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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  Exceptional Family Car - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By meredetrois - December 14 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I bought our Intrepid new in 10/01 with 5 miles on the odometer. Now, 2+ years and 32,000 miles later, I cant say enough good things about it. The 2.7L six does everything I ask of it, returns 24 mpg in small town driving, and between 28-30 mpg on the highway (depending on how heavy my foot is). Everything has worked perfectly on this Dodge, and I expect to own it many years after the final payment.

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  R/T sweetness - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By dani rotcorp - December 14 - 2:00 am

  I love the power. We have traveled between Utah and Indiana 3 times with a 3 year old and it has plenty of room for all the toys with the rear seat laid flat. I have installed a K&N cone filter to improve air flow and the difference is AWESOME. We recently put Toyo Proxy S/T tires on for all season performance. What a difference, it handles so much better now.

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  Good Buy - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By matty23 - December 14 - 2:00 am

  We just bought a used quad cab Dakota and it was an excellent buy. We got the 5.9L V8 and were getting like 16.8 mpg. It also has flowmasters on it and sounds wonderful. This trucks fulfills all my needs in a vehicle. It was a great buy!

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  Tranny issue down the line, stay away... - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By vincent - December 14 - 12:46 am

  Bought the car new with the wife using it mostly for work and around town plus family vacations. Right about 44k miles the tranny went south on us. Dodge wont cover cause its out of warranty. Replaced it with a used tranny & 1500 miles into it the tranny died. This time got a brand new tranny from Dodge and it ran fine until 115k miles later. Tranny shot again. I shouldve read about all these Chrysler tranny issue before buying it. Theres a site online dedicated to Chrysler tranny time bomb. They make decent looking car but interior and mechanical flaws are all over. Never will I buy another Chrysler product.

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  Last one - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By Durango 1 - December 13 - 2:00 am

  This is one of the wrost SUVs I have ever owned. This will be my last Dodge after 30 of Dodges. After renting a both Ford and Chevy SUVs for both road and off road, the Dodge does not compare in quailty. Enginee Problems (I use Mobil 1) bad handeling in the wind and Im lucky to get 15 - 20 up mountain interstate. 18 wheelers pass me. The dealers have no idea of what the problem is. This is my 2nd and my last bad Dodge.

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  Hope to stay pleased. - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By mshep11025 - December 13 - 2:00 am

  Looked at a Ford Ranger 4WD Edge first and just about bought it. Wow, am I glad I took some advice and looked at the SLT...........not really in the same category but in my case, close in price. Hope I comtinue to enjoy as much as I do now. My wife also loves it because it has plenty of style, room, and power w/o overwhelming size.

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  ^@!%&! Ugh!!! - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By ANTIDURANGO - December 12 - 2:00 am

  If I could curse here I would! Where do I start! How is it this piece of S... has less than 80k miles and the transmission goes? How about the window motor? Fuel Pump, power steering, A/C? These are not typical wear and tear items! If you are reviewing this, please take my advice, NEVER EVER BUY THIS SUV! OK, so I was like you too, I really liked this SUV. My sister had one and ran into the same Window and tranny problem. I was stupid and didnt take her advice. NEVER EVER AGAIN!!!

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  almost perfect - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By Bassman - December 12 - 2:00 am

  awsome to drive,turning rato is great. very roomy and the seats are comfortable, all radio and instrument switches are easy to get at.

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  bad van - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By jen - December 11 - 9:40 am

  this is the 2nd dodge caravan we had and we loved the first one (a 2006) traded for this 2008 and I hate it! everything about it seems cheap, having some engine problems already, both of the back doors now have water trapped inside, Im afraid they will rust out and we have the swivel and go seats and when you you use it with the table you cant fit inside poor layout. Im sick of this van and wished I had my old one back

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  nice to drive, but relability problems - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By cbeck - December 11 - 2:00 am

  Bought with 102000 miles. Fun to drive. handles nice. Not too bad power wise for a small car. Timing belt broke with a 142000 miles. Bent up all the valves in the head. Facing expensive repairs. Had constant oil leaks from engine. Transmission speed sensor went bad. Trunk lock doesnt work. Ac quit working. Car seemed to self destruct at about 140,000.