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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  Not too pleased - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By trencher - December 17 - 2:00 am

  We bought the car used at 45,000 miles. In three years, weve had numerous major repairs including one where the engine had to be totally disassembled. The transmission needed to be replaced at a hefty expense. The radio has been replaced FOUR times in three years. Weve also had trouble with the ABS light, cruise control has failed, wipers go on and off spontaneously ... the list goes on. This is the least reliable vehicle weve ever owned, and we cant wait to get rid of it.

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  NO MAS! - 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By jedi651 - November 29 - 11:41 pm

  We tried to love it, but just couldnt deal with the dealer (white Bear lake, Mn) who guessed on every repaired needed. Long story short, we bought the van used. clean carfax. great the first week. second week was a disaster. van would die 3-5 times daily was exiting the hwy. while operating at 30mph the van would become very sluggish, then die when coming to a stop. replaced spark plugs, MAP sensor, throttle body didnt change a thing. brought in to the dealer to figure it out. diagnosed that the WIN module was faulty and needed to be replaced.(not part of the recall) asked why its sluggish, dealer didnt know. finally just gave up and traded it in for a Honda. People be advised, stay away!

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  transmission - 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By henke009 - November 28 - 2:44 am

  after 9000 km the transmission bearing is gone, my first dodge in my life and definitly last one, too much hasle, because of the brand new car............???

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  Cant wait to get rid of it. - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Dee - November 17 - 3:40 am

  If you are considering this vehicle make sure that you check out all of the competition first! My main motive for purchasing this car was price as I was eligible for the employee discount. I got the 1.8 with manual trans, because I just dont trust CVTs to hold up for the long run. After 28k miles the exterior plastic is fading, the mileage is awful, and it still has a problem stalling at random (not driver induced, it often happens in neutral.) Perhaps all these problems are due to it being a first run year, but either way I would be weary.

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  Review - 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Minivan - October 7 - 4:13 pm

  Please dont buy this minivan I bought mine used a few weeks ago and already the transmission is gone. It has poor gas mil. It shakes and rattles at a slow speed. I must admit the price is what lured me in.

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  Unimpressive - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By CDubya - October 1 - 4:13 pm

  Havent even had this van long and many problems have happened. Electrical has been a problem from the start. Power flickers off and on when it gets wet out, including the wipers stopping while driving down the highway in the rain. The dealer has worked on it twice, but it happened agian last night. A/C compressor also went out yesterday and guess what? The engine wont run if you dont get it fixed which costs $1000.

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  Like Driving A Building - 2016 Dodge Durango
  By DJ - September 25 - 6:54 am

  I was furnished a 2016 Dodge Durango AWD Limited by my insurance company while my Jeep Compass is being repaired (a tree fell on it). I am amused to no end that the automotive press just RAVES about the Durango while having little good to say about the Compass. Personally, I CANT WAIT to get my little Compass back. The Durango is a mastodon of over-engineered crapola, in my humble opinion. From the stereo I cant shut off to the engine that shuts off every time I stop, this ranch house on wheels is a Chinese water-torture of constant annoyance. It seems to run "okay", but it handles like an aircraft carrier. I checked online, and it looks like the going price for Durangos like my rental is about $40K, which Ive seen described as "reasonable". I think its absurdly overpriced.

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  looks better than it is - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By mikevjones - September 5 - 10:00 am

  Great look, losts of interest from people on street. View out from interior limited especially blind spots on left and right. interior all plastic looks and feels cheap. Tires are noisey and transmission has whine.

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  The Worse Ive Ever Had - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By George35 - July 21 - 2:00 am

  This is hands down the worse vehicle I have ever owned. I have an 86 Subaru that drives better than this vehicle. I have had my Grand Caravan for Less than 2 years. During that time it has been in and out of the shop, examples: Broken axles, replace rack and pinion, sway bars, belt tensioner, replaced lifters, and electrical problems. Buyers beware!

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  Very Disappointed.......... - 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By jcarndt - July 11 - 5:52 am

  Purchased new in July of 2012. . I owned a 99 Caravan Sport and it was great. This one is not. When I test drove this one it seemed pretty good. Smooth ride, very quiet, lots of power. 60 days after purchase, the front brakes started squealing. Fixed by dealer. 60 days later, I noticed a clattering/rubbing sound from engine compartment at low speed. Frequency of the noise increased and decreased in time with RPMs. Dealer service manager said it was "normal" for that model year, and they have no idea what it is. So Im screwed. Clunking/rattling from rear end, one of the heater controls has stopped working. Less than 5000 miles, and it sounds and feels like an old truck...... never again