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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  Fantastic car - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By Sabersoul - January 11 - 2:00 am

  Its a great car, plenty of pep even with the 4-speed auto and for around $15K driveout you cant beat the room in the car for the money. Im 64" and have no problems sitting in any seat in the car.

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  1997 Dodge Intrepid - 1997 Dodge Intrepid
  By St Alex - January 11 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle has been an excellent value. The leather seats have held up well for seven yrs. and the sound system has been incredible.

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  Poor Quality - 1993 Dodge Shadow
  By fgdt - January 10 - 2:00 am

  Ive had to replace the altenator twice, Ive replaced the battery numerous times. The clutch now needs to be fixed. The paint is chipping severly and the body is rusting. There is a leak in the roof when it rains. The sunroof wheezes when the car is driven. Ive replaced both doors because they fell off the hinges. Ive had to replace the water pump and numerous belts. This car is not reliable. Every time I got into it I worried about how far it would actually take me. I would not recommend that anyone who is mechanically inclined purchase this vehicle. If you like fixer-uppers and know a lot about cars this car is for you.

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  Fairly Good Van - 1992 Dodge Caravan
  By lbritain - January 10 - 2:00 am

  Bought it brand new in 1992 - been through 3 fuel pumps, 1 oxygenator thing kept losing power (took 7 years to find this problem) 1 water pump and numerous smaller things. Its been pretty reliable for 12 years and 95000 miles. It squeals all the time while running causing considerable embarrassment at lights - transmission is starting to slip.

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  its good - 1995 Dodge Stratus
  By t-dawg - January 9 - 2:00 am

  When i bought the car it had a blown head gasket, but the dealor replaced it with a new redesigned head gaske to fix the old faulty ones, not a problem since,if your head gasket ever goes out make sure you get the new redesigned ones!

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  run in the exact opposite direction - 1997 Dodge Neon
  By sucka with a clunka - January 9 - 2:00 am

  the price sounded good. thats about it. they should pay the consumer to take the car from them. fun to drive when it runs right. those times are few and far between. bad head gaskets, fuel pumps, cam seal, bad brake life, light seals, not to mention all the noise. wind noise is annoying at highway speeds, occasional clunking from front end, and the rear struts always sound like theyre shot too. and the worst part is when the noises are checked by professionals they cant find anything wrong. if you enjoy getting taken then i suggest buying a dodge/plymouth neon.

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  junk (non recycle) - 1998 Dodge Caravan
  By bann - January 9 - 2:00 am

  vehicle has 71,000 km. Repairs to date blown head gasket (3.3 L engine). Blown transmission (4 speed OD). Air conditioning pump blown. Emergency brake broken. These repairs cost thousands of dollars, can anybody do anything about these transmissions ??? seems they Just keep pumping out the same junk parts for suckers like me.

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  an excelent SUV - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By edmundov - January 9 - 2:00 am

  This is a very strong vehicle, I´m very happy with my Durango

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  Great Utility Vehicle - 2000 Dodge Caravan
  By BGiss - January 9 - 2:00 am

  Good for Family of Four

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  Smooth Operator - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By CLDone - January 9 - 2:00 am

  I bought this SXT for interstate commute (mpg) and wast dissapointed. Handling is crisp, passing is effortless,and cruising at 3,000 rpm could get you a ticket. Short throw shifter is excellant. My car is black with 5 spoke alloys and never fails to get those appreciative stares.