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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  2012 Charger RT Road and Track - 2012 Dodge Charger
  By luther1517 - March 16 - 5:42 am

  I purchased this vehicle in 1st quarter of 2012. The V-8 was my original choice but decided to go for V-6 for better value and gas mileage. The V-6 was awesome it had plenty of acceleration and with K&N filter mpg were 37plus and mid 20s. However, I was forced to change it due to raw power feel of V-8 and was just bored with 8 speed transmission with no shifting options. Make shure you buy what you want! You will be forced to take a hit due to depreciation of vehicle return or stay with car choice. I just kept having that regret. The Hemi is a monster. Awesome acceleration and mpg on highway are low 30s with 50 to 70 mph and on stop and go is killer at 12. Car is a head turner!

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  5th and LAST Chrysler Corp. product - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By brass2 - March 15 - 6:52 pm

  Initially, I loved this car but honestly how many of all the cars that have ever been made are terrible from day one. There are so many problems, that have nothing to do with operator error, like the windows regulator, headlights that either dont work or flicker and a shifter lever that was made so cheaply that apparently it is just short of recall, the list goes on and on. This car had so much potential, but the shoddy (and overpaid at $75 an hour) workmanship along with inferior parts combine to outweigh any positives or potential for greatness this car had.

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  Dodge This and other Dodge Bullets - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By nfs - March 15 - 4:48 pm

  This is a 2008 Dodge Avenger Red SXT. Lets start 2010 Transmission problems my miles are over warranty. 2011 Check engine light stays on. 2011 clear coat starts to bubble and peal from spoiler. 2012 paint is bubbling on the hood when Dodge was notified stated they may not cover it that a rock could cause the paint to bubble. Dodge keeps Dodging the bullet on car issues. Last Dodge and Chrysler vehicle I will be buying. Look up on the internet about Dodge vehicles paint bubbling on vehicle hoods then you decide.

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  Fuel System Problems - 2011 Dodge Journey
  By truevfib - March 15 - 12:56 pm

  I purchased my Journey in Sept. Since then it has been in the shop 10 times. I cannot fuel my vehicle to full. It generally stops around 3/4. They have replaced everthing there is to replace. Then Crysler tells us that they are aware of the problem and that they "may" have a solution in July 2012. I asked for a replacement vehicle, within the NC Lemon Law statues and they denied me. I have a lawyer working on a claim. Crysler has been very ugly in this matter. Plus I have had to have all the brakes and roters replaced at 700 miles. If you are looking at this vehicle to purchase save yourself the heart ache and buy something else.

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  2012 Caliber Review - 2012 Dodge Caliber
  By leb1 - March 14 - 2:44 pm

  I have owned this car for about 2.5 weeks, and so far I think it is a great car. I have 2012 caliber SXT. the only complaint that I have is I AM ONLY GETTING 18 mpg not like I was told That I would get 24 city 34 hwy. I sure hope it gets better. But other than that this car is worth the money.

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  Not quite sure yet - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By incubritt2010 - March 12 - 5:02 pm

  Bought the car in Oct 2011. No significant problems so far. It shutters a bit between 35-50. No explaination for that. I got a transmission flush last week and that helped significantly. It also has a bit of trouble starting once in awhile after I put gas in it. It always starts, though. My service engine light came on last week, and they told me it was a large evap leak? My gas cap was fine, so there could be a small crack in my vapor hose. Nothing major. My mechanic suggested some new spark plugs as well. Other than that, I really have no complaints about this car so far. My trunk does not leak, btw, since I saw that was a common complaint.

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  2012 SXT BLACKTOP PKG - 2012 Dodge Charger
  By blacktop1 - March 9 - 1:18 am

  Let me tell you first off that the look of this car really got me. I love the aggressive look of the car. The blacktop package adds 20" black rims, a blacked out front grill, an upgraded sound system (alpine speakers on mines), paddle shifters and a sport tuned suspension. This makes the car really stand out from the rest of the chargers on the road w/o having to do anything but spend the extra $1495. The interior is just beautiful. Large comfortable leather seats and all the bells and whistles you can think of and more. I mean really...cooled/heated cup holders??? The uconnect screen with navi and backup cam are almost too distracting

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  Best Car Ever - 2012 Dodge Charger
  By 2012blkcharger - March 9 - 12:33 am

  Picked up my black 2012 black dodge charge RT a couple weeks ago, and let me just tell you how much I have enjoyed this car. This car offically made the tenth car that Ive owned at age 28. Ive owned Acrua, toyota, ford , chevy,nissian, buick,and the list goes on and on. None of the other brands can provide both a large interior space, smooth ride, and a powerful v8 like the charger rt. I must admit i was very skeptical about dodge at first until i drove this car and then i was sold. No rattles, no wind noise, soaks up large pot holes, and strong acceleration, good warranty. What more would anyone need? I would highly recommend anyone to test drive the 2012 dodge charger rt.

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  dodge stealth convertable - 1991 Dodge Stealth
  By master1173 - March 7 - 3:33 pm

  i have a great looking one of a kind dodge stealth convertable i few years ago i just put a new motor in it with only 32,000 klm on it it runs great i did alot of research on this car and their is only 12 made i love this car turns heads were ever i go. this car has never seen the winter not even rain, now with kids my car has only seen the road maybe 10 times in the last three years.so iam very sad to say i have to sell this car with kids a have no time for it.

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  2011 Dodge Durango with bad steering - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By jimbo179 - March 5 - 8:53 pm

  Bought a 2011 Durango Express AWD. From the day we got it, the steering was loose and pulled to the left. Brought it to the dealer we bought it from, they said it was fine. Brought it to another Dodge dealer that said the car may have been used for parts to fix another vehicle and the parts werent replaced correctly. They said the alignment was off by 5 degrees. Now the car still has loose steering and now pulls to the right. When going over small bumps, the steering wheel will actually jerk to the right. Three times at the second dealer, they say thats how the car drives. They rotated the tires, double-checked the alignment, balanced the tires was fine. Still have the same problem.