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:

• 

  A real multi purpose vehicle - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Bdgilhooly - January 24 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I purchased our Caravan soon after our daughter was born, used, with almost 14,000 miles and have loved every bit of it. I traded in a Dakota, and it can do more than my truck did. The two back seats roll out, and the volume is tremendous. On the highway, I average 28 mpg., with the 3.3 liter. My sister has a popular SUV, and her interior space is MUCH more limited, in a vehicle that gets much poorer gas mileage!!?? Long after I don’t need a kid mover, I’ll still have a Caravan because of it’s usefulness.

• 

  Dodge Durango SXT 4WD - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By Craig Mayberry - January 24 - 2:00 am

  Perfect SUV not huge but plenty of ground clearance. Very quick and stable even my 115lb wife likes to drive it. Very roomy inside. Actually a tough four wheel drive truck with a large back end. This is not a just a tall car that you really wouldnt drive over boulders with. My grandkids always want to take the "shorcut" through the desert its like an amusement park ride.

• 

  Great Vehicle - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By hdm - January 22 - 6:40 am

  We are very happy with our Journey. We bought it out of town and on the trip home it got over 25mpg by the built in computer. Loaded with items that are options on other cars and at a very good price. Ride is great and people can talk without shouting over road noise. 6 disk CD player and 6 speakers are standard, rear air and heat an option that is not over priced. Great vehicle!

• 

  Not a Snow Queen - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By wayne bahlieda - January 21 - 4:59 pm

  Owned for a year and one half and found vehicle to be impractical. It basically is a two seater. Selected the 2 wheel drive option with traction control. Compared to a front wheel drive vehicle, the vehicle had poor traction in fresh snow or on ice. The icing on the cake was the poor gas mileage. Traded the vehicle for a PT Crusier.

• 

  Awesome little car - 2000 Dodge Neon
  By neonknighthawk - January 21 - 3:38 pm

  I have had my 2000 ES for almost 5 years and 121,000 miles now and its been an awesome drive so far. The only thing I can think of that has gone wrong was the factory stereo has been replaced twice in 5 years. Other than that, I love this car. Its always got me there and back and has never complained doing it. It looks awesome (has won me several trophies in local car shows) and people love the color.(Salsa Red) I have had lots of complements about my Neon. Its been the best car I have owned so far (since I started driving in 1984). I would highly recommend the Neon. All you need to do is take care of the maintenance to the letter, and you are set. My Neon also has all the factory options

• 

  Amazing! - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By Traci - January 20 - 11:20 am

  I absolutely love my Durango! My husband had a MINI for about 4 months, and every time I drove that then got into my Durango I fell in love all over again! Reliable, and oh so comfortable. I wouldnt trade it in on anything. The only snafu was my steering wheel started to peel after about a year, but a new one was ordered without a problem. I love the sunroof. There is plenty of room for all 6 of us, yet its cozy enough when Im driving alone. A friend has a Suburban, and I dont find that nearly as roomy or comfortable...and the Durango is much more attractive!

• 

  Great performance, piece of junk - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Ashley - January 18 - 1:59 pm

  I currently own three Neons, a 99, a 99 R/tTand an 04 SRT. The SRT has been the most problematic by far. Problems on the SRT include an oil leak at 400 miles. Now i have 32,000 and it has yet to be fixed axle seal went at 6,000, numerous computer problems, steering problems, and the most recent problem has to deal with the throttle sticking open. I was very excited to get this SRT since Im a total Neon geek, however it was a huge let down. The performance is great and its fun to run at the track, but it would be great if the build and reliability of the vehicle matched its performance. Ive owned it for a year and Im ready to sell. Thanks Dodge.

• 

  poor - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By baasenos - January 18 - 10:00 am

  Dodge does not back their product whatsoever. This was the most horrible experience Ive ever encountered with a vehicle. I will never own another dodge product. Beware of the transmission and get the extended warranty.

• 

  Okay car for the price - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Rob - January 18 - 1:25 am

  Bought this car in Oct ober, 2004 for $12k w/12k miles. I find the sedan fun to drive and comfortable, acceleration adequate with the 6 cylinder. Have already put about 6K miles on car. Kids complain on longer trips that the back seat is flat but I think the impressive crash tests override that. However, I have had problems with clicking and clunking sounds from the brakes and suspension. Dealership mechanics can never find it and I have heard the "We couldnt hear it" to "its not a problem" excuses although they have changed the rack and pinion steering. Also had a stalling issue that was corrected by a service bulletin. I feel these inconveniences are the price I pay for the lower sale price.

• 

  One Awesome Truck - 1997 Dodge Dakota
  By the_koof - January 15 - 11:44 pm

  This is one tough little truck. This is my first vehicle and I have beaten on it even though it had 174,000 miles on it when I got it. Now it has about 190,000 and its still running like a champ! It only has a V6 so it is not very fast and I wish it had the 318 V8. Has very rarely let me down. Only parts that have failed are the power steering pump (was going out for a while after an accident early on in its life), the water pump and dirty sensors. Other than that, extremely reliable and very recommended. Never had a transmission problem either.