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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  Extremely reliable! - 1994 Dodge Dakota
  By jrwahlst - February 15 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 94 Dakota (w/3.9L V6) with 120,000 miles on it about 3 years ago, and have had absolutely no major problems. Im now up to 155,000 miles and still going great! Ive been very pleased with how reliable this vehicle has been. Im in Minnesota and have had it parked outside in well below zero temps and it always starts right up. Im no great car expert, but its been really solid for me. The paints been fine, too, unlike some reports Ive heard.

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  lot of fun for this 50 year old - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By nethealthy - February 15 - 2:00 am

  lot of fun for an old guy. powerfull, roomy, great high way car.

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  One quick Neon - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Cole Johnson - February 14 - 4:43 pm

  Although I have not had my SRT-4 for very long, I can say that this car is not your ordinary Neon. The car has plenty of power to back up the fact that it is still a Neon. Not to mention the car handles extremely well from the factory. Overall I am very impressed thus far a look forward to further enhance the performance of my SRT-4 in the future.

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  Good, economical car - 1995 Dodge Stratus
  By Shewinked - February 14 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car with 50K miles on it. Ive had to replace the oxygen sensor 3 times (engine light stays on), and the electical system goes out where the radio, heat/ac and lights dont work. If I stop and turn the car off and then back on, its restored. Otherwise, its been a great car. It was cheap and great in-between car. It looks great, people always think its newer than it actually is.

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  truck is horrible - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By mike9870 - February 14 - 2:00 am

  catalyic converter is shot and from these reviews it is a common problem the automatic shifter column is a toy it is off about 1/4 inch so u dont know if your in drive or 2nd gear, the exterior mirrors dont fold in this truck is in desparate need of a redesign. your better off with a nissan frontier

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  Great car - 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Dave - February 13 - 5:16 pm

  We looked at this after testing out all sorts of other vehicles. Its a lot more fun to drive than the Sienna, though its slightly slower in acceleration, because it handles turns much better and feels more connected and in control. We were going to get a crossover but this had better mileage and a lot more space and better features - and better, more nimble cornering than most.

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  Goodbye, Old Friend - 1994 Dodge Caravan
  By MinnesotaBob - February 13 - 2:00 am

  This was a great family car. Comfortable on long trips, yet nimble enough to drive around town. It sure came in handy, too, for those couple times a year when I went to the lumber yard, or my wife went to a garage sale. It treated us pretty well except for two cracked heads ($1600 each), one at 65K, and another at 103K. Just came back from donating it to a place thatll fix it up and give it to a needy person. Even with that major engine problem, theres more right with it than wrong. We thought about buying another minivan, but since our kids are pretty much grown now, we opted for a sedan instead.

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  Dodge Intrepid---Awesome Car - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By soniannette - February 13 - 2:00 am

  This has got to be the roomiest car I have ever seen. I love the design and just overall look of it. If you need to get up and go--this car will do it. I have no complaints on this car. I used to own a firebird and this car is just as quick and sleek looking, but better for me now that I have a family. Just overall an awesome car.

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  Best mid-SUV - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By padodge - February 13 - 2:00 am

  This is my second Durango and I cannot say enough good things about them. Tons of room, good handling, lots of power. Only changes would be the sub- par original tires and the gas milage, I get about 13.5 mpg with my 5.8L V8.

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  Comfortable cruiser - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By peter - February 12 - 9:36 pm

  Ive had my LE for 10 years. Very comfortable on long trips, decent mileage and good power with the 3.8 engine. Seats are actually more comfortable than the stow+go seats on the new models, also interior much nicer on the 96LE. The new ones have an overall cheaper feel. Reliablity is only fair although the engine and tranny have not given me any problems. If you can find one thats been well maintained, especially with a 3.8, it might be worth buying.