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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  GREAT CAR! - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By F A - April 17 - 2:00 am

  Ive had this auto for 3 weeks now, great rise. Very smooth and aerodynamic, great stylying and comfort. I love this Inrepid.

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  Intrepididation - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By pdg - April 16 - 2:00 am

  Within 8 years: ~ replaced MacPherson struts ~ replaced rack and pinion steering ~ replaced brake cylinder ~ replaced tansmission - TWICE!

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  Fun to Drive! - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Arkay - April 15 - 5:03 pm

  Whenever someone asks how I like my Charger, the first thing I always tell em is that its fun to drive. The Hemi is cool. The combination of the accelaration, the handling, and the smooth, quick braking makes it easy to pull out into traffic, and then maneuver around it. The exterior look turns heads and gets lots of positive comments. The interior, with the Road & Track package is really comfortable and quiet. Everyone who has ridden in it compliments it. There is plenty of room in the back seat. The trunk is spacious, too. Good sound system. I try to find reasons to drive it ("Honey, Ill go pick up the kids."). No regrets.

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  Great truck! - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By jkisiloski - April 15 - 2:00 am

  I love the Dodge Dakota. Its the perfect size truck, not too big to drive in the city but big enough to haul around what you need. Its got a ton of power with the 318 and with 4x4 you have to traction to put it down. This thing handles great both on and off the road. I would recommend this truck to anyone.

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  BALL JOINT FAILED. FRONT DRIVERS SIDE - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By dee324 - April 15 - 2:00 am

  INTERIOR SQUEEKS DECENT POWER 5.2L NEEDS AIR K&N FILTER IT.

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  2002 dodge - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By charles,odell - April 15 - 2:00 am

  good truckdrives real good but i do not like the gas milige. or the over drive that i have to lock out

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  Never again - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Dennis - April 14 - 6:00 pm

  Bought the van because of affordable pricing and good looks. Reliability and build quality are poor with several recalls and replacement of transmission, water pump, AC compressor, sway bar bushings and now the blower motor only works on high. Have replaced blower motor resistor but that only worked for a short time before it failed. Many other problems, thank goodness I took out the extended warranty on this thing.

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  The good ole days in my 91 Dynasty - 1991 Dodge Dynasty
  By paladin - April 14 - 2:00 am

  Best car i ever owned. I bought this vehicle as a rental return/ program car from a dealer that had 50 of them for sale , all at the same price.I drove 5 of them till i got the "right feel" on the one we bought,drove the salesman crazy, and i didnt care what the color was. We raised our young family in this car, and when we traded up to a van in 1998, my 10 year old son mourned our white Dynastys passing like it was a dead relative ! In the 100K miles we put on this car all i did to it was brakes once, spark plugs twice,plug wires once, battery once, serpentine belt and the bearing it rode on once, and standard maintenance.

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  Love My Intrepid - 1998 Dodge Intrepid
  By Erin Barnette - April 13 - 2:00 am

  I didnt like the way the intrepid looked at first, but I test drove it off the lot, and feel in love with how well it handled. I drive in a lot of heavy traffic so I need power to get on the highways, and great brakes. This car has gone well behond my expectations of it. I would buy another one but my inprepid is still running just as good as when I bought it. For people with children, this car has plenty of room in the trunk for all that comes with having a child. I can fit two large strollers, and all my groceries with still plenty of room. I would tell anybody to consider the Dodge Intrepid. Mine has been a wonderful vehicle.

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  Our Second - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Two timer - April 13 - 2:00 am

  Upon the completion of our 2000 Grand lease we hesitated to select Dodge a second time due to several issues with our 2000. The room and ride the 2000 delivered was enough for us to chose Dodge again. The improvements in the 2003 have made our decision a positive one. If reliability remains high we will return to Dodge for a third.