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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  Good, but..... - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By luislll - May 21 - 10:00 am

  My options were the SRT-4, Impreza WRX (Or STI), Mitsubishi evolution. I drove the srt-4, good power for the money, but is not confortable, I felt tire after the test drive, the seats were not the best, also I didnt like the turn radio. I have decided for the Impreza, now Im thinking between the WRX or the STI; I know that the difference on price between those models and teh SRT4 are big; but if you are going to spend more than 20K (besides the modifications), you need the best.

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  Cant drive in snow or rain - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By Dana - May 21 - 2:00 am

  This car has terrible turing radius. I have only had the car 2 years, and the lettering on the sides of the car is peeling off. It handles terrible in the snow and the rain.(hydroplanes).

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  Party time! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By George - May 20 - 1:40 pm

  Im 6 ft tall and even though it looks small on the outside, my first trip was for an hour with my wife and 2 kids, a vaccuum cleaner, 6 bags of soda and chips, a case of water, and all the stuff that came out of my old vehicle. Plenty of room! Power is acceptable for AWD and a 4 popper. The CVT with autostick is really neat and very smooth. Engine is very quiet. First 4 cyl Ive been in that wasnt whiny. Comparing the Civic, Mazda 3, Focus, and Vibe, this rocks for the same price/features as the rest. Exterior is very different and Dodgy, much better than the others IMHO.

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  I Hate This Car - 1999 Dodge Neon
  By kellyj - May 20 - 2:00 am

  Where do I begin with my complaints? You name it, and it has broken on my Neon. I have replaced the head gasket, the transmission, the sunroof motor (twice), water pump, and the starter twice and it is still not running at this current time. I would NEVER recommend a Neon to anyone that I know. I have had nothing but problems with this car. Most of the stuff was covered under my warrenty, but it is still the hassel of taking it to the garage every month and being without a car for a few days because it has broken down again!!

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  The Dodge Minivan - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By Andrea P - May 20 - 2:00 am

  Bought the van new and got a great deal. I was leary with Dodge because of past experiences with their transmissions. So far, so good. I love it. Im constantly afraid something will happen, but thats what the warranty is for. Although overall I love it. I wouldnt buy anything but a minivan again. When you have kids you cant beat the roominess.

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  Value is in the Driving - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By Kevin57 - May 20 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my SXT for almost 2 years now and Ive had no problems with it. I was rear-ended 8 months after buying it and the shop did an excellent job of restoring it to near new shape. Even with this accident, Ive had no mechanical problems. Great car for long distance traveling or the QUICK jaunts to the corner store. Ive been a MOPAR fan since I was a teenager and the styling of this car fits in with some of the classics such as the 68-70 Charger. Looking forward to this car being the first one Ive owned to far exceed 100K before even considering a replacement.

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  A Van alternative - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By Evergreen - May 20 - 2:00 am

  For hauling a batch of kids, going camping, skiing, and trips to Costco its great. However, ita a pig on gas (13.8 mpg over 80K miles) and not maintenance free. The exh manifold bolts have broken, the drive shaft U- joint replaced, door locks replaced 2 times a new power steering pump and 3 sets of brakes. It has also depreciated $20K over 4 years making this a great used value, at my expense! I wont buy another new one.

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  Very pleased - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By tk1780 - May 19 - 10:36 pm

  Very surprised at the reliability of this van. We have 135,000 on it and have taken it out west 7 times and to Florida 3 times and never a problem. Tires, brakes and shocks so far. One secret is that we change the trans fluid every 30,000 miles. I think that is why the transmission has lasted so long. The engine is smooth. 19 mpg in town 24 on hiway. It is a great value. Cant believe it has lasted so long.

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  2WEEKS WITH ACARAVAN - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By GORDON - May 19 - 2:00 am

  PROBLEM W/DEALER.DID NOT PROVIDE WHAT WE WANTED(AFTER WE HAD ALREADY SIGNED FOR THE CAR"to be delivered that afternoon- actually it was next day"). Too much corner cutting w/plastic: ie wheel covers-cant read tire pressure had a reaL"FLAP"over the cd player.previous vehicle had headphones this one didnt.

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  air bags - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By chelleintx - May 19 - 2:00 am

  I wrecked my 2004 stratus after only having it 3 weeks.The airbags did not deploy with a front collision traveling at 40 mph. that did 10,000.00 worth of damage.All four motor mounts broke.The dealer said they are supposed to do that in case of a front collision but i wonder if thats why the airbags didnt deploy.