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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  Just Got It - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By SHOPE - February 19 - 10:00 am

  Traded in a 2003 sentra specv,I really liked that car,this car is faster,handles well,and is faster.love it.

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  Good car for the money - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By Duff Mckagan - February 19 - 10:00 am

  Great Car for the money, and very sporty when you opt out for the SXT model with sport appearence package.

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  Room for the whole family and then some! - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By Denise Hrncir - February 19 - 2:00 am

  Great vehicle...however with any SUV you will spend lots of time at the gas station. Front Seats are a bit uncomfortable, but the rest are fine. Love the third row seating and all the cargo room that comes with owning a SUV. Would recommend it for you if you are considering a SUV.

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  Worst of the Worst - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By kthrun - February 19 - 2:00 am

  I would like to hear from others who have problems with their Durango, weve had NONstop problems, starting from day one, A/C system replaced 3 times, blown transmission line that the dealership claimed did not exist (i took it off and wanted to fix it myself) until they towed the truck in...next day it was mysteriously fixed. Computer replaced twice, blown AIC whatever that supposedly made the truck stall out when stopped, replaced it, truck still stalls out when stopping, 4WD does not work now and the dealership claims they have "no idea" where is customer service? 4WD front CV joint went out with less than 58k miles...whats the deal? $36,000 LEMON.

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  2003 neon - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Dwayne - February 18 - 2:00 am

  we purchased this car based on the fact that it was affordable, and with a four cylinder it would be good on gas. since we purchased it we have been very pleased with the realibility of the car.

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  Good To Go! - 1999 Dodge Caravan
  By SeattleBob - February 18 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I have had some 7 Caravan company cars between us in the last nine years with no major problems. We purchased this Sport new. It pretty much was the weekend grocery-getter for the first few years, but now is my daily driver for work. I performed all the service as it became due, fluids, etc., new shocks, struts, rear brakes. Original tires share with mounted winter tires. Then disaster - the transmission went out. Had a rebuilt MoPar unit installed, but at about $3,800. They seem to go out a lot about 60,000 miles according to my shop. A little noisy inside with Seattle roads at freeway speeds.

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  not stock - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By dkrhardy - February 18 - 2:00 am

  Great car, very good performance. Ive added oversize TB, exhaust, intake, and it will walk away from 300M specials. Now it has GREAT power and still good MPG. Time to move on to more luxury though.

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  great looks.......poor quality - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By Koziol - February 18 - 2:00 am

  It is a well designed car and powerful. However, there are many mechanical problems. The steering locked in a circle when turning. The windows fog up all the time. The worst problem was when both of my front tie-rods broke off the rack completely disabling my steering after only 50000 miles. Fortunately, I was only pulling away from the curb, or otherwise there may have been a potentially fatal accident from a instantaneous loss of steering. I was told that my bushings had worn out and transferred the force to my tie- rod bolts.

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  PERFECT 10 - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By jhonny chimpo - February 18 - 2:00 am

  the dodge intripid in my book is a perfect 10, it has never let me down and probbally never will

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  awsome car - 1998 Dodge Avenger
  By steven sulzer - February 17 - 2:00 am

  i love the car