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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  WOW! - 2004 Dodge Viper
  By The - January 1 - 2:00 am

  IT IS AMAZING VERY FAST AND FUN TO DRIVE HIGHLY RECOMENDED

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  Excellent Dakota - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By Threezs - January 1 - 2:00 am

  I have had nothing but great experience with my Dakota. With the 4.7L V-8 and only the 2 wheel drive, it has become the family car. With 3 kids, we have taken it all over for vacation. I would definintly buy another.

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  Why such a bad Head Gasket - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By Ziggy99 - December 31 - 2:00 am

  I have been happy with the car except for the engine work required. Head Gasket failure at 80K was rediculous even with reqular maintenance. (Major failure came after coolant and oil change at the dealer.) Did they cover it under a recall no because i had more than 50k on the car. If it wasnt for the big ticket repair bills i would be very happy with the car. Nice interior (best in its class if you ask me)

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  American Cars - Do They Compare Yet? - 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By dirk pitt - December 30 - 2:00 am

  We had owned a couple of older cars for a number of years and we decided we needed the room of a minivan, so we bought our Grand Caravan with 52,000 miles on it. While we have not had any mechanical problems with it so far, it is so difficult to perform preventative maintenance on it except oil changes. I do my own work, but I could not change all of the spark plugs, belts, fuel filter, etc. Its fuel economy was disappointing, and its build quality is not as good as my Toyota Corolla that is eight years older and has four times as many miles on it (235,000).

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  AOK after 10 months - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By mik164 - December 30 - 2:00 am

  Chose this vehicle after having Cherokee. Durango, is a larger more comfortable vehicle. And yes, the mileage is lower but the engine is bigger, so that is to be expected. I find the Durango to be reliable, and very comfortable, especially in the price range, my passangers always make a comment of liking it.

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  The van likes the shop more than me - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By PT - December 29 - 2:26 pm

  I really like this vehicle but it spends too much time in the shop. Too many issues (window motor, door motor, AC, radio, trans) to mention here but the high end extended warranty 7 yr/100K mile was worth it. We received $8-10K worth of work via the warranty. It has a sports handling package & rides well but with some noise. We take this to FL from DC every year. Interior is nice, somewhat plasticky but solid. Exterior is very sporty & one of the nicer looking vans on the road. I enjoyed the van but even with the warranty, it sucked the life out of me going back & forth to the dealer. We replaced it with a Sienna. This was our 3rd Chrysler, dont buy one without a warranty.

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  1990 Dodge Spirit ES - 1990 Dodge Spirit
  By robertd25 - December 29 - 2:00 am

  I too purchased this car new. Back in 1990 there wasnt much to choose from for that price with a 6 cylinder. It was well taken care of & garaged but had too many problems. The engine was pulled to replace a freeze plug, transmission was weak from day one, ignition tumbler broke (had to be towed) the battery imploded (towed again), head gasket went, high beams failed, radio worked intermittently, heater stop working, finally the main seal and cam seal went at the same time. The body is still perfect and it has the original exhaust system. This car has 121000 miles.

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  An Excellent Car. - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By Mike Baker - December 29 - 2:00 am

  I just recently purchased a Dodge intrepid SE. I cant say enough good things about it. Its actually the second intrepid Ive owned!I bought one when they first came out in the early 90s and Ive just upgraded to the newer model. Its got a smooth ride and tons of room! I feel like I bought a $30K car!

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  Great SUV - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By Patrick Kennedy - December 29 - 2:00 am

  I bought this SUV knowing that the MPG where going to be low but its an SUV. I really like how it drives and if you want to take it off road you can. The R/T model is a big plus big engine/more power.

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  I love this car! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Mary K. Skaggs - December 28 - 8:46 am

  I didnt expect to be the owner of a Dodge, but when I took this car out on a test drive, I absolutely fell in love with it! I love the way it handles and rides, and Ive already taken it on its first big trip. Everywhere we stopped, people would come around and ask us what kind of a car it was! It really attracted alot of attention!