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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  Safety features really work - 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Anonymous - May 12 - 2:00 am

  My wife was in a head-on collision in this van at 50 mph. The crumple zones worked as advertised and there was no noticeable damage to the cabin. She was a little bruised up from the airbags and seat belt but otherwise she walked away. The van was totaled but she is with us to talk about it.

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  My cloud car - 2005 Dodge Stratus
  By beingunique - May 9 - 11:09 pm

  Totally impressed by my Stratus. I got all the options I wanted, 5k off the sticker and a great deal. Its the classic American nameplate w/some foreign parts that have proven to be VERY reliable. The joint venture between Chrysler and Mitsubishi is great. The same components that are used in the award winning Eclipse are used in the Stratus Coupe, and I could not be more pleased! Stylish, I get a LOT of looks. Feature packed, classy looks, sporty looks, and it performs. Along with a great engine that gets WONDERFUL gas mielage. Ive gotten over 400 miles on 1 tank! I got all I wanted in my Stratus. For being a Dodge, it really has impressed a LOT of people (even me!!)

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  VIPER Review -- MY PICK!!! - 2004 Dodge Viper
  By BillyD - May 9 - 3:05 pm

  I just purchased one. I am 41 years old and it took a lot of wife convincing. Anyway, on the maiden voyage, I came up against a Mustang Cobra SVT (690hp). I had my 8 year old boy with me. Before I even knew what I was doing (and thinking I was 21), the race was on. The Viper won by a hair from a rolling start (10mph) to 80mph. Exhilaration was the feeling until I realized what I had done (on a 30mph 4 lane street in a very upscale neighborhood). Thank God there were no cops. If you love beautiful, fast cars, buy one!

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  GOOD SO FAR W/MINOR PROBLEMS - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By hankinsd - May 9 - 2:00 am

  This is a pretty good van overall but I had a water leak around the passenger windshield which the dealer finally fixed after 3 attempts. The dealer did not replace the carpet, which I requested. NOT VERY HAPPY WITH DODGE ABOUT THAT ISSUE!!!!! I also had a dash lighting issue. The fix was just resetting the computer. All in all it is a nice VAN but DODGE needs to do better with CUSTOMER SUPPORT. One other thing I have a 99 Dodge Dakota which also had a water leak at almost the same place. NOT GOOD!!!

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  SXT Sport - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Wendy - May 8 - 8:03 pm

  Ive had my car for 5 weeks. It handles well, has good speed and is beautiful to look at. I love it.

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  Dodge Stratus R/T - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By freddy87@aol.com - May 7 - 10:00 am

  Great performer, not much for comfort. Cluch,and transmission not what expeted. Otherwise great car.

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  2002 Grand Caravan ex - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By JohnyD - May 7 - 10:00 am

  Looked at all minivans and pared the list down to the Honda, Mazda and Grand Caravan. I refuse to be railroaded into paying $3k over MSRP for a car, so the Honda was out. We ended up buying the Grand Caravan ex and hit the road on a 1200 mile road trip from SoCal to Lake Powell and back. We hit extreme temps, rain, wind, sand storms and the van took it all like a champ. Very comfortable and well thought out vehicle. I am still a little worried about the reliability of the power train, but with the 7yr/100k warranty, I think that is covered. Great van for a great price.

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  I love my 99 ES - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By Tihson69 - May 5 - 8:44 pm

  I have ownd my 99 ES since 00. I LOVE IT. I have had no major issues (with the exception of the brake rotors-- warping--COMMON PROBLEM!!) & a brake sensor -- I have only had to replace my cup holder (broken by my own fault) and my passenger front window motor is slow to roll up/down (due to someone hitting me as I was parked in a lot). I have added several 300 M parts (chrome shifter for autostick), chrome window switches, and 17" chrome wheels. If the gas mileage was better (or had a bigger engine --say 4.5L I would be EXTREMELY happy --I can carry all I ever need with 18.4 CU FT of trunk space!

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  Love my Dodge - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By Dan S. - May 5 - 8:16 pm

  We purchased the Durango after looking around at many other models. I loved the looks and power. We tow a very large camper as well as a farm tractor, and use it for other work around the farm. Have had no problems until now. Transmission is starting to give trouble. Everything still works great and we have the SLT plus. Still use it when we need to carry 7 people. nNver been stuck yet, thanks to 4WD.

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  Unreliable Dodge Stratus - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Eric - May 5 - 7:06 pm

  I had the Dodge Stratus for 3 wks when the water pump went bad and I was stuck 40 miles from home. Then approx. 11 months later when the car is only 1 yr old the fuel pump went bad and once again I was stranded. The car only had 18,000 miles and twice I had major mechanical defects. These are parts that should last for atleast 60,000- 70,000 miles. I feel the engine quailty on the Dodge Stratus is very poor.