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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  Great Van - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By Lady - September 24 - 2:00 am

  Cool looking sports van Drives really nice

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  Mopar - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By Bonehead - September 24 - 2:00 am

  Prior Caravan owner. Feel the 3.3 engine is the most proven and reliable. The SXT package is awsome. Only Fault Chrysler has in its interior design is the column shift when in drive is right in the way of the Stereo volume control.

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  THE BEST !!!!!!! - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By TYNESHA - September 24 - 2:00 am

  I RECENTLY PURCHASED A DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SPORT, AND I LOVE IT TO DEATH. MY KIDS LOVE IT ALSO. I HAVE THREE BOYS, AND THE TV/DVD PLAYER IS EXCELLENT! THE PERFORMANCE OF THE VAN IS GREAT ALSO. I THOUGHT I WOULD LOOK OLDER DRIVING THE VAN, BUT IT IS NICE AND SPORTY. I STILL FEEL YOUNG. MY HUSBAND LOVES TO DRIVE IT ALSO. WE ALMOST FIGHT ABOUT WHO IS GOING TO DRIVE.

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  blown crankshaft at 200 miles new - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By D.Brown - September 24 - 2:00 am

  our van blew a crankshaft after 200 miles, hadnt even made the first payment. the dealership we purchased the car from Accardi Dodge, totally ingored my calls and correspondence. The car was towed to another dealership (Arrigo Dodge West Palm Beach, FL) who contacted the factory rep to get us a new engine. We were never offered a loaner car, our car was out of service for a week. I am totally dissatisfied with the dealer we purchased the car from and will never buy another car there.

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  One of the Worst Vehicles I Have Owned - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By GreenPower - September 24 - 2:00 am

  This joke of a SUV averages 10 mpg around town, on the highway maybe 14 mpg. It has a variety of odd squeaks and assorted noises that the dealer cannot find and repair. My wife drives this vehicle around town, never offroad - the rear leaf springs snapped, which cost close to $1000.00 to replace. A power window sensor malfunctioned preventing the window from operating - $300.00 to repair. The power mirrors are now malfunctioning. The transmission is slipping. Overall this vehicle sucks - Ill never buy another Chrysler product.

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  Could be better - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By kjfitzia - September 24 - 2:00 am

  I had a 1997 Dakota Club Cab - should have stuck with it, but wanted the four door. Initial quality low - bad leaf springs, paint missing inside doors. Std Detroit trick of cheaping parts and removing options to keep price in line. SLT+ pkg in 97 came with alarm system, same pkg in 2000 didnt. Did have prb. with limited-slip - fixed under warranty, hasnt come back. Warped rotors at 10k, was told to expect further problems due to poor airflow.

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  Better then any other Ive driven - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By Melisa - September 24 - 2:00 am

  I went from a Brand new Rodeo (was a lemon) to the Durango. It is the best vehicle I have ever driven. The space and how it drives are the key componests to what I like to much about it. Not to mention that it is a very good looking vehicle. I reccomend this vehicle to anyone that I can. However. It will be going away soon (I may cry). The cost of fueling is just to high. I drive a lot and have to fill up 2 times a week sometimes. 25 gallon tank... do the math.

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  Its been a good van - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By John - September 23 - 4:33 am

  Bought this van in late summer 2006; it had 99,000 miles on it when I got it. (Ive been buying high-mileage cars for about 10 years, with minimal problems.) This is a very comfortable van; noticeably more comfortable than our 99 SE. Problems since purchasing: new AC compressor - worked fine when I bought it, conked out a month later; new regulators for both front windows; I replaced the power steering reservoir to eliminate the cold weather noise thats characteristic of this vintage Chrysler van; had some seals replaced to eliminate engine leaks. The only one of those repairs that I was surprised at was the AC compressor. After all, a lot of wear happens in 99,000 miles.

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  Dodge sucks... - 1997 Dodge Caravan
  By G-manxwa - September 23 - 2:00 am

  This is my first American vehicle...and it will be the lost one too. Got patriotic and bought this, but it hurt me more than anything. It is not reliable at all. I had to change the serpentine belt atleast 3 times (after it givingup in the middle of the road during our road trip), had to change power steering pump (during our roadtrip), had to change waterpump twice and now the dealer wants me to spend another $1000 dollars to check the service engine soon alarm light. It is about time to take the loss and dump this junk. You may save a couple of thousand dollars when you buy new...but you wont be able to get the peace of mind while driving.

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  great - 2003 Dodge Viper
  By fm - September 23 - 2:00 am

  its hot hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiii iiii iiiiii iiii i i i i i i i i i i i ii ii