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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  Not Dissapointed - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Davkuy - March 2 - 10:00 am

  I am a return Neon buyer who learned an important lesson recently about buying a car based on reliability alone. I tried to buy a 03 Corolla, and found that its reliable as long as you keep it out of the wind and off the highway. My 99 Neon did better in most respects. I now have a 03 Neon SXT, and I love it. I cant say it will last me as long as the Toyota would, but at least it will be an easier commute.

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  Chargers are fun - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Drasil - March 2 - 1:16 am

  The handling is excellent. The V6 SE has plenty of pick up power. Plenty of leg and head room. Id take one over a Mustang GT anytime.

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  STX is a SMART BUY - 2004 Dodge Caravan
  By Lisa/Matt NJ - March 1 - 6:14 pm

  Have had van for 10 months, aside from taking it back to dealer for a cracked vacuum line and a leak where the oil filter mounts to the engine the van has been trouble free. This is our second Sport model and we love it. Rides great and is the perfect size for our 2 kid family. Love rear split seats. Love price and styling. Would buy it again.

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  Dodge has hit a homerun - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By highgame - March 1 - 6:00 pm

  Yeah its not a Hemi, but my Magnum has plenty of performance. It handles as if it was a sports car. And Ive never owned a new car that commanded ongoing accolades. Magnum is the benchmark auto for station wagons and four door sedans for this decade. Im 6 feet tall and our friends in the rear seat are not sitting with their knees higher than their head. This is the crossover car of the year

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  Ill Never Buy Another Dodge - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By SunnySideSouthPaw - February 27 - 11:09 pm

  Im so disappointed to write this review. We bought the 2012 V8 Citadel which, was mentioned in another review, is not listed in the trim options for this review. I have a friend that had an older model Dodge Durango. He had horrible issues with the transmission but I had heard those issues went away with the newer redesign. We had just sold a Saturn Outlook that let us down and this was the car that we expected to come and redeem us. However, Dodge Corporate and the dealer totally ruined that experience for us. We purchased our car and had to have the transmission totally rebuilt within the the first 20,000 miles of ownership. It was a major concern but luckily our warranties(both factory and the extended we purchased) protected us. Then in 2016 our Durango began randomly stalling on us. It started out random at very long intervals but the intervals began to decrease. The dealer seemed uninterested in addressing the issue at all. Soon enough, the car began stalling while we were on major highways which caused a huge safety concern for us. The dealer kept the car for a day but couldnt reproduce the problem. Finally, the car stopped three times within 4 weeks. We tried getting Dodge corporate involved. Even though we owned two warranties Dodge claimed they couldnt fix our car because there was diag code. As we researched the problem, we found out that there had been a recall for this very issue for our year model but our VIN# was just outside of the recall. The problem was so bad that Dodge was buying back vehicles with the same symptoms we were having but by the time we found out the window to have your vehicle purchased had already passed. For owners who chose to keep their vehicles they were replacing the TIPM (this part is a huge problem with thousands of Daimler Chrysler vehicles). Dodge, AutoNation Katy(the new owners of the dealership where we purchased our car), and the Service dept all refused to replace both the fuel relay (another recalled item previously replaced on our car) and the TIPM. After numerous trips to the dealership, certified letters, multiple phone calls and meetings, and service appointments we finally met with the Area Manager. When we told him we wanted a new TIPM he said, "Oh, thats all you want!". Yes! Thats all I want so my family can avoid imminent death in this death trap. We realized that all manufacturers have issues but I cant even estimate how much lost time, work hours, and gas is gone for both parties when some knucklehead couldve just said, "Fine. Well replace this part. Hopefully this will work. If not, well see where we need to go from there." Dodge makes beautiful paperweights; nothing more, nothing less.

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  110k and going strong - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By sm598 - February 27 - 8:44 pm

  I bought this car used at 68k 5 years ago. I love it, it is great in the snow and ice. Ive read about a lot of problems, but weve been very satisfied. The timing belt did break within 100 miles of purchase, but the dealer fixed it Id recommend replacing water pump at same time due to labor costs. Ive kept up general maintenance and had no issues. Trunk space is great as is the strong engine. I have the "autostick" trannie and it is wonderful in the snow and ice. At 109k the trim did start to come loose, but not bad. Hauls 2 kids and all their stuff wonderfully. We drove it cross- country and it did great, got 29 mpg and had room for all our stuff!

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  First Year - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By LEJ - February 27 - 4:23 pm

  This is a nice looking, but poorly engineered vehicle! The old saying about not buying the first year of a re-designed model is true. The torque converter, A/C compressor, and all 4 brakes were replaced (twice) by 35,000 miles. Theres a reason why the factory warranty for brakes is only 12 months/12000 miles!

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  Satisfied Customer - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Rob Melhorn - February 25 - 5:36 am

  Our van was a solid performer and had great flexibility. Hauled a family of six and luggage on vacation and was able to carry lumber and sheets of plywood after removing the seats. We had fun with our van and are getting a new replacement.

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  Great Big Car - 1997 Dodge Intrepid
  By Interpitor - February 25 - 2:23 am

  This is my first Dodge product out of 24 vehicles I have owned and can say I am plesantly suprized.... Tons of Interior room, Fantastic highway gas mileage and feels like you have a car under you when you drive it... I highly recommend this car... I have had no major problems other then 2 Oxygen sensors needing replacement... they are a bit costly but not a problem... They are easy to find so you can be selective and get them for really good prices... The exterior styling looks good and doesnt seem to be dated... I have the 3.3L which is a great and SIMPLE engine

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  Great Big Car - 1997 Dodge Intrepid
  By Interpitor - February 25 - 2:23 am

  This is my first Dodge product out of 24 vehicles I have owned and can say I am plesantly suprised.... Tons of Interior room, Fantastic highway gas mileage and feels like you have a car under you when you drive it... I highly recommend this car... I have had no major problems other then 2 oxygen sensors needing replacement... they are a bit costly but not a problem... They are easy to find so you can be selective and get them for really good prices... The exterior styling looks good and doesnt seem to be dated... I have the 3.3L which is a great and SIMPLE engine