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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  girst and last time I buy a Dodge - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By mdmissymarie - December 4 - 2:00 am

  The place I bought the car from was great! The didnt try to hassel me or make me feel stupid. thats about where The good news ends. I wii never buy another Dodge. At abot 30000 miles the back wheel broke. Some bolts broke and the tire was at about a 45 degree angle to the car. The paid for most of that to get fixed then my fan switch broke all within a year of ownership. oh yeah when the wipers are on and I turn the wheel or use the blinker the lights in the car power flux (change brightness) Ive heard dodge trucks are made better than there cars. I sure hope they are But I will never find out first hand this is my last dodge experience.

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  Safest car on the market - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By Elliebean - December 4 - 2:00 am

  Well I dont really know if its the safest but when I got in an accident with my dodge stratus, it saved my life. The car took the impact in all the right places and the driver and I walked away just fine. If you could see the picturesof the accident, youd be amazed. Im buying another one.

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  Good Car For The Money - 2000 Dodge Neon
  By Jenkinsqh - December 3 - 2:00 am

  Bought the car new in 2000. Also considered/test drove the Civic, Protoge, and Focus. Rides were all fairly comparable, but Dodge was dealing quite a bit more than the others. I have just over 105,000 on it so far. Aside from scheduled routine maintenance, no repairs to speak of. I drive around 36,000 miles annually, and can count on it to come in at anywhere from 33-36 on the highway depending on speed. This is my second Neon (had a 95), and 4th Chrysler that I have bought new since 90. All have been good serviceable vehicles.

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  LOVE IT - 2000 Dodge Caravan
  By Jeffrey - December 3 - 2:00 am

  I think everyone should have this vehicle. I would buy another one again in this lifetim

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  I hate it!!! - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By Ryne - December 3 - 2:00 am

  I traded in my 2000 Durango due to high mileage, which to me rode like a Cadillac, and purchased the 2003 model. After 3 months we are looking at trading this one in. This one rides like a truck, the interior seems so much smaller and compact. You are now butting elbows with your passenger. I always said I would always drive a Durango, but now I think we will be looking at other SUVs.

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  SRT-4 - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By G unit - December 2 - 10:00 am

  very fast .. beats a rx7 TT stock .. v8 mustang .. ride is very nice turns very smooth .. loud exhaust stock .. fun to drive

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  Awesome Car!!! - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By buellman2003 - December 2 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car to drive to college 215 miles away. I have put almost 5000 miles on the car in the last few months. It runs perfect. It gets great gas mileage for a car this big. I expected 24, but I get a minimum of 26 in all conditions. On the interstate with the cruise at 70 I get 30 mpg, 28-29 with the AC on. I bought this car well below blue book trade in value. It was a company leased car. It has a few scratches and dings, but nothing terrible. The price made up for the problems. It drives great and is really smooth.

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  Keep building the Intrepids - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By C. Bieker - December 2 - 2:00 am

  Best car I have ever driven. In high winds the car keeps straight into the wind with no sway, also still gets excellant gas milage. They drive like a sports car and fun to drive.

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  Clifford, The Big Red Dodge - 1997 Dodge Ram Van
  By Mike - December 1 - 6:23 am

  To set the record straight I bought my 1997 Dodge B1500 from a private party for $300 when the vehicle is worth $2500. It is a conversion van made by Primetime and I fell in love with it as soon as I drove it, though it stalled from a dry gas tank and the serpentine belt snapped, I felt like I had to have it. It is reliable for it has a small block v-8 and my father and I were shocked to see it still running strong with the work it needed and how bad the oil in it was. I.E. in severe need of a tune up and brakes. It still needs a bit of work but it preforms great! Gas economy is good too: 17-21, no lie! It is my first car and I love it greatly!

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  Save yourself the money - 1999 Dodge Neon
  By ugly54 - December 1 - 2:00 am

  I have had a horrible time with my neon. I have had trouble with the electrical system. The radio is known to turn on by itself without the car even on. The dash board, head lights, etc. will on occasion not work as well. Next, the sunroof stopped working. Finally, the transmission went at 49,000 miles.This is not what I would consider a reliable car.