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 too shabby - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By wparkki - November 27 - 9:56 am

  Its a great little family car and is astounding in the snow. I owned a Ford Escape 4x4 before this car and it cant even begin to compare to this cars ability to manuver and maintain traction

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  Our Next Car Will Also Be A Magnum - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Tom Rucker - November 27 - 4:10 am

  After a year and a half, we are still getting looks and favorable comments.Driving is still a lot of fun and comfortable. On three different occasions I had driven for ten or more hours at one stretch (stopped for gas of course)and felt great. Its been the most reliable car I have ever owned in my thirty two years of driving. The overall experience has been great and well buy another one.

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  Good cheap fun - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By redskinmu99 - November 26 - 7:35 pm

  my brother and I have driven this since new, and it has been very reliable and fun over the past 8 years. Performance is above that of other cars in its price range, but the car is a little rough around the edges. The paint is notoriously bad, Ive been lucky to only have stone chips out of mine but Ive seen plenty of neons with most f the paint peeled off of the hood and front quarter panels. The engine is in good shape after 81,000 miles and the mechanic that most recently looked at it said it will most likely last to over 200,000 miles without a problem. Biggest complaint is the 3 speed transmission. I would have much preferred a 5 speed, its been a fun car though for the money.

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  Sweet ride for family - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By donanobis - November 26 - 6:46 pm

  This is my 3rd van and 1st Grand Caravan. What a wonderful ride, great value for all the extras and a great warranty too. I wish I would have known about this line of minivans a long time ago!

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  First Time SUV Owner - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By chorallib - November 25 - 11:07 pm

  I test drove several other SUVs but I kept coming back to the re-designed Durango. It was the quietest, most smooth riding, and best handling of all the ones I tried. Not only that but the third row of seats made it possible to comfortably fit all our family in one vehicle. We drove it through the worst ice storm in recent history of Western Oregon last winter. The Durango was sure footed and solid over wind-driven icey interstates and country roads. One final clincer in our choice was Dishamn Dodge in Spokane, WA. There was no hastle, no pressure just a helpful staff prior to the sale and every time we have been back.

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  Its a death trap!! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By FED UP - November 25 - 8:33 pm

  I purchased this car new and regret that day ever existed. I also purchased the extended warranty which does me no good because nobody will honor it. Ive been towed 5 times in the past 3 weeks because i have a transmission problem and my car loses power and goes into limp mode. The only thing my dealership had to say to me was, "I hope you purchased good life insurance." I have taken more time off work and lost so much money because of it and they cant or wont even fix the car. They always have an excuse saying they cant find the problem. Then they say that they found it and fixed it and two days later i get towed again. I wish this car would blow up when Im not in it of course.

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  Affordable, but still disappointing. - 1997 Dodge Neon
  By mbennett - November 23 - 3:27 pm

  Head gasket went out at 50000 mi, they told me it was expected and commmon. Very disappointing. The car is very doggy in the low rpm range, probably due to the 3 speed automatic transmission as much as anything. The windows are frameless and do not seal very well, hence there is a lot of wind and road noise. Decent daily driver, good mileage but nothing to be too excited about. The price was right.

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  My 2nd Dodge Grand Caravan - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By jack - November 20 - 2:40 pm

  After keeping my 1990 Dodge Grand Caravan for 10 years, it was time for a change. Even though I had replaced the transmission and did a head job, we still bought a one year old Dodge Grand Caravan. To this day, cannot get my wife to take my Chevy Lumina as she loves the Grand Caravan. With two in college, we fit everything to move them in and out each year with room to spare while the SUVs have to use the roof! we will buy another one in 2010.

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  Grand Caravan - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By L. Alldritt - November 20 - 4:00 am

  This vehicle is a joy to drive, but seems to use more fuel than we expected. Actual gas mileage city and highway is 16 MPG.

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  THE WORST TRANSMISSION EVER - 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Patrick - November 19 - 5:10 pm

  Besides the not so smooth transmission the van would be great. The transmission is very jumpy at low speeds and now the transmission wines after 120 mile trip.