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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  My New Dodge - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By mdlcitz - January 2 - 9:56 am

  Handling, Power, Style. This car has it all. I bought this car because it had everything I needed to get me to work and to help me to play on the weekends. If youre over 50 like me, you know about rear wheel drive. It really helps with the driving experience. This is not your fathers station wagon. I cant tell you how happy I am with this car. WOW.

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  Great Fun Driving Car - 1999 Dodge Neon
  By mactart - January 2 - 2:00 am

  Fun to Drive, Peppy, 4Doors a great asset, back seat plenty of room, back seat split also used quite a few times. Love the cloth seats, and sun roof when it worked. Its broken twice, fortunately broke closed. Use my MP3 Player in the cassette player slot which I cannot do with a CD. Had a blown head gasket, and two sun roof failures. I still love driving it the head gasket was repaired after warranty ran out, but actually started to leak before warranty was up, but didnt realize what it was.

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  Dont Buy it - 1994 Dodge Intrepid
  By KEH - January 2 - 2:00 am

  Love(d) driving this car but it is putting me in debt with the expensive repairs. Air conditioning went at around 75k, transmission went at 78k and cost me $2,000 to repair, paints chipping, logos falling off, water pump went, suspension is shot, alternator went, road noise is terrible, and the heating/air makes an irritating buzzing noise everytime I start the car. I am finally going to put it to rest since my transmission has again died. Its a beautiful car and rides nice(when it rides), but unreliable at best.

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  No Mo Dodges - 1997 Dodge Caravan
  By No-Mo Dodges - January 2 - 2:00 am

  OK ride. Styling has gotten a little long in the tooth. Some electrical problems have arisen as was the case with friends who own the same style/make vehicle.

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  Research didnt help - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By Qdubb - January 2 - 2:00 am

  When I purchased this car in 01 I did the research. At least I thought I did. Consumer reports had positive things to say about it but now I regret purchasing this car. My biggest issue is the price I paid for this car ($15995). Now I d be lucky to get $7000 for this thing. Its a money pit. I have had my share of issues from brakes to oil pan issues and AC in the last couple of years and I am now just waiting for the next big break in my pocket book. The sad thing is I know three other people I work with who wishes they had never made their Intrepid purchase.

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  Terrible transmission - 1999 Dodge Stratus
  By Laura Furko - January 2 - 2:00 am

  Tie rod failure at 51,000 miles. Almost got killed. Transmission failure at 56,000 miles. What is up with that?

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  A GREAT RIDE! - 2004 Dodge Caravan
  By REBEKKAH - January 2 - 2:00 am

  AFTER MUCH SHOPPING AND COMPARISON, WE DECIDED ON THE DODGE CARAVAN FOR OUR FAMILY. WE ARE THRILLED WITH OUR PURCHASE, AND 0% FOR UP TO 72 MONTHS IS HARD TO BEAT!

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  Intrepid - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By nao - January 2 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car because it had some nice features for the money, but after a year I have to sell it because I cant stand the seats on this car. I went to a dealer to try a new one and found that the seats are exactly the same...very uncomfortable.

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  2002 Dakota SLT Plus - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By vettemanpc - January 2 - 2:00 am

  Great truck for day to day use, however it is lacking in the following areas. Fair interior, lacks style/plain. no white face guages,red tail lights,amber turn lights, Could use some restyling to reflect a more ram like appearance. Dodge should also offer more choices regading performance & handling options on the 4 door truck. Ram Air option would be also a good idea. Disappointed with fuel milage and performance with 5.9 approx 17mpg on highway dispite several modifications. For a 5.9L I expected a lot more power in this size truck.

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  Biggest Mistake - 1997 Dodge Stratus
  By Ameena - January 1 - 2:00 am

  After buying this vehicle I had problems almost immediately. Hoses, alternators, ect. finally leading up to the damn thing catching on fire over an hour after being parked. My biggest mistake was not carrying full coverage on this piece of junk! Come to find out from a co-worker she had the same thing happen to her Stratus as well. Beware!