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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  My first car won me over - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By neonkinpatsu - May 15 - 5:50 pm

  Ive had my 98 almost 5 years. As much as Ive heard about the Neon back then, I was reluctant. Before buying I did a lot of research and drove at least 3 from each year. Now Ive driven them all. I couldnt afford a new 2000 then, but I was aiming for a 98 because I noticed a huge difference in price. Once I drove mine, I was hooked. The head gasket was replaced before I bought it, so no issue there. Tranny died this year but the warranty covered it. EGR valve went in 2002. Other than that, only VERY minimal maintenance. Im considering a new car because of age and trade-in value. If the new Neons are still out in a year or 2, Im likely to buy a Neon again. I love my baby. I will cry when I trade her in.

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  EXCELLENT - 2005 Dodge Viper
  By dodge_girl - May 14 - 7:40 pm

  This is the best car ever! It is very fast,cool,and did I mention fast? I would only recamend it for very experienced drivers like myself. Altough this car is very expencive it is so awesome. When I am just driving down the street I get good looks from people and very many comments like nice ride or awesome wheels. This car is like I said before..........AWESOME!!

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  Great car, but bad cooling system - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By hudsonblog - May 14 - 3:08 pm

  My Durango has been a love-hate situation. I love the looks, love the power and the safety feel is great. The gas mileage is not good, but thats the price for a bigger car. I have had terrible luck with the cooling. This car has often gone past 210 degrees. Smells hot! The radiator had to be replaced due to leaks twice. The front cooling housing had to be replaced because a leak formed in the middle of the metal housing due to heat! Cylinder 7 began miss-firing and cause the left cylinder head to be replaced. Heat also cause an anoying squeak due to leaks in engine block seal. Ive been so careful with this car and has gotten me nowhere. I do like the 04 Durango!

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  Redesigned 04 Durango - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By lcphotos - May 14 - 2:00 am

  To say that the 04 Durango is redesigned is an incorrect statement. It is my opinion that they built a brand new vehicle and named it the Durango. The body is wider, longer, taller. The suspension reminds you of a Mercedes. You dont realize that you are driving a 5000lb SUV. The nose is dropped and shorter than the previous years giving you a better view of the road and parking areas. Over the holidays, 4 adults traveled extremely comfortably with the back full of luggage. We have the 5.7l Hemi with the 4x4/AWD and our trip to the mountains of North Carolina and thru the snow was a breeze.

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  2004 Durango with a HEMI - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By troy wheeler - May 14 - 2:00 am

  The limited Durango is Quiet, powerful (yes, it has a hemi)and very nimble. Our Durango is the top of the line LIMITED with leather, sunroof, dvd and a 380 watt sound system. We love the features, power and handling. The ride quality is outstanding and when you are accelerating we can still just barely hear the engine wind up. And we have lots of ROOM!! But is does not drive like a big suv. Its easy to park even though we park out a ways so we do not get any DINGS from inconsiderate drivers.

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  OK - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By ex-mopar - May 13 - 10:00 am

  When I bought the car, I loved it. After a few months, I found that the quality was more "plastic". It looks great and drives well, however too many squeaks and rattles make for a noisy ride. On initial acceleration, car seems to "jump" into first gear - enough to give you whiplash! Very odd squeaking when engine starts up - comes from rear passengers side wheel well - had it in to be looked at but they could not find the problem. It still "squeaked" this morning, but I dont care - trading it in for a Ford today - glad to get rid of it. Rearview mirror is in the way of everything - could be a bit higher. Dashboard is turning white from grey????

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  Great SUV - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By orca - May 13 - 10:00 am

  The truck is a solid 10. It has a great ride and you feel like you are in a lux truck with lots of room. highly recommended

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  4 years later... - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By rtlady - May 12 - 4:10 pm

  ...and I still love this car. Only flaws so far-Im still having to replace or turn rotors every 7,000 miles or so, and they squeak inbetween the whole time. Definitely a bummer given that the car is such a head- turner. Also, my EGR valve went shortly after the 3 year factory warranty was up, and extended warranty doesnt cover any vehicle emissions equipment. Cosmetically, the paint has held up great (but then I really baby it) except the door handles look faded and the chrome-like finish is peeling off some of the letters. I also started hearing a "sproing" like noise around 20,000 miles when I first start the car and put it in drive and dealer cant find source of problem.

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  Finally dumped it - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By lb - May 12 - 6:26 am

  Welp, after being told I was crazy and all the clunking noises, I have dumped my Caliber. It actually got good mileage, it had to have something good. Frankly, I was starting to fear the car was going to fly apart. The dealership service kept telling me it was the tires making the noises, and I told them You let me drive it off the lot like this I took it to Firestone and they said the tires were fine, numerous times. Come on! If I had needed tires, I reckon Firestone would have wanted to make a buck or two. Anywho, I wouldnt recommend the Caliber. Too bad, I thought it was going to be a pretty good car.

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  Cute, but some problems - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Sportster - May 12 - 4:42 am

  Ive had this car almost 2 years now. I have the Solar Yellow with a manual transmission. I bought it at the time with being a affordable car with a $3000 rebate. The car is cute, and is comfy for the long trips. I dont get near what the sticker said on gas mileage. The car has a 10 gallon tank, and Im getting on 250 miles to tank of fuel. Im not happy with that aspect of the car. Im having paint problems on the body where the door closes, being worn off by the doors rubber seal on both sides. Dealership trying to give me run around saying it normal for Dodge. Whatever... I love the car, but worried it will have problems when warranty wears out. I only have 10,500 miles on this car.