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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  Great 2006 Charger SXT - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By glenmrobinson - August 7 - 12:13 pm

  This is my third Dodge, and by no means will it be my last. The people at Dodge hit a grand slam when they brought back the Charger. This car is awesome in every respect. Great design, inside and out. Everything is driver friendly, and most of the equipment is standard. They used to be options, and that is a big plus for Dodge. It is so quiet and smooth. The transmission shifts without any of the usual delay or jerking, and the auto stick is great when in the mountains or if youjust want to shift it manual. Great job Dodge!

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  disapointment and frustration !!!!! - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By john bergendahl - August 7 - 2:00 am

  i purchased it with 29,000 miles on it.got rid of it at 34,000 miles.the whole time of ownership i had a check engine light that stayed on more then the radio! a/c didnt work either.i changed the oil every two months regardless of miles.the sludge build up wont stop no matter how much the oil is changd i recomend any one with a intrepid to get rid of it NOW!!!!!!!!!

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  Lady in Red - 1991 Dodge Stealth
  By Asphek - August 6 - 2:00 am

  Enjoyed driving it very much, but have to sell it as the "Lady" is getting old, but still has the ability to turn heads, and boy can she still run!! bet she does.....she sure zooms zooms through the highways.

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  Terrible - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By olive5 - August 5 - 2:00 am

  I bought this leased vehicle from my company (who obtained it new) and I know it had good perodic maintenance because I saw the records but it had catastrophic failure of the engine and transmission with less than 74,000 miles on it. Daimler-Chrysler should be ashamed of this 2.7L engine.

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  Dodge stratus - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By damon24 - August 5 - 2:00 am

  So far I have a lot of fun with this car. Its a little too low to the ground but I can deal with it.

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  my partner!O.O. - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By jackie_hottie - August 5 - 2:00 am

  I love it!!!! This car drives like a BMW! The sound system is like W-w-o-o- a-a--h-h-h-!

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  The Little Monster - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Pault Tupelo - August 4 - 7:40 pm

  Ok so about a year and a half ago I traded in my Subie for a 2003 Liberty. It was fun but not roomy. A month ago I traded that for an 07 Caliber. Let me tell you, this is the best little big car Ive ever owned. More leg and head room than the Jeep and that comes from someone thats 64". Brakes well and corners flawlessly. Acceleration is a little to be desired but hey, I get almost 400 miles to the tank! Thats perfect considering I manage to average 15000 to 20000 in a years time. I love my Little Monster (if only I got Sunburst Orange).

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  Will MISS the Intrepids - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By SHAW - August 4 - 2:00 am

  I love my Intrepid. I was going to buy another one in 2004, but now I find out they are not going to make them anymore. HOW VERY SAD. There is NOTHING on the market with this much space and larger mid-size cars are getting harder to find. WHY is this? Not everyone wants an SUV or truck. Now all the cars look like a square box instead of the pretty sleek design of the Intrepid.

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  a very good dependable suv - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By nolona@mdah.state.ms - August 4 - 2:00 am

  The dodge durango is an excellent built suv, the comfort and options are great and the feel for the road is on time with stff but firm handling. the fuel consumption is sorrowful in this day and time, approximately 16 mpg city and highway combined. The additional seating is a plus with options as a luggage compartment. Highway long trips are enjoyable to take with the road handling ability of sure footed big enought but small enought to be enjoyable enought. I would buy this vehicle again.

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  Great SUV! - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By paul1707 - August 4 - 2:00 am

  Purchased new in May 02. It was a dealer demo with 3K miles on it so I saved about $7K off the MSRP. Since then, I have been very pleased with its reliability. It is only a little over 2 years old but it has 70K miles on it and still runs like new. The only repairs Ive had outside normal maintenance are brakes at 64K miles and a new battery at 67K miles. It has been an outstanding vehicle, much better than the 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee I traded for it. I was hesitant about owning another DiamlerChrysler product but took the chance and I am glad I did. However, the resale value is very poor and that will probably keep me from purchasing another Dodge.