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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  Epitaph for a minivan - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By 70dave - September 29 - 6:16 pm

  Bought this van for my wife to drive and as our family car. My wife has really enjoyed the van and I must admit it looks pretty good for a minivan with the rear spoiler and the alloy wheels. It even handles pretty good. We have three teenagers and the van has served the purpose well of transporting us with adequate leg room. I am 6,2" and it is not at all comfortable for the driver. There is nowhere to put your left leg due to the wheel hump. As of last week van had approx. 120,000 miles and was serviced regularly. I added transmission fluid all the time due to tranny leak so the fluid was always fresh. Same for power steering fluid and coolant. Crashed last week w/no air bags deployed. Bye van.

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  Great purchase - would buy another! - 2008 Dodge Magnum
  By NJBloke - September 29 - 10:55 am

  I bought a 2008 certified pre-owned Dodge Magnum SXT (silver/black) three months ago and love it. I needed space for a part-time business (photography) and did not want an SUV/crossover. This vehicle drives like a car and has more space and style then any mid-sized SUV on the road. The 08s are relatively rare as they have a redesigned front facia as well as interior (higher-end soft touch plastics, nicer center console, etc.). If you can find a CPO SXT with low miles for a reasonable price- grab it! I searched for 3 months and stole mine it had 16K miles on it and I bought for $12,800. I plan on keeping this as a second car for years to come.

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  This car is charming but flawed - 1997 Dodge Avenger
  By wings - September 29 - 10:21 am

  This was my first car. Much like a first love it holds a special place in my heart. The car looks beautiful and the engine still runs smooth at 138,000 miles BUT I have brought it to my mechanic so many times that we could be best friends. The ball-joints, the tie rods, the struts have all been replaced. The struts are bad again after an additional 25,000 miles. Now, the transmission took a dump and it looks like my car has skin cancer. The car is charming yes, but after you get married to it, it will soon become lazy and consistently start to break in little annoying increments until you will want a divorce. If you are a risk taker, go for it, but you might get burned. other fish in the sea

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  2000 Grand Caravan - 2000 Dodge Caravan
  By karen - September 23 - 10:21 pm

  It has been a great van for us. Only minor repairs till 235,000 then the trans went out, but I have no complaints. Air conditioner is still ice cold with no repairs. Gas mileage was decent (20 mph)with the 3.3. I would buy another one. Great van for the money. Took many trips in the old girl. She was a good one.

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  Nice car for the money - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Captain Jim - September 22 - 5:16 pm

  I have 44,000 bought it from a rental company after a year with 26,000 miles on it. I have now had it 4 years and it has only been in the shop for regular service and one additional time for front brakes about 80 dollars. I got it for a good price and it has been perfectly reliable so far. I have the extended warranty but have never had to use it so far. I had a 30,000 plus Nissan Z and it was more fun to drive but way more expensive to maintain it was always in the shop.

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  Good Value - 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Dan GRANDERSON - September 21 - 12:09 pm

  No such thing as the perfect vehicle, however the 2013 Grand Caravan offers reliability, pracitcality and value in a moderately priced mini van. Have operated this van with absolutely no problems for over 68,000 miles.

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  Great car for the money - 2015 Dodge Dart
  By Michael La Course - September 19 - 5:54 am

  One thing you need to keep in mind, I have bought the manual transmission so it is sportier. However the 2.0L could have a little more kick. The voice control is poor, as i had to take it back the day after I bought it (guess anyone can get a faulty unit though) to replace the uconnect. The car drives great and fuel efficiency is great on the highway but could need improvement on city streets (29.8 mpg combined for me, 37 hwy, 24-25 city). Pros: - Great car for the money - Great Safety features - Great factory speakers - nice adjustability of seats - Awesome cargo space - Good on hwy gas Cons: - somewhat slow takeoff - Uconnect issues - instrumentation can be slightly confusing I just bought this car, so the review may still get changed.

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  Bought Used I doubt Ill buy another - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By YesAwaken - September 18 - 10:00 am

  Good looking van. Dodge will probably never make anything close to this style.

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  Average - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By rcary21 - September 16 - 12:29 pm

  This car is leased. It is the R/T FWD. It is not a quick sporty vehicle, it is a borderline luxury car. Think Lincoln MKZ, but cheaper. It is great on the highway, very comfortable and quiet, but that is not what I was in the market for. It is white and the exterior styling is great. I went from a Contour SVT to this and this car is soft compared to the SVT. The climate control went out and was replaced under warranty. Overall not a bad car, just not what I wanted.

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  Not Bad for $500.00 - 2001 Dodge Neon
  By Anyon - September 12 - 3:53 pm

  This little car has 133,000 miles on it and it still starts and drives very well. Very reliable, couple of gremlins, but nothing major. Lots of aftermarket parts available. Fun little project for the four banger enthusiast. Shaky idle (probably could benefit from a tune up).