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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  Awesome truck, horrible gas mileage - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By ej55555 - May 24 - 10:00 am

  I thought this truck was going to be the ultimate ride on and off road. And I was right! Handling like a sports car as I fly off the road into a field at 60mph and not even blink an eye, or even spill my coffee. Now thats excitement! Eat that Tahoe! If the gas mileage wasnt so horrible, it would be the ultimate SUV.

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  Got a Hemi? NO! its a Honda Engine! - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By Crohill - May 24 - 2:00 am

  I will not be teaching my child how to say Hemi! My child will be saying"HONDA" As I just purchased a new Saturn Vue with the Honda Engine. I will never buy a Dodge Product again. all before 95000 miles, HERE WE GO.... Power steering pump, water pump, fan clutch, ball joints, transmission... this is way to much to be happening to this vehicle. To prove my point further, my wife drove this truck so gentle, at 95,000 it still has the original brakes. STAY AWAY FROM DODGE IF YOU WANT QUALITY!!!!!!

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  dodge durang - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By ig0tp00pies - May 24 - 2:00 am

  the dodge durango is quit fast....it beats all other SUV competition, its realy fun to drive and you can pass a car up pretty fast for the top speed is a whopping 132 mph!

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  Mothers Day present? - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By Cowgirl - May 24 - 2:00 am

  I love the sound (motorand speakers), color (chili pepper red pearl coat), handling, and design. But, we bought the vehicle used with 38,000 miles. Within the first week it was on a roll back headed for the dealership (freeze plugs failed). The brakes have always been "touchy" and no one can find a problem. Gas mileage is worse than my husbands 5.7L. Z71 and Ive got the 5.2L. But, its never stranded us anywhere.

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  2001 dodge dakota - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By fly - May 24 - 2:00 am

  Great truck . I run the heck out of it and it keeps coming back.

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  Is a recall on the horizon? - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By mrbig - May 24 - 2:00 am

  I have had an 04 4wd club cab for a week.Immediately, I noticed an issue with the shifting, which was spotty.For those of us who have driven stick shifts, it felt like when one should have been in a lower gear.At lower rpms, there was a significant missing...after the automatic trans shifted into a higher gear.It was most noticable at 42-50 mph.Hopefully, this makes sense.I was told that 4 other vehicles had similar problems and that Dodge had to flash the computer and was working on the problem.Any idea when this will take place OR does anyone have any additional information??

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  Awesome car, fun to drive - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By nyydynasty - May 23 - 11:20 pm

  Ive had my car for over a year now. Its so much fun to drive, and the gas mileage is pretty good for a turbo. I can get up to 300+ miles to a tank when on the highway (without boosting). Handling takes some time to get used to, but its not bad. Could be better, though. Performance is amazing, once you get past the wheel hop.

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  noisy brakes - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By froggie - May 23 - 2:00 am

  Great car....just cant understand why the brakes are soooo noisy...sometimes its very embarressing to pull up to stop sign or red light...took back to dealer many times and they said this is normal..............

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  Hers mine ou ours? - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By awacsfe - May 22 - 2:00 am

  MY wife likes to think of this car as hers, becasue the Honda Accord we traded in for it was mostly driven by her. Unlike our Honda however, this car is FUN to drive. So every morning theres a little tug-of-war over who gets to drive the Stratus and who has to take our SUV. Its come down to a strategy of who park behind who and who leaves first in the morning. Its amazing how many late night trips to the video store and Wal-Mart this struggle has generated.

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  95 SLT 2500 conversion van - 1995 Dodge Ram Wagon
  By Steve V. - May 21 - 10:00 am

  This is the best vehicle that I have owned as far as repairs. The only thing that has ever gone wrong with this van are the general maint. things. Teh van has been all over the east coast with no problems. I ordered it with the 318 in case I ever wanted to tow anything with it. The van with the V-8 still gets 20 mpg over the road. I would highly recommend these vans as they comfortable nad fun to drive, and are a good vehicle for the money..