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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  Impressed until recently - 2014 Dodge Durango
  By Amy - November 14 - 8:53 am

  Overall, we like this vehicle. It drives great, is comfortable to ride in and bucket seats for the 2nd row are a great feature. It was recently when we noticed things we did not like. Changing a turn signal bulb is impossible. The whole front bumper needs removed in order to reach the light, it is not an easy fix as other vehicles. Nor is finding the battery. My husband needed to jump his work truck and he could not because the battery is not easily accessible. There is a blind spot for the driver on the right side between the 2nd and 3rd row seats, the head rest is in the way and the area between the 2 windows is very wide.

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  Reliable, Reliable, Reliable - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By Rob - November 12 - 6:51 pm

  2003 Durango. only problem was the exhaust manifold leak (spent 300 with 112,00 miles). other than that reliable as can be.

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  Awesome SUV! Buy it! Even though its a Dodge - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By Huge Durango Fan - November 10 - 9:46 pm

  I bought my 2011 durango citadel v 8 AWD brand new in late 2011. Ive had it 4 years now and have about 25,000 miles on it. (My commute to work is short). My previous suv was the Toyota Sequoia limited, and before that we had a land rover discovery. The toyota was very reliable and i was afraid with the poor reputation of chrysler/dodge products, i would be visiting the dodge service center a lot with the durango. I got every option dodge offered on the durango citadel: heated and cooled seats, blind spot monitoring, sunroof, all wheel drive, heated steering wheel, in ceiling video system, Nav, and much more. I assumed with all these gadgets i would see the service department on a regular basis. I really loved the redesigned 2011 durango /grand cherokee styling on the exterior and also the interior of the 2011 durango and i was willing to take the risk. We needed the third row seat so that excluded he grand cherokee. I didnt know about a lot of the neat interior lighting until i owned it and drove it at night. I passed on a new Toyota Sequoia and the land rover lr4, and im really glad i did. This vehicle is awesome. With around 380 HP IT WILL FLY. It drives like a sports car but can carry 7 people to the ski resort with ease. Its great on long trips with the heated and cooled seats, and it is real quiet on the road. The hemi v8 with dual exhaust also has a great sound. It carries our kids with ease, they can watch movies while my wife and i can talk, and it can tow a trailer/boat with ease. This truck has been near flawless. Its had better reliability than my Toyota Sequoia. The durango has just been to the shop for oil changes, tire rotations, and regular maintenance. Everything has worked perfect since day 1. The vehicle has surprised me with the quality, even with all the things on it that could go wrong. Dodge got this suv right, and i assume the models from 2012 to 2105 are great choices also. The only dislike is the width of the factory roof luggage rack. On trips, we use a Thule luggage box and put bikes on the roof. Its tight. I wish the luggage bars were wider. I highly recommend this suv.

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  The little engine that could..tow a house - 2011 Dodge Nitro
  By Dan989 - November 10 - 7:56 pm

  I got my wife a 2011 nitro heat 3.7 with 55k miles about a year ago because we needed a little more room but didnt want to break the bank. She likes the smaller suvs and Ive always liked the Tonka truck look of the nitro. My experience with dodge so far has been very good so decided to stick with it. The nitro is an old fashioned old school suv that feels like a truck, drives like a truck, and is tough like a truck. Theres nothing fancy about this rig but it has it where it counts. We take it all over and have put on 20k miles in year without a single issue. What did surprise me was what the nitro could actually do. Were big out doors people and own a 4k+ pound 21+ ft travel trailer we take out a few times a year that we thought we were going to have to park for a while since I no longer have a truck to pull it with. Unbeknownst to me was the heavy duty 5 link suspension, heavy duty chasis, transmission cooler and 5k pound towing capacity of the nitro. Once I discovered that I quickly installed a hitch and brake controller ,due to our nitro not being equipped with the tow package, and we were ready for action. Well we recently took a week long trip where we towed our trailer from az to camp on beach in San diego and the nitro preformed flawlessly never even heating up anywhere, mountains include, along the way. We were looking for a small/mid affordable suv with unique looks and got a helluva lot more than we bargained for. Its not the suv for everyone as it has a stiff ride and modest mpg at best, but if youre looking for something that takes you back to the pick up truck feel of a few years ago, has unique styling and can tow mountains above its useless crossover counterparts, than the nitro might just be what youve been looking for.

