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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  Never again buying a Dodge product - 2000 Dodge Caravan
  By Myron Bennett - December 30 - 7:04 pm

  The Caravan was very nice for the first 18 months, or so, but after that,there has been non-stop transmission oil leaks. The trans oil lines have been replaced 3 times, and a shift solenoid have been replaced 2 times. The van had to go back to another dealer again yesterday, for still another leak, and this time I had, again, pay for new clamps to stop the leaks. What is said about bad transmissions on Chrysler vans is completely right. The van also for the past year has a sometimes jerk downshifting from 2nd to first. Also the resale value on these things are terrible.

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  Great SUV - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By Greg Shupe - December 30 - 6:35 pm

  This has been the best vehicle I have ever owned.It has only been back to the dealer twice,once to clean the throttle body, second to replace the power steering pump. It has almost 80000 miles on it and averages over 18mpg on the road with the 4.7eng. I have a K&N air filter in it and use Mobil 1 5w-30 oil that I change every 10,000 miles. My wife loves the Durango. We have no intentions of selling it.

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  Dakota rating - 2005 Dodge Dakota
  By SK - December 30 - 6:15 pm

  Its a great truck and I love it. Ive had several Dakotas, loved them all. This one is the best ever

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  This is Americas Best? - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Diller - December 30 - 10:20 am

  Sold our 1988 Grand Caravan & bought this despite a miserable reputation. Overall pretty good, but lots of "little" problems. Grab handles fall off, fuel gauge swings erraticly and "dings" randomly. Check engine light goes on but mechanic cannot locate problem. Wipers dont always work.Rubber door gaskets have long since disappeared. Still have it after 8 years because: it has more passenger room than Suburbans, the cloth seats look almost new (raised 3 boys & more dogs) The ride is fairly smooth. (the standard suspension is WAY too soft.) Infinity stereo is greatand van still looks good. Wife wants a big SUV. Kids grown, getting a Ducati & a Mini instead!

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  Its A Great Little Car - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By Paul - December 29 - 10:36 pm

  I bought my 95 Neon sport with 17k miles in 1995 and it now has 200,000 miles. I replaced the timing belt twice as well as a water pump and O2 sensor and nothing else. I am still driving with the original clutch. Of course I did tune ups, brake jobs and performed basic maintance. The car has been one of the most reliable cars Ive owned and has always been a blast to drive. I would not however recommend the automatic. I dont understand why this car has such a poor resale value and poor reputation. It certainly exceeded my expectations in every way.

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  2003 Viper! - 2003 Dodge Viper
  By Ralph - December 28 - 4:37 pm

  The most fun driving ive have ever had!!!

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  Underrated Vehicle - 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Loyal owner - December 27 - 8:32 am

  This is our 4th Dodge minivan since 1985. Each van continues to improve in every category. This vehicle rides like a limousine, smooth, quiet, little wind or road noise, point it down the road and it goes. Friends of ours drive Siennas and Odesseys, always raving about their vehicles as do most magazines and product review boards, until they ride in our Caravan. "Rides just like our Honda, how much did you pay ? At least we have a vacuum in ours". The Sto & Go seats cant be beat by any manufacturer. Just had the rear brakes worked on this summer. This is the 1st repair on this vehicle.

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  Very poorly built car - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Twizted - December 26 - 10:00 am

  I have had the 2004 Dogde neon car for about 7 months.When I first test drove it,it was an excellent choice for my wife.But after a few weeks of driving it we found out it wasnt as good of a car as it seemed.We started hearing funny noises in the engine compartement,which isnt normal and the car shifted afully.We took the car back to the dealership but they asured us there was nothing wrong with it.This was nothing new after getting extremley poor sevice from the delership to begin with.

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  Nice Van for the Money - 1997 Dodge Ram Van
  By Scott - December 26 - 8:53 am

  I leased this van as a used conversion van from the dealer in 99 with 20,000 miles on it. We have taken it on 2 trips to Florida and 1 to Green Bay Wisconsin from NY. It has been very reliable with the 3.9 V6 and 3 speed auto tranny. The ride in higher wind gusts is much better than that of the Ford or Chevy. Most who drive a full sized van probably have been blown all over the road, but this van is much more stable.

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  Avenger - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By greg mazur - December 26 - 1:26 am

  Perfect for my needs. I dont really need the size or power of the Charger/Mustang, but I liked the exterior lines/shape of the Charger. The Avengers 4 cylinder engine is so quiet that you wouldnt expect the power behind it. Last tank was 32 mpg on the highway, which is what I had hoped for. Handles great in the city for the money.