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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  2004 Dodge Intrepid Review - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By brooke6 - May 13 - 12:10 am

  I owned a 2004 Dodge Intrepid for about 9 months. It ran great. No major problems. I think all we replaced was the battery and we had a slow leak in our tires. One day my mom and i were driving home and a driver fell asleep and crossed the line and struck our Intrepid. Completly totaled our car, but it saved our lives. The cops at the scene said if we had been in a different vehicle we probably wouldnt have made it out. This car is VERY safe and i thank God that we had been riding in that car on that day. We got roughly 24-28mpg and it rides really smooth. Cons: shape of car makes tricky blind spots, and has long nose. Huge trunk space and easy handeling. Reccomend this car to anyone!

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  Traded my Acura for this and LOVE it! - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By snowskier68 - May 12 - 8:42 pm

  I traded my 2004 Acura MDX for this Dodge Durango Citadel and have no regrets whatsoever. This is my first-ever American made car and I am thoroughly impressed. First, it looks so fantastic that Im thrilled to walk up to and get into it every time. Once inside, Im greeted with comfortable seats and every amenity Ive ever imagined. It feels truly luxurious and I feel pampered. Third row is spacious enough, second row is great, cargo capacity is wonderful. The ride is smooth and quiet on the 20" tires. One small complaint: steering wheel makes a slight rattling sound at low speeds. Its somewhat annoying so I will have that checked next time I visit the dealer. I have put 3,000 miles on it.

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  Larger SUV for expanding family. - 2008 Dodge Durango
  By wilpwr78 - May 12 - 11:09 am

  We recently traded in our Jeep Liberty Renegade for a 2008 Durango SLT with the newly redone 4.7L V8. We couldnt be happier with our decision. The 3.7L in the Jeep was a gas hog (maybe due to my heavy foot) even on long 55mph drives the best MPG I could get were 18. What it lacked in efficiency it didnt make up with space. That is there the Durango rules. Plenty of power from the 303hp V8 on hand for passing slo-pokes. Havent put the 330lbs of tor que to use yet, but look forward to pulling with it soon.

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  Read - 2012 Dodge Journey
  By 3814815 - May 9 - 9:49 pm

  Wow right off the bat I loved this car, there Are too many things to say and only 616 characters remaining to type, this car is not on Y a great selling car but is Canada best selling crossover under 35k

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  Best car owned - 2003 Dodge Intrepid
  By proudowner1 - May 6 - 7:00 am

  When GM discontinued their oldsmobile line (which i owned all cutlass models) i decided to purchased my 2003 Intrepid SXT. I wanted a car to carry my friends and for camping. I was suprised that my car, the the back seat down, held more than a honda crv. It presently has almost 115,000 and just did the regular maintainence recomendations. I was suprised on the open road I have gotten approx 27 mpg with the air on. Hopefully they will bring back the production of the intrepid as they have with other models. I would purchase another if they do.

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  Impressive in All Areas - 2012 Dodge Charger
  By russl57 - May 5 - 4:27 pm

  I had stayed away from Chrysler products for years even though I grew up with them and owned many classic Mopar Muscle Cars. The 2011 Charger redesign caught my attention and I ended up buying a 2012 Charger RT with the Road and Track package in Black. I ordered mine from the factory with Navigation, Super track Package and the new Beats Stereo options. With rebate, dealer discount and supplier discount the total cost without tax was $31,400. That is a lot of car for the money. I have had a lot of fast cars and while I would not say the car is super fast I would say it has plenty of power. Most impressive is the handling and interior quality. I would highly recommend this vehicle to others.

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  Awesome Ride ... I Would Recommend - 2008 Dodge Nitro
  By bluenitroqueen - May 5 - 12:19 pm

  Ive had my 2008 Blue Nitro for almost 2 weeks, It is an investment for me cause I hadnt had a payment on a vehicle in almost 6 months. I had a Red Jeep Liberty Limited 2002 that I paid off in January and was so glad to see it go. I had nothing ,but problems from the Liberty during the last 3 months I had it. When I saw the Electric Blue Nitro on~ line I wanted one. I set my mind to it and finally ran across one (that was blue with low mileage) and purchased it with no problem. The sound system is also a plus and I have sirius satelite radio for 3 months at no extra charge. Anyway check it out for yourself if you wanna know ... go test drive one.

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  Year old and still #1 in my choice - 2011 Dodge Challenger
  By fuelfromh2o - May 1 - 1:16 pm

  Purchased July 2011, have 17k miles on the hub with NO problems in quality, performance & reliability. Added a CAI and HHO to the V6 and it came alive after 8k miles of break in. For a V6 it turns 0 - 60 in 6sec flat all day long. It will bury the needle with a little effort approaching the 140mph mark. Dodge did it "RIGHT" with this combination. Can honestly admit that the Challenger can hang with the Mustang or Camero of equal equipment any day of the week and in most cases walk away in second gear and never look back.

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  Mixed review - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By teufelsdrock - May 1 - 11:55 am

  I bought my 2007 Caliber in March of 2006, one of the first ones in this area. I was initially worried because I had the stalling problem (sound familiar Caliber owners?) and I also lost the alternator at about 50k. That was an $$$ repair. I still own the car. It has 256,000 miles on it! I have had to replace the alternator again. Over the last six years, Ive replaced the tie rods (roads where I live--NE Ohio--are horrible) and one wheel bearing. I get 32 mpg on the highway (1.8 stick shift). The stalling issue just disappeared (did the computer self-adjust?). Car has the original exhaust system. So... two alternators, tie rods, a battery and 256k miles. Does this car owe me anything?

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  brakes and tires, brakes and tires - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By michand - April 30 - 11:54 pm

  I bought the first Journey our Dodge dealership had in stock. I was excited because I planned on starting a family and wanted the room and comfort. The Journey has served its purpose but not without costing me a fortune. I have had 3 sets of brakes and 2 sets of tires in 4 years. The tires for my Journey cost $1200-$1500 a set, brakes and rotors cost $500-$800. Also small things like a battery replacement was $250 and I broke the valve stem on the tire and it was $150. I loved the car but cant afford the costly maintenance. We just traded it in on a Honda, we lost the room but have many less headaches when it comes to the upkeep of a vehicle.