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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  A descent 5 seater for 6 plus folks! - 1993 Dodge Spirit
  By BioDieselDude - September 19 - 2:00 am

  For an older vehicle with a 2.5L 4 cylinder engine it gets great mileage for its size and weight, especially when laden. It is great for puttering around town, plenty of low end torque, but the engine runs out of steam past 75mph. Cruises great at 60-65mph and is fairly quiet. RPM at 62mph is 2500, right in the middle of the torque curve. It has 116 000kms (not miles) on the vehicle and no major problems as of yet, just had a fresh coat of paint put on and it looks sharp.

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  A Self Destruct car - 2001 Dodge Neon
  By Beezer6801 - September 19 - 2:00 am

  This is my 2nd Neon, the first was a 95 and I ran it 95K and had one major problem a blown head gasket. The 2001 now has 63K miles and is in self destruct mode, I dont know where to start with all the problems I have with this car. I just spent clost to $500 for rear brakes cylinders, leaked terribly new AC temp sensor, new engine balancers unlike most straight cylinder engines which use hormonic balancers, Dodge uses rubber mounts enclosed in steel and bolted to the body, I now have a check engine lite, the third one in 6 months, the O2 sensor have been replaced.

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  Dodge Dakota - 1997 Dodge Dakota
  By KenR - September 19 - 2:00 am

  I have had my Dodge Dakota in the shop numerous times and nine of those times where for design flaws. I have only been able to receive compensation on one items, the misalaignment of the front end at time if manufacture.

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  TWICE AS NICE - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By NEW YORK - September 19 - 2:00 am

  I purchased my first neon in 2000 and was pleasantly surprised. It handles great in the snow. I was in need of a car for my 21 year old daughter and bought her the 2004 neon. I thought the reliability, design, comfort and price was perfect.Great colors to choose from. The neon had all the options/safety features I wanted for a car. My daught loved the car, even more with all the compliments she received.

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  Dont buy it - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Angie - September 18 - 5:43 pm

  it is an ugly car that has a weak engine Daimler Chrysler really needs to work on that. The seats are horrible for going on trips

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  Most under-rated car out there - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By 71charger_fan - September 18 - 2:00 am

  13 months of flawless performance. No squeaks, no rattles. The only things replaced were the oil, oil filter, and wiper blades.

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  a very Bad Choice - 2000 Dodge Neon
  By Jarett_87 - September 18 - 2:00 am

  When I first bought this car it worked and ran great for about two weeks then the starter stoped working at 43200 miles. This car was converted to propane before I bought it I thought that it would be good for the inviroment but the car gets less than ten miles per gallon.The car rides ruff i feel every bump on the highway and theres a whole lot in missouri. Another problem with the car is that there are no ash trays.

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  Great car to drive!!!! - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By NikkiT - September 18 - 2:00 am

  I have had my car for almost a year, its been great fun! No problems whatsoever, I have had it dealer maintained from the beginning. It is a great speed demon car, and the spoiler and rims make it look fabulous! I really like the car.

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  Homer - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Davjohn - September 18 - 2:00 am

  Very fun to drive. Good controls layout and excellent stereo.

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  Dakota Quad Cab - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By TN_Leo - September 18 - 2:00 am

  Great truck -had to add padding to the bench seat to fit my back - but once I got the seat to fit me - it is a blast to drive with the small V8 handles loads very well