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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  Perfect First Car! - 1992 Dodge Spirit
  By danilittrell - October 16 - 11:24 am

  I got this car a little over a year and a half ago, and It had just over 100,000 miles on it. Ive put on about 20,000 miles since then, and I havent had any major issues. Of course, since it is not 10 years old, a lot of the parts are giving out because of age, but other than that, it runs great. I have a V6 Automatic, so I dont have the best gas mileage. If I wasnt looking for a car with better gas mileage, I would continue to drive this car til it gave out (which Im sure it could go another 5-6 years easily.) It is true, TAKE CARE of your car and it will take care of you! Since Ive done that, the problems have been minimal! Love my dodge!

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  GREAT RELIABLE CAR AT 200K - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By haydenburtal - October 15 - 6:57 pm

  Ive had my 2003 dodge neon SE for 4 years and put 200,000 miles on it. Oter than replacing the tranny at 100k miles (under warranty) ive had nothing but great gas mileage, luxary, compfort, and everything.

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  A great truck - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By scott251 - October 14 - 2:20 pm

  I had a solar yellow r/t and it was a great truck. That thing had tons of power and was pretty fast. I never had any issues with it. I drove great, was comfortable, parts were cheap, looked great, an all around good truck. It had 142,000 miles on it when I sold it. I sold it due to the gas mileage and gas prices but I miss that truck everyday and plan on getting another soon.

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  A ok car - 2010 Dodge Avenger
  By dafozzy - October 14 - 10:17 am

  We bought a 2010 avenger sxt in Feb 2010. Right of the bat the A/C stop working on high. The Dealer wanted $125 just to tell me what wrong, then another $200to fix it said the part was NOT under warrenty. Then the brake light started coming on and going off. another $125 to look at and $325 to replace the parking brake switch. Now the computer is resetting its self on the climate control switch and you have to park the car pull the fuse out and put back in to reset. Just a headache from the time we bought. The transmission is very weak the motor is turning 3000-4000 rpm traveling the interstate at 70-75mph. I will never buy another Dodge Avenger!!

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  2001 4.7L Club Cab - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By canudrivestick - October 14 - 12:04 am

  Awsome truck. I inherrited it from my dad after I recieved my license almost 2 years ago. The only problem was he had driven it 190k miles before it got to me! So for the past two years I have enjoyed driving the truck and its pretty much perfect for me because of it maneuverability, power, and reliability. Unfortunately after 209,132 miles it has reached the end of the line. Will need serious work to fix the manifold and likely more after that. But with 12 years of driving in four season weather (brutal New England winters) and 210k miles how can I complain. Will be very sad to see it go.

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  Green with Envy - 2011 Dodge Challenger
  By toyotacurrenla - October 12 - 8:00 pm

  Still practically new. Car gets a lot of attention specially with the green color. The 6.4L has a lot of power and sits you back in the seat any time you want to. Love the car its comfortable, powerful, and large enough for my family to enjoy.

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  Love this SUV. - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By kgates75 - October 11 - 3:10 pm

  I love this truck. It has been dependable since I purchased it in 2007. It was a 2005 with 23K. I have driven this from WI - TN x2 and WI- FL x2. No issues other then it spits fuel back out when you fill it. Minor repair issues. I even hit a deer did minimal damage. I feel very safe in this truck.

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  I ordered mine... - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By donpreuss - October 11 - 1:29 pm

  I ordered my 2013 Dart Limited with the 1.4 turbo with the 6speed dual dry clutch transmission and every available option from the factory. This car was actually test driven at the factory approx 30 miles to check on quality control. Well, the person who drove it didnt do a very good job in checking for quality. The alignment is off, the 8.4 audio/Nav system crashes at least once a day. Not very impressed with the Alpine sub woofer that you pay extra for. Dodge needs to switch to Bose. This car has a lot of get up and go, and very impressed with the fuel mileage. Love the dash layout options you get with the Limited as well. Hope factory works out the small "bugs" quickly..

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  My new 2013 Dart - 2013 Dodge Dart
  By jclark2012 - October 11 - 10:38 am

  I purchased my new Dodge Dart about a month ago. This car is so much fun to drive !! Its sporty but yet has a lot of interior room. The interior is very user friendly . I love the looks of the exterior of the car also. Runs great and gets exceptional gas mileage. I am getting around 42 miles a gallon!! Excellent buy , I love this car !!!!!!

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  Beware buy Charger RT used not new!!! - 2012 Dodge Charger
  By 2012blkcharger - October 10 - 12:27 am

  Purchased my brand new 2012 Dodge Charger in march 2012 . So far in less than 6 months Ive put on over 19k miles. This car has very strong acceleration, and is truly a head turner especially with the 20 chrome wheels. Some concerns that i have with the car is that after a long hard highway drive this car has a very strong exhaust gas fume which enters the car. Ive taken it to the dealer twice and they cant seem to pinpoint the problem. Ive owned 11 new cars in my 30 yr lifetime, and have never experienced this type of chemical odor. This issue seems to be random and seems to happen more when the temperature reaches over 70 degrees outdoors. Has anyone else had this same issue?