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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  A good, sporty, economical car. - 1997 Dodge Neon
  By JP04 - June 14 - 2:00 am

  Im the original owner of the Neon and I will admit that during the first two years, this car suffered through a lot of problems. Some examples are blown head gasket after 9 months, clouding paint after one year, and factory sunroof breaking EVERY summer ( three times during the third year ). However, after these "teething" problems, the car has turned out to be a reliable, thrifty, comfortable and fun little car.

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  Best vehicle I ever had - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By In the Sun - June 14 - 2:00 am

  One cannot expect great gas mileage from an SUV. Other than cost of gas I have no complaints about this vehicle.

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  Great so far - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By eddiej - June 13 - 2:00 am

  This is my 3rd Dodge. So far Im not disappointed. It rides great, handles great, and has plenty of power when you need it. You wouldnt think its as large as it is. Ive had it less then a week, so reliability remains to be seen. But if this Intrepid holds up as well as my 98 Avenger and 89 Daytona did, I wont regret this vehicle purchase for a minute.

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  Excellent Mid-size Truck - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By hmrhed1 - June 13 - 2:00 am

  I liked the looks as soon as they came out. I finally got one and Im glad I did. Its been a great running truck for the 2 years Ive owned it. Comfortable, quiet and even at 64", I have plenty of room. I drove both the 4.7L and the 5.9L and decided on the smaller V-8. It has plenty of power for my uses, which doesnt include towing...yet.

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  Been a great car, time to say goodbye - 1993 Dodge Dynasty
  By man3745 - June 12 - 2:00 am

  This has truly been a great car, but it is time to say goodbye. The engine is almost at 160,000 miles now, and we got her at 88,000. Shes only needed minor repairs, but now since she is old, more things are starting to go wrong. The electrical completely went out (nothing works but the headlights) and every time we fix it, it goes out again within a few days (strange, huh?). There is a heavy rattle in the engine, but what can we say? Its been so good to us up until now. We cant complain.

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  Great Car! - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By Intrepid Lover - June 12 - 2:00 am

  I have had my Intrepid for over a year now and purchased at 39,000. I have had only one problem, the check engine light goes on and off but when checked shows no problems. Other than that, the performance of this car is great. I have 2 kids and they are very comfortable in the roomy back seats. The truck is HUGE and enough room to put lots of toys, car supplies and groceries in all at the same time. I have even hooked up a TV/DVD player and new CD player and had no problems. Just keep up the engine maintanence on the car and you are good to go.

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  Great Car - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By Numbersman - June 12 - 2:00 am

  Having owned a 1995 Intrepid for four years, I decided to buy a 2004. This car is great. Plenty of room, great design, good gas mileage and plenty of options. Good, fun car to drive.

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  2005 Caravan - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By njscarano - June 12 - 2:00 am

  Since my last car was a compact sedan, I thought the Caravan would be overwhelming to handle. Not so. I felt right at ease driving the Caravan and wished I had purchased one sooner!

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  2nd Dakota better than 1st - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By ArtD - June 12 - 2:00 am

  I totaled my 2002 Dakota and in less than a week had a new 2004. Love the truck, love the Quad Cab, very comfortable to ride in. The Dakota just fits me like a glove. I got the 4.7 Magnum, would like to see the Hemi in the Dakota, I think the Hemi gets better gas mileage. Love the All Wheel drive. I use it like a truck ,I dont baby it at all. I can haul a full 4x8 sheet of ply wood in it with the tail gate down. I have also had over 1 ton of stone in it .

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  SXT with SRT DesignGroup Kicker - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By SXT-SRT - June 11 - 4:23 am

  I got a 2005 SXT with the SRT-4 Design group and The Kicker Audio System all for $16,500. The best part is even with my lousy credit, I still was approved with Chrysler Financial for a 4.9% interest rate. Overall, the car is far superior to the first generation Neons in all areas. It feels more solid and well built than the 95- 99s. The manual transmission pulls the car much better than the automatic. With the dual exhaust, Ive got some 0-60 times around 7.8 seconds.The fuel cut off doesnt kick in until about 7.2k on the tach, so thats an improvment. all it needs is the Indy intake manifold and a CAI and should be right around 6.9 - 7.2 for the 0-60