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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  Unique Vehicle - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By John L. Nichols - May 18 - 2:26 am

  You dont see many of these on the roads yet. Fast, a blast to drive with one of a kind styling and oodles of room. Interior kind of sterile? I installed an aftermarket walnut wood dash kit in my Red Magnum...Perfect now. Options I ordered were sunroof and convienience group. regret: I should have gotten the Sirius radio. but with just these two options it really is a loaded luxury sport wagon. Nothing else is like it.

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  Should be a keeper - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By 6 time owner - May 18 - 2:00 am

  This is my 6th caravan. Best one, good brakes, comfortable seats,Quiet. Like 7- 70 power train wnty, had problems in past with trannies.

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  Dependible - 1995 Dodge Spirit
  By Less spirited - May 17 - 2:00 am

  I drove my Spirit 100K in a little over three years. Very dependable and reasonably thrifty. V6 was peppy but limited by transmission and suspension. Interior was OK, seats left much to be desired for both comfort and support. Needs cam belts every 60 K or so and water pumps about the same time - water pump is cam belt driven. Had the famous Chrysler paint flakin problem when driven to Goodwill.

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  Good car gone bad. - 1995 Dodge Intrepid
  By MichelleRo - May 17 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this car from my dad, who had bought the car brand new. He had problems with the water pump and air conditioning right from the get-go. Nine years later- the car has had five water pumps replaced, a new timing belt two times.. and now there is water leaking into my head gasket and the sway bar needs to be replaced. The car overall the last five years has turned into a piece of junk.

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  Poor long term vehicle - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By Smed - May 17 - 2:00 am

  My Intrepid has less than 70K miles and already needs a new rack and pinion, has oil sludge in the engine, the lights will come on by themselves and wont turn off, and the heater only blows hot air when accelerating or the RPMs are over 1500. The car is falling apart.

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  A whole lot of a car for little money! - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By Fuzz - May 17 - 2:00 am

  If you want the features and performance of a $30,000 car for $20,000 this is the way to go. I travel approx. 30,000 miles a year (all city) and have a total of 107,000 miles on the car with no problems at all to date. The only bicker I have with the car is a lot of rattling comming from the cabin. But I quess that is expected from a 100,000 mile car. The gas mileage could be a little better. Have the 4-speed Auto and still shifts and performs like I just drove it off the lot.

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  Very Reliable - 1994 Dodge Shadow
  By chgoken - May 16 - 2:00 am

  The car has run well. Maintenance at regular intervals required no major repairs. Major items came around 100000 miles

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  Pretty good - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By michaelt - May 16 - 2:00 am

  For the most part, Im happy with the vehicle. Fun to drive, has enough power, looks nice, easy to maneuver, controls are all accessible, sound system is fine. A few problems -- AC is abyssmal (I live in PHX and on a hot day it literally cannot get the car cool, even after an hour drive), sometimes the car slips out of gear, struggles a bit to wake up on a cold morning (and cold is relative in PHX).

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  Great Truck - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By KWKSS - May 16 - 2:00 am

  As a courier, I drive hard and fast. I carry heavy loads, The truck is able to outperform any other truck in the fleet. It has never left me on the road dead.

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  Love my Journey! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Sundance - May 15 - 7:10 pm

  When my Saab 9-3 was in the shop, the rental car agency gave me a Journey. I fell in love with it immediately. Long story short, retired the Saab after 10 years of driving and bought a Journey. Lots of conveniences that make travel with 2 and 4 year olds a breeze. Lots of room for groceries, stroller, toys, change of clothes. No third seat in mine, so I have a great area for changing a diaper when on the road. Some little quirks (like a vibration in the dash over 55 MPH that sounds like a bee) but I expect they can be taken care of. Great price, and great mileage -- much better than the EPA estimate. If I had it to do over, I would buy another in a heartbeat.