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:

• 

  Never buy a Neon! - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By ever - July 14 - 2:00 am

  Paint peeled, speedometer went, guages worked intermittently, had gauge transplant, oil warning still failed, CONSTANT problems w/ breakdowns -- oil leaks, gaskets, have poured money into fixing it -- dont want to add it up. Noisy, hard to get out of, cup holders impossible, no clock, no oil gauge, overhead light went on while driving & couldnt be fixed, same with radio hence no interior light (had to take out bulb) -- a PAIN!!!!!!

• 

  Dont buy a Dodge Grand Caravan - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By scolby - July 14 - 2:00 am

  34000 mile the sway bar bushings had to be replaced. Took 4 trips to the dealer before they got it right. At 41000 miles the transmission went out. Lucky for me I bought an extended warranty. At 44000 miles the blinkers decided to quit working. Not fixed yet. I will never buy another Dodge for as long as I live. Cant believe that a transmission would die with only 41000 miles on it. I should have learned from the last one which went out at 78000 miles.

• 

  Best Minivan - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By uprice - July 14 - 2:00 am

  Ver Powerful 4cyl engine. Best value for the money. Great Gas mileage. Over 34MPG

• 

  Blow Away Others-Not Your Budget - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By usaf69 - July 14 - 2:00 am

  I bought this vehicle after doing a lot of research on the internet. And you know what? They were right! This IS the most bang for the buck out there and a quality vehicle to boot. Its track or street ready right from the dealership and there is a ton of aftermarket items available to let you break the speed of sound.

• 

  THANK YOU - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By CRACKEReater - July 14 - 2:00 am

  thank you to the dodge people for making such a fine vehicle. i have had my dodge stratus sxt sedan for about 4 months and have received nothing but compliments from everyone from friends and family to complete strangers. and i always have fun driving it.

• 

  Stealth Twin Turbo, The One to BUY! - 1993 Dodge Stealth
  By Jmouse007 - July 13 - 2:00 am

  I have owned my pristine 1993 Stealth RTTT for 7 years. The car is EXCEPTIONAL! TIMELESS styling, 300+hp, 0 to 60 in 5.6 and 27mpg crusing at 75mph! The only thing it lacks is a decent cup holder (that accounts for the 9 in interior design). This car is mechanically bulletproof as long as you follow the scheduled maintenance. The cabin is beautiful, like a jet fighter and seats are comfortable on long trips. If your looking for a car that will put a smile on your face EVERY TIME you get behind the wheel, then look no further! One word of caution, only buy one that has been well maintained and not beat into the ground. It took me 3 years to find min

• 

  Great MiniVan - 1993 Dodge Caravan
  By GreytHounds - July 13 - 2:00 am

  This has been the most reliable and versatile vehicle we have ever owned.

• 

  SRT-4 = Compact muscle - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By halfhemi - July 13 - 2:00 am

  This car performs better than many cars that cost much more. It may have the shell of the Neon econobox rental, but its a totally different animal under the hood. Do not buy one of these cars unless you want to feel some g-force while under full throttle. They are true performance vehicles. Ive had 0 problems with this car. Im still amazed after 1-1/2 years of ownership :wink:

• 

  World Class Reliability?... Nope - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By woodymc - July 13 - 2:00 am

  This is my 2nd Durango. Was very happy with my 99 D and decided to replace it with the 2002. In all, I wish I had researched my purchase more carefully. When its running its pleanty strong on the highway and reasonably roomy for four or five. This D was in the shop 2X for failed front brake lines, 2X in the shop for major transmission rebuild, 1X in shop for rack/pinion steering replacement and AM/FM/CD changer replacement. All was repaired under warranty, without too much fuss from the dealer. This D has 35.3K miles on it now. I cant imagine keeping it, since it is my wifes daily driver. Its just not reliable enough.

• 

  nice car for kids - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By bubba - July 12 - 10:00 am

  figure it out...you have kids? you NEED a minivan. This is a nice one.