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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  dissappointed - 2000 Dodge Caravan
  By katlin - May 13 - 2:00 am

  Had to replace transmission at 70,000 miles cost $3,000 also have to replace power steering pump. poor quaility mechanicals. would not buy another one!

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  Not So Reliable - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By Mr. Ed - May 12 - 2:00 am

  This is a very appealing car from the outside and in but I think I could do better.

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  POOR - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By DECOY - May 12 - 2:00 am

  Well I thiught that this would be a good buy it was for a friend of the family, but I have had nothing but problems

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  99 3.9l - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By Austinr98 - May 10 - 2:00 am

  3.9L sluggish, hesitates at higher speeds, turning ratio is terrible.

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  NEVER AGAIN!! - 1996 Dodge Avenger
  By Avenger-NEVER AGAIN - May 3 - 2:00 am

  Fell in love with styling 1st time I saw it. Bought new 2nd model year. 1st 3 months was in the shop 10 times. Auto transmission shot at 40K miles. Entire front end replaced at 56K due to shotty controller arms (the front end broke away from the main structure of the car!). Changed thermostat 2xs & always needs new brakes. FM radio & CD player no longer work. Lots of interior cosmetic problems now make the car look junky. There is a leak inside that no one can find & everytime it rains there is a puddle on the front passenger floor board. I will drive this piece of junk until it rusts away to nothing just to get the $$ I put into it for repairs.

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  neon is nothing special - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By danda - May 2 - 2:00 am

  For a long time it was a great car. It is still pretty reliable. My problems are with the paint, and the durability of the accessories. The door panels keep falling off and breaking. The windows havent worked right for a long time, The antenna fell off. The gas tank door broke one day. The car is horrible in the snow. Its a reliable vehicle. The gas mileage has decreased, but it still gets 25-32 mpg.

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  No More Durangos for Me - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By PoeTayToe - April 28 - 2:00 am

  Realizing that this was a used vehicle when I bought it, I still feel the upper and lower ball joints should have lasted much longer than 65,000 miles. A gas hog from the word go, stutters when it passes a gas station. When the gas prices were reasonable, it was a fun vehicle to drive. However, it is awfully sluggish considering it has a 5.2L V8. Goes really good in the snow. An electrical problem waylayed the local dealership for 10 days over three different visits trying to make the repairs! Rear seat leg room is minimal. Third row seat should be reserved for kids or small adults.

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  Looking for a new truck - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By efd326 - April 27 - 2:00 am

  want in pick-up. good at towing under 4000 ilbs. dodge needs full size suv. brakes loose in rain. ABS is poor.

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  Do NOT buy!!! - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By bmharrison - April 25 - 2:00 am

  On the surface, it looks like a great car and until recently, I loved mine. However, the engine has a defect and the timing chain will slip at anywhere between 60,000 and 80,000 miles and destroy the engine. The cost to replace is generally 5,000 and Chrysler refuses to do anything about it. It is a safety issue--the engine will seize while youre driving and you lose all steering and breaking. This is affecting hundreds if not thousands of owners at this time. If you want to confirm, do a search for timing chain and dodge,I now have a car that is worth nothing (its not worth it to replace the engine) and I still owe $6,000 on it!

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  Lemon - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By tonywk1 - April 21 - 2:00 am

  I Like the car when its running, which isnt often lately. Try to trade it in and somethen else goes wrong. Timing belt twice,once it busted valves and head gasket, rack and pinion, a/c, sensors,heater fan, etc.... Major pain in rear.