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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  Its really a 3.8 V-6 - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By Ken - March 8 - 4:58 am

  So far, I am very happy with my Dodge GC. It is very quiet, very nice stereo and love the convience and flexibility of the Stown Go seats.With one middle seat stowed, I have plenty of room to stow a lot of stuff in the bin that the other seat is not stowed. Plus it makes it very easy to get kids in and out of the back seats and leaves room for the dog to lay down. The front seats fit like a glove and I like the eight way power drivers seat plus the lockable storage bin under passengers seat. I also like the above console, with outside temp.,compass and mpg used. I havent had one bit of trouble with it yet.

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  Check for blowby and trans problems - 1993 Dodge Caravan
  By cgijobs - March 7 - 7:52 pm

  At 70,000 miles it started leaking oil was told the problem was blowby, which can only be fixed by replacing engine (I have been told by more than one mechanic that this is fairly common for Caravans like mine). Ive been able to live with the oil leak, but now at 133,000 miles the transmission is going out. Talking with other caravan owners, transmission problems are very common. Before buying an older Caravan I would make sure to have a mechanic check out the transmission carefully.

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  Dakota 4WD - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By james - March 7 - 10:36 am

  The 2000 model Dodge Dakota is a nice powerful little truck. The truck that I have has the upgraded 4.7L V8 option. The independent front suspension was not designed to greatley. I own an ATV which is older and has same type of suspension and takes way more abuse than my truck and has still outlived it and outdone it. The small V8 doesnt have the enough stock power. After I added dual exhaust and a K&N upgrade, it performed more to my approval. The 4wd needs to come with extra stock lift like the full size 4wds. The transmission I have is a standard, and it doesnt have the strangth to handle the V8s power. A heavier duty transmission is a must, possibly even a 6-speed.

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  Great Value - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Pete - March 6 - 2:15 pm

  I think this is a terrific little car, 28,000 Miles and no problems. Good gas mileage, handles well, much roomier that expected. For the price this vehicle should be at the top of every list!

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  Great work truck - 1997 Dodge Ram Van
  By Phone Man - March 6 - 6:03 am

  Just want to say this has been a good van for our company bought with around 100k currently has 232k still on original engine 5.9 with overdrive. Van hauls all our equipment well with room to spare, pulls trailer fair. Just been a good reliable rig.

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  I love my Dodge Caliber - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By DJC - March 5 - 6:03 am

  I love my Caliber. Great fuel economy, styling, and cool features. Im getting about 38 mpg going back and forth to work. I get a lot of looks and comments where ever I go. There are some real cool features that make the car special; lighted cup holders (I dont have to guess where to put my coffee cup, the glove box cooler can hold four cans or bottles of pop and keep them cold (the other day I had a candy bar that was melting... so I put it in the glove box cooler and it was good to eat by the time I got home), theres a detachable rear dome light that doubles as a flash light (I used it to fix a friends car one night), and the rear speakers can be detached for parties.

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  Great choice - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By Ernie - March 4 - 10:09 pm

  Definately a great choice in Value and style. Got the club cab and mucho room. Great power and nice interior. Sexy exterior.

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  Sorry I Bought This One. - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Pat - March 4 - 12:36 am

  This van has been in the shop EIGHT times since we bought it. They have done 2 alignments, replaced defective tires, and it still pulls to the right. (not to mention the right front tire is worn out, again)Now the Dealer and Dodge are saying that this is normal. There were 2 interior body panels that warped so bad they had to be replaced. (left front A pillar, and the Right rear) HMMM. Not to mention that the lack of adjustment to the front seats, leaves my wifes legs sore. It still needs to go in again. All that said, I will never buy another Dodge product. This is going up for sale very soon.

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  Grand Cherokee + Suburban = Durango - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By tsf - March 3 - 7:39 pm

  We wanted a V-8 SUV. Grand Cherokee was top on our list, but it wasnt any bigger inside than the Acura we were replacing. Suburban/Tahoe was too big for my wife, and too expensive for me! Then we found the Durango--fully loaded SLT 4.7L!!! It is the perfect blend of size--big enough for our small family, small enough that my wife is comfortable in it plenty of power to tow the toys, and didnt break the bank (thanks in part to low resale value and bad press!). Drives pretty well (not as smooth or sturdy-feeling as a Sub/Tahoe, but not bad), great power (feels as fast as our 01 Acura TL), interior is as nice as Chevys LT packages, and we even get near 20 freeway mpg (speed limit)

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  I Loathe this car - 2005 Dodge Viper
  By Historymaker - March 3 - 7:06 pm

  In owning several sports cars, I have found this to be one of the least reliable and most uncomfortable rides that I have ever experienced. I will never own a Dodge Viper again, unless maybe it was given to me.