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  feels like a 4 cylinder Honda accord - 2015 Dodge Charger
  By Otto Sanchez - November 10 - 1:20 pm

  I have purchased this car 3 months ago and I am so disappointed about it. This car runs worst than my girlfriends 2014 honda accord(I hate hondas BTW, my first car was a 2010 civic). Poor acceleration even though I have the Rallye version that is supposed to have 300 horse powers it feels like a 4 cylinder car with 150 HP. Suspension is the worst thing, honda is well known for his hard suspension, but this car is even worst than a honda. I like the interior and LOVE the speaker sound(Beats) and distribution. I wish I could have my challenger back, that was the best car I have ever owned. Had to change it because I had a baby so 2 doors car was a little uncomfortable, but after 3 month I prefer to live with that rather than this dodge accord, sorry charger.

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  LOVE MY ORANGE SXT PLUS - 2014 Dodge Challenger
  By Ronald Beck - November 9 - 11:20 pm

  Amazing power for a 6 cylinder car. Stunning orange color with sharp black graphics. Have gotten more compliments on this car than i did on my silver 1997 C5 Corvette. Smooth riding, corners well and has plenty of pep, considering that it is not a Hemi!

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  MY Dodge caravan is crap - 2006 Dodge Caravan
  By Mike - November 9 - 3:28 pm

  We bought the 2006 SXT new in 07 just after they got rid of the 100,000 mile warranty, dealer stated because the dodge caravan vans were built much better with fewer problems "yeah right" The vehicle drove OK up to 70.000 miles with routine maintenance, accept for the automatic doors, poor design wire kept breaking. After that The transmission 2,200 rebuilt went due to a faulty over heated converter was on the recalled list but we were never notified but dodge replace it only converter thanks. ECM electrical board went 1,800 AC starter, alternator twice, breaks disk drums, tie rods , front and rear struts 3,000, oil change every 3,000 miles but is burning oil ( maybe or seal PVC val) A/C e-vap unit but we were able to get that fixed for a small fee 100.00 recall ya! Over all with the money we have had to put into caravan I am giving it a two starts over all. The good stow and go, good acceleration, when need it rides smooth if nothing is going on it. Ok in the snow. I should have dump this car after 70,000 miles when the transmission went was a sign this only good up that. I have rear review where people have done well with theres but mine was built on Monday. I will not buy another Dodge due to this bad experience after all said and done 1119, 000 miles we have spent 37,000 dollars over all 24,500 for the vehicle and over all the maintenance and repairs again thanks Dodge.

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  SXT AWD - 2015 Dodge Durango
  By Justin Sutherland - November 9 - 10:01 am

  I am a saleman for CDJR and love the Durango. I just purchase done for my wife. We needed a larger SUV and I wanted AWD this time around. For the price I couldnt find anything comparable. Its an SXT so its surely not "fancy". It has some nice creature comforts though. Back up camera(and sensors), NAV, heated seats ans steering wheel. The 8.4N is a great setup and very easy to use. We came from Ford and werent too happy with the easy of use on the Sync system. There is plenty of room for our 3 kids. Very pleased with our Durango overall!

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  Bought my 2012 Challenger 392 used - 2012 Dodge Challenger
  By Romulo - November 6 - 11:03 am

  The fuel economy of this car is quite good for the horsepower given that you drive conservatively. If you are an aggressive driver the gas mileage will not be as good but, this is what I knew I was getting into. This car still turns heads despite newer 2015 Challengers on the road. My model is Tungsten with Black Stripes. The steering is responsive and the power delivery is fantastic. It did not come with back up sensors which is what I wanted. Ive been driving for over 20 years so Im accustomed to cars with no aides. The interior has some lite rattling in the C pilar. Fortunately after reading forums its just a matter of the interior paneling coming into contact with the frame, a quick fix.

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  Love It! - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By Dallas Francis - November 6 - 9:16 am

  I love my 2000 Sport... First truck I have ever had for my first vehicle. I love it! Traded a ford ranger for it. The fords frame was rusted through, and the durango needed a new tranny that we didnt know about right away, but got that fixed and now it drives like a pro. Gets through feet and feet of snow. shoot, it even climbs snow hills.