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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  mighty mopar - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By mike ramone - August 13 - 2:00 am

  bought my dodge in december 1998..we found out quickly that the heating system is excellent.we have approx 82kms currently.ride is fair, starting to get all sorts of suspension creaks.have the usual head gskt and trans cooler lines leaking(im an auto mechanic so i can fix them myself) what is dissapointing is the brake system.we have put on approx 70kms in less than 5years,& im on the 4th set of brake pads!!! other than that its a pretty good car

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  Frustrating vehicle - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By Craig Kiesel - August 13 - 2:00 am

  Bought the Durango for its looks, interior room, and power for towing my boat. Did not count on spending lots of money on repairs which still have not been solved. I have owned this vehicle for 10 months and have had to fix or repair the a/c, rear passenger window, clean fuel injectors and throttle body, tune up, rebuild the tranny, and the still unresolved surge in power when at cruising speed. Very frustrating. Two different dealerships on three different visits have not been able solve this problem. Cannot wait to get rid of this yehicle!

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  Station Wagon?? - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Rebel - August 11 - 8:53 am

  I never thought that I would own a station wagon. But the Magnum 2005 is not your average station wagon. This car has style, plenty of speed and pick up, even with the smallest engine. For me: Hemi = speeding tickets. I wanted the blue, however not in stock. Test drove the silver/grey and once I was behind the wheel, I did not care what color the outside was. Very low road noise, smooth handling, plenty of interior room and awesome body style, who really cares what color the exterior is as long as you can get one. My brother just drove mine for the first time and now he wants one.!!

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  STAY AWAY - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By 95neonsport - August 11 - 2:00 am

  The dodge neon was designed to be a cheap car and it is. I have paid for the thing numerous times in repairs, and I find it spending more time on jack stands than on the road. Unfortunately I have learned alot about cars since I could never keep this thing running. If you were to consider a neon I would say at least 2000 or new, that is when Dodge finally got their act together. Overall this car is garbage and I would never recommend this thing to anyone unless you want lots of mechanical experience.

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  Durangos are good vehicles - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By mike fonte - August 11 - 2:00 am

  Durango has good pick up and engine power when needed. It handles quite well and is compact enough to fit in tigh places. Interior is some what compact. The fold down seats are a plus with the third row it seats 7-8 passengers.

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  Great Car For Us!! - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By airportdave - August 10 - 2:00 am

  Weve had our fully loaded ES for over 5 years and we love it- roomy and comfortable and reliable. To date, the only major probelm has been the transmission control module, replaced under warranty at 20,000m. Replacing the OEM struts and upgrading to 235/55/17 tires/wheels made it handle even better.

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  GORGEOUS CAR! - 2004 Dodge Viper
  By CentrinoPM94087 - August 10 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car and i fell in love with it im 17, the fact that this car is assembled by hand is the most beautiful thing about it, such elegance and perfection.

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  Let down - 2003 Dodge Intrepid
  By mammadee - August 10 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this car used. The car design is pretty, but beauty isnt what one needs to get back and forth to work. The car has been reliable, however it has no get up and go. It is sad when a piece of junk can get up to speed before you can. I must admit I am growing really tired of people honking for me to move faster. This car doesnt hold value either. I am so upside down that I cant get out of the car. The fuel usage is poor compared to my past experiences with other vehicles. I personally believe that all Dodge Intrepids are over priced. I wish that I had done my homework before making the purchase. Lesson learned.

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  PERFECT - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By ok - August 9 - 4:50 pm

  I bought this car thinking I was getting a above average sedan, not knowing i was getting a head turning, comfortable, horse power blessed machine. Truly a work of art in a sedan

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  Great car, great price - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Namdarb72 - August 9 - 10:00 am

  Im impressed with the car dodge has created for the incredible price. This car has the speed of its competitors for 10k less with the performance and styling to go with it. Mopar also offers great performance upgrade packages with the car and better than expected prices and better than expected hp increases. You cant beat the performance for the price.