so knew what we were getting. Will update this review when we have had the car longer but so far we are very happy.

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  Itll knock your socks off! - 2005 Dodge Viper
  By Ooomph - May 17 - 1:13 am

  Being a former Vette owner let me tell you there is NO comparison. This is a street legal race-car, period. Whether youre hunting TT Porsches, 360s or whatever, this car will easily even out the playing field. You want comfort? Buy a Caddy. If you want to make old ladies dive for the emergency lane as you pass at 65mph still in 1st gear, buy the Viper. This car may not be the fastest, quickest or slickest but it sure does rank high in all of those categories! How many other bone- stock American made cars will hit 160mph in 4th -- in less than a half- mile? I love my Bright Silver Metallic Viper SRT-10! (my wife hates it...jealousy!)

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  Dodge Stratus R/T Coupe - 2005 Dodge Stratus
  By Terrimy - May 16 - 9:25 pm

  Ive been a little disappointed at the gas mileage. Initially it was 20 miles per gal city, 26 highway. Now city miles are about 15 miles per gallon. Turbo with automatic transmission helps me merge onto the freeway with ease. If I lived in the country or in the desert, I would entertain ordering a 5-speed manual transmission.

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  Great Buy/Great Value/Great Van!!! - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Nathan & Lauren - May 16 - 9:20 pm

  My husband and I love this van. We did a great deal of research when looking for a new car. We also liked the Honda Odyssey but found that the extras in the vehicle were NOT worth the added expense! The Dodge Grand Caravan is a spacious, economical van while continuing to be a thrill to drive. A huge step above the 2004 Grand Caravan!! We highly recommend this van to anyone!!!

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  Love the Car - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By janie givens - May 16 - 9:02 pm

  I bought this intrepid with 26,000 on it. It was a program car. It has never given me any trouble. I change the oil every 3,000 miles. Have one set of tires other than the originals that were new when I bought it. I have the original battery. The only mechanical repair was replacing the brake pads. It is the most comfortable car. I have taken many long trips and sit in the front and back. It rides like an expensive car. Would buy another intrepid.

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  A truck for all around use - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By Lisco - May 16 - 3:21 pm

  This is the second Dakota Quad Cab I have owned. Have also owned F-150 and Tundra Double Cabs. Previous Dakota Quad Cab with V-8 5-speed auto with a tonneau cover averaged a tad over 20 mpg on trips, this one with only 2,000 miles, V-8 4x4 managed 19.4 mpg on a recent out of state trip. Handles well, steering is nice, and road noise is acceptable. City driving is much like driving a full size car, and parking in tight spaces is no longer the chore the larger trucks were. A 4x2 with limited slip is a bit quieter and smoother but the 4x4 does offer a more well rounded vehicle.

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  Chsrger RT - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By alterius - May 15 - 11:13 pm

  The Charger RT is a fun car, has room for the family, and has good power, but is not a muscle car. 340 hp or even 350 hp with the Pereformance package is not enough to really push around 4000 lbs. For individuals who want real muscle, only the 425 hp SRT8 will do.