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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  sharons car - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By sharon moeller - October 10 - 2:00 am

  i love my car--- i do alot of driving it handles the road well. its very comfortable to drive. it does fit a 65" tall guy.

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  Crowd Mover - 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Houston - October 9 - 3:30 am

  Bought this vehicle used with 19000 miles, and found out right away how much utility it had. With in floor storage,7 passenger interior,and fold down rear seats it fits our familys needs well. As someone who has been a mechanic I can offer this advice for the transmission issues, change your fluid to synthetic. This should keep it working well for years as has been my experience. My only real complaint is the brakes, but if you buy lifetime warranty pads and change them yourself you can save hundreds over the life of the van. Change engine oil to synthetic at about 50000 miles, for long engine life,( this gives the piston rings time to seat.)Then enjoy years of reliable service.

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  More room than it appears to have - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Debtinator - October 9 - 2:00 am

  After a year of ownership, I am pleasantly surprised by the Dodge Neon. This car has been driven in the winters of Northern PA, has made a trip from PA to FL, and has handled the summer heat of Central Florida. In all conditions, the car has performed flawlessly. The gas mileage is quite good, the ride is comfortable, and there is much more room than I would have expected. Service from the Dodge dealerships has been very good, and I would recommend this car to anyone that is looking for a smaller car with mid-size comfort.

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  a good fixer upper - 2000 Dodge Neon
  By alexx - October 9 - 2:00 am

  i bought this car just this year for 300 dollars it had been hit in the front and needs both fenders and a hood, other then that im ery happy with this car, nice and peppy with the air intake installed i love the little deep engine tone, fun and does GREAT on gas, car has 115,876 miles on it and all i had to do to it was fix the back brakes,got a little tranny problem to but after i get past 20 mph i can floor it or do whatever, the stereo sounds nice but it takes a while to read cdrs, but it will work eventually, i will be adding altezza lights to the back z3 fenders and maybe some rims and for sure some tint it will look nice great car for what i paid for it

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  MY CAR - 2005 Dodge Stratus
  By ROYM - October 9 - 2:00 am

  VERY NICE CAR GREAT GAS MILEAGE

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  Good Family Car - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By SarahLee15 - October 9 - 2:00 am

  I have owned my Stratus for about a year now. It is a nice, reliable, family car, with plenty of space to haul things. It is especially nice when taking long trips. Its comfortable, and has plenty of room. I have never had to worry about it being stolen or broken in to, due to the nice safety features. I love my Stratus, and know that I can always depend on it. I would highly recommend this car to young professionals and families. It is inexpensive, and reliable.

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  owner - 2000 Dodge Neon
  By Lane Holt - October 8 - 2:00 am

  Very responsive handling, feels very solid & secure at highway speeds. Light weight results in better performance than the more expensive mid- size car with standard engine.

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  Charger SRT 8 - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Rick Wilmeth - October 7 - 1:03 pm

  I have owned the car for just three weeks and so far it is fantastic. The ride is good for a performance car and the performance is excellent. I had a 69 Hemi Charger and this car is far superior in most respects. I have an on board performance computer and the car has run 0-60 in 4.8 sec and the 1/4 mile in 12.9 sec. It is a great value for the price.

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  Lovin it - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Matt - October 7 - 8:20 am

  Picked up my Black SXT about a month ago. So far I love everything about it, from the looks, to the ride, to the performance. Ive had a few service station guys ask me to pop the hood so they could look and Ive just got the V6.

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  Lots of Fun - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By SXT4ME - October 7 - 2:00 am

  First Grand Caravan purchase was in 1996 new. Then Expedition EB SUV. Now back to Grand Caravan. 3 kids age 6, 8, 10 makes quick easy access. All Pwr. doors and liftgate easy to use and safe too. Can park in garage now without worry of 2nd car getting dinged up from kids opening doors to wide. Test drove the 04 Sienna but were sticker shocked at nearly $7,000 higher price. Bought the Grand Caravan and used the $7,000 savings on a 7 night family disney cruise to the Carribean. We got it all!