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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  2005 Dodge Magnum Hemi - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Chuc49 - August 9 - 10:00 am

  It is one of the nicest cars I have ever owned. The ride is smooth as silk and the Hemi supplies more than enough power for every driving situation. The fuel mileage is amazing for a performance vehicle. The seats are more comfortable than an easy chair and the numerous seat adjustments can be tailored to anyone. I would highly recommend this car to anyone seeking a luxury performance car with all the comforts found in higher priced luxury cars.

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  2005 grand caravan sxt review - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By dan prosser - August 9 - 10:00 am

  Very thoughtfully designed vehicle! Stow and go is elegant in its simplicity. Great initial quality-no trips to dealer after 5000 miles. In a trip from IL to AZ, I got 21.5 miles/gal averaging 65 mph. Only concern was that the van seemed to float somewhat when passing semis at 80 mph in NM. Otherwise, the ride was great and the engine very responsive to passing requests. This is my 4th Dodge minivan and is the best by far!

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  It would be nice IF - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By sandyscats - August 9 - 2:00 am

  This car with a manual transmission cannot pass a gas station without stopping for a drink.When I first drove it my gas milage was 16 MPG a far cry from the sticker that claims 39 highway & 30 city.By shifting so that Im driving in 4th gear at 30 miles an hour.I finally got 30 MPG but half was highway in 5th gear & I can Hear the transmission complain. The dealership claims that car is within specs and there is no fix. The key has a computer chip in it so that I cannot make an under $80 duplicate & carry it in my wallet. The radio antenna does not telescope into the car pillar making likely to break off,city reception is poor.

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  impossible !!!!! - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By patrickpatrick - August 9 - 2:00 am

  nothing else to say but how does a engine lock up at 11,564 miles!!!!? this car is a piece of trash!! dodge should be fully responsible for fixing thse 2.7litre engines,they know about them but do nothing! dealers know too but still resales these cars anyway.stay away from any used or new dodge intrepid!!!!!!!i paid $13,000 for it now dealer wont even give $2,000!!!!!

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  I love this car - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By KickerSolo2000 - August 9 - 2:00 am

  I wasnt sure about even trying the car becuase of the past designs, but I drove it and feel in love with it. It has a sporty look, plenty of power and it handles great!

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  02 R/T - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By Dougzilla04 - August 9 - 2:00 am

  Overall, a decent truck. When it stays out of the shop i love it. but it has spent a lot of time there. My truck has about 32,000 miles on it now and i have to take it back for its second set of ball joints. In 2003 its spent about 3 months in the shop for mechanical and engine malfunctions. Dodges customer service was terrible. At four different dealerships i was not allowed to get a rental car paid for which i think was wrong considering how little i got to drive the vehicle. I know a lot of people that have Dodges and dont have the number of issues that i had, but after this truck i will be going back to toyotas and/or nissans for dependablity reasons.

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  2007 Special Edition - 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Disappointed - August 8 - 2:40 pm

  The van would have been a great addition to any family, provided Chrysler really addressed quality and concern to owners. Instead they just made a junk and expected customers to support their cause. No wonder the company is going thru pains for what it did to people. Simply put, 2007 Grand Caravan, is another pain to owners.

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  Great Tow Vehicle - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By pacerpapa - August 8 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle was purchased to be towed behind our motorhome and used upon arrival at our destinations while travelling. It served us well for six years without a single problem. Just changed out the OEM battery after six and one-half years. No other repairs have been needed.

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  I absolutely love the old Durangos! - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By myguysahottie - August 8 - 2:00 am

  I absolutely love my 2000 dodge Durango! I traded in a 1993 Ford Explorer for this Durango and wish Id done it sooner!

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  It does its job - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By cicerosum - August 7 - 3:50 pm

  Gets us from point A to point B. Sits 7 of us uncomfortably. Big pain in the rear to remove seats all the time when you need to make more room. Transmission (as usual, it seems) needed to be replaced at about 90k miles. Completely replaced. Mine has lots of nice extras that I like. Temperature, average gas mileage, etc. in the overhead dash. I might buy another Dodge if the tranny problem was solved, I like the new ones.