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:

• 

  typical low end vehicle - 1999 Dodge Neon
  By horselover - June 23 - 2:00 am

  I would not recommend this car to anyone that does not want to do car repairs. My main master seal went out, my head gasket went out Transmission was getting ready to go out when I finally sold the car. I had no problems with the car until it hit 60,000 miles before that point it was a great car.

• 

  EXCELLANT - 2004 Dodge Viper
  By HANNAH - June 23 - 2:00 am

  IT IS THE FUNEST CAR TO RIDE IN! I AM VERY HAPPY WITH THIS CHOICE OF CAR. THAN

• 

  Its been a great Truck - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By sidestick - June 23 - 2:00 am

  Love my Quad Cab. Not too many problems to speak of. Would reccomend it to anyone who wants a good truck that is fun to drive. Lots of low end power.

• 

  93 4x - 1993 Dodge Dakota
  By briand91 - June 22 - 2:00 am

  Bought car used, had 2 initial, under warenty problems that were corrected satisfactorly. At 125K miles had engine replaced due to bad oil consumtion, rear oil rings and cam pitted. New long block ok, but bad MPGs. Truck has been really great none the less. Have fun on the 4x trails, and she keeps ticking.

• 

  OVERALL 10 - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By DFREE - June 22 - 2:00 am

  I work for a dealership and drive a 2004 Dodge Intrepid as a demo. I also have a wife and two children who go everywhere with me on the weekends. There is just as much room, if not more in the Intrepid as our 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

• 

  My best minivan - 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Charlie - June 22 - 12:16 am

  I buy this minivan 4 years ago, I do a lot of things in there; I use it like a cargo van-I put in there 12 people and 15 backpaks-, for traveling, a few off road sessions, its so roomy, I love all that space. Yes I had some problems, but it was my fault, so I dont think that it was a bad car.

• 

  Too many problems - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By BKATE1981 - June 21 - 3:16 am

  Loved this car the first year I had it, especially the adapter to plug my Ipod into. After a year, the radiator cap had to be replaced (car overheated). After 25,000 miles on tires- had to replace all tires because 3 out of 4 tires were out of allignment and inside tread was worn. Now, at 44,000 miles, Adaoter hose is leaking, car over heated like before, and fluid is leaking. conveniently out of warranty, this will cost me $485 to fixt ($120 of it to flush the fluid I had to put in the car to get myself unstranded, may have cost less to get a tow). This car also doesnt get as good as milage as it claims, and the tank is too small, still many trips to the gas station.

• 

  Excellent Used Car - 1997 Dodge Intrepid
  By Niquinuk - June 21 - 2:00 am

  Traction control and autostick features on this vehicle make it an excellent choice for a used purchase. Krause Dodge,Lehigh Valley, PA was the dealer we bought the car from, had exceptional customer service & knowledge. They accepted my trade-in (1994 Intrepid) for NADA amount I expected. Another dealer(Keystone Dodge, Allentown, PA) tried to give us only one third of that amount as if it were to go for auction when it was in clean condition, under 100K original miles! Thank you Krause & Dodge- Chrysler Corp.

• 

  Intrepid - not so - 1993 Dodge Intrepid
  By Rusty_Rails - June 20 - 2:00 am

  Bought this lemon new in 1993. Since that time it has been a continuous repair case. Computer has been replaced multiple times, fuel rail split and Dodge said that was unique to my car (I got the recall notice about three weeks later for the same thing), both power window guide on front windows have failed and needed replaced, needed valve job very early, seat fabric wore out quickly, motor / transmission mounts failed early and needed replaced, and the list goes on. I will NEVER buy any Dodge or Chrysler product again.

• 

  Excellent! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By KCgene - June 19 - 4:30 pm

  This car is a perfect 10. While it may not be exactly an economy car. For so much engine the fuel economy is actually pretty darned good. If I can keep her at 55mph, I can actually pull 30 miles to the gallon. And still have the Hemi horsepower in an instant. And it definitely stands out in a crowd. This car gets a lot of looks