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 above Average - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By dongo - January 31 - 2:00 am

  Haing driven my 2001 Intrepid extensively now, I must say that is is a car that I intend to keep for quite some time. Maintenance & repairs were a concern with the much maligned 2.7 and its associated "troublesome" transmission, but so far it seems to be practically nonexistant for me. Big car, plenty of room on the interior, decent pickup with the kind of gas mileage I get (mid 20s), I think Ill keep it for awhile. :)

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  the perfect family car - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By mouseman - January 31 - 2:00 am

  the intrepid is a good family car .we put to teenager and a carseat in the backseat and have plenty of room it get around good in the snow.for the money you cant baet it .

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  Good Truck! - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By chrispyrook - January 31 - 2:00 am

  I have had no problems with this vehicle and I would highly recommend buying one. The only drawback is that it is only a two-seater which can work to your advantage and save you gas when traveling with more than one person! The interior has a lot of space for storing small items, although there is not much room behind the seat to store anything or add an after-market woofer or amp. Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase!

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  Versatile, With Retro Style! - 1990 Dodge Caravan
  By TrashTsar - January 30 - 2:00 am

  I am the original owner of a 1990 Dodge Caravan with the 3.0 V6 engine. The car has 151,000 miles on it and has been reliable. The original 3.0 liter engines had bad valve stem seals that caused me to replace it with a factory rebuilt engine at 95,000 miles. The engine is far superior to the original and is a strong puller. Avoid the 4 speed transmission sold with the long wheelbase vans. I got the simple, 3 speed trans and it has given me no trouble. Starter, air conditioner, exhaust, and most other systems have had no repairs. With the seats out I haul lumber, furniture--you name it. With the seats in, I haul a soccer team or the family plus others.

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  Great truck, good looks, good handling - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By Nic Nelson - January 30 - 2:00 am

  I have had my Dakota since August of 01 and in that time I have never had any problems with it what so ever. The only thing that I have done to since I bought it is replace the serpentine belt at forty thousand miles. Other than that she has run like a dream and I wouldnt trade it for the world.

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  BIG MISTAKE - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By TJC - January 29 - 2:00 am

  I WAS HAPPY TO TRADE THIS VEHICLE IN AFTER LESS THAN A YEAR OF OWNERSHIP. WE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH SOME ELECTRICAL SENSORS FAILING. HOWEVER, THE MOST COSTLY & DISTURBING PROBLEMS CAME AFTER THE ENGINE STARTED LOOSING OIL PRESSURE AT LESS THAN 70,000 MILES. THE DEALERSHIP WE TOOK IT TO WAS NO HELP AT ALL. APPARENTLY THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR A NUMBER OF DURANGO OWNERS. LOOK AT CONSUMER AFFAIRS REPORTS CLOSELY BEFORE PURCHASING THIS SUV! THOUGH IT HAD ALL THE FEATURES WE WANTED, IT HAS COST ME A TON OF MONEY. I HAVE REPLACED IT WITH A TAHOE AND GET BETTER MILAGE, SMOOTHER RIDE, MORE POWER, & MORE ROOM.

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  great truck - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By dakota - January 29 - 2:00 am

  This is a great truck. It has ample room for 6 children or 4 large adults. It is great for carrying christmas trees, football equipment, etc. I would recommend it to anyone that asked me.

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  This car rocks - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By joey bad dude - January 28 - 1:30 pm

  I got my Dodge Charger R/T with the road and track performance package on May 12th. This car puts an ear to ear grin on my face. The ride is fantastic. It handles like a charm. The acceleration is outstanding. I also like the fact that you get a lot of space if you have a family and you get a fun car with 350 hp V8 with multi displacement (a plus for fuel economy especially now with gas prices at $3 a gallon) all in one car that is a pleasure to own and drive.

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  Great Car, Great price - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Shane - January 28 - 9:26 am

  I waited until I had put a couple of thousand miles on the car before writing a review. I am very pleased with the Avenger. The two best features are the comfort and economy. The interior is very quiet, the seats are perfect, and I am getting around 28 mpg in mostly city driving. My old car was a 2003 Honda, I like the Avenger much better. Its more comfortable, quieter, accelerates better, gets better mpg, looks better, costs less, has a drink cooler in the dash! and has a better warranty. What more could you want? Be sure and check out an Avenger before you buy another car.

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  Great car - 1993 Dodge Stealth
  By nice - January 28 - 2:00 am

  The car is great ive had no problems what so ever. Its to bad they still dont make them. Its fun to drive goes great throught the snow. It attracts alot of people and they still ask to buy but its all mine.