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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  Best Car Ive Ever Owned - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By safedrivertoo - March 2 - 10:35 am

  I was worried. I usually only own a Toyota or a Honda, but this car has been better than any Ive owned. I bought the 07 in 09 with 37K, and now have 103K, and Ive had almost nothing to fix. Just took it in for a tuneup because I hear some kind of rattling on a cold start-up, but they dont see any problems. This car is wonderful, and I live in Buffalo, which means a lot when you own a car.

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  Great SUV no problems at all. - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By captain_jim2 - March 1 - 5:12 pm

  I have had the Durango a little over 4 years. I have not had one single reason to bring it to the shop other than routine oil changes and the 60,000 mile service which I had done by my mechanic not the local Dodge dealer as Landers McCarty in Huntsville is totally dishonest. The options listed the ST with the 4.7 V8 as a 4x4 although mine is just rear wheel drive but they did not have that option. I felt it important to list the V8 since I can not speak for the reliability of the other engines. I also get 14-16 Mpg around town and at least 20 Mpg on trips. I would highly recommend this SUV.

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  Hidden Gem - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By blackwell2012 - February 28 - 11:10 pm

  I bought my Cali SXT with a 2.0 liter engine new in 2008. I read about pepole dogging the model, but let me tell you it handles great. Im a professional driver, and can attest to the cars nimble performance characteristics. I can routinely weave through 70 or 80 cars on a 23 mile early morning busy traffic run. The car is good off the line and mantains manuverability and tractionality at the 70 to 72 mile an hour range. Thats about as fast as anyone goes in traffic or highway crusing anyhow. The cabin is comfortable, the Sirius satellite radio sounds nice on the speakers, and you always feel in command.The doors make a nice thump sound when you close them. Well made for the money paid.

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  The little engine that couldnt - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By swells1225 - February 28 - 1:59 pm

  Well I wasnt in love with the caliber when I first got it but it started to grow on me. Then about a month into having my car the clutch and one other part went out over a month later I finally got it back from the dealership where I bought it. Now I am having major problems, ac turns its self on, dash lights go out, cruse control wont work, key fab stopped working (I replaced the battery), it doesnt start 2 out of every 5 times I get in it, it wont let me go above 4000 rpms anymore. Ive had problem after problem and have taken care of this car. Very very disappointed in this car! Those are just a few of the issue, and I cant get rid of it for another year!

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  Nothing else in this price range compares... - 2012 Dodge Charger
  By erad75 - February 27 - 8:51 pm

  I have about 10k on my 2012 Charger R/T Max. I cannot say enough good things about this vehicle. To the shock of many friends, I traded a 2009 Audi A4 Quattro for this vehicle. The build quality, ride quality, and owner experience are beyond what I expected. 2 years ago I would have never considered a Dodge above a German brand. Surprisingly, the highway mileage is quite good. I recently got 30 MPG on a road trip to NY. In the city Im looking at 19-21MPG. If youre in the market for a reliable, well-handling, large sedan, this car certainly deserves solid consideration and is the "last of the Mohicans" in terms of large, rear-drive, American sedans (short of the Chrysler 300).

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  Old but strong - 1994 Dodge Dakota
  By barobot - February 27 - 5:49 pm

  im 15 and this truck was my first car i bought it for 1500 on 11/12 with 156000 miles and counting. it has a pretty good sized rust hole in the passenger door and is kind of loud. the gas guage doesnt work and the paint is peeling on the roof but is no prob, this truck pulls like a fullsize truck and i average about 12 mpg in the city. it is faster than anything weve owned and is more roomy than our ranger or our old s10. i wouldnt get rid of it untill i die. if you are looking for a used truck for around 2500, this is what you should get! but dont get any of the second generation ones, there junk.

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  Different in a good way - 2011 Dodge Charger
  By bigsky_klx - February 27 - 11:57 am

  I wanted something stylish and good on gas to replace my Tahoe. Couldnt be happier with my decision. The car stands out from anything around it, love the bold looks. It does not look like everything else on the road. V6 is the best of both worlds, good mileage and good power. Putting gas in the Hemi would get old quick. The interior is fantastic, nice and comfy, with a lot of standard options. Does not feel like you are in a base model car. Visibility is great and there is tons of room, does not feel cramped. First Dodge I have ever owned and so far I am impressed.

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  Sporty and somewhat practical - 2011 Dodge Charger
  By a587789 - February 26 - 5:35 pm

  I previously owned a bmw 325i that I hated. So my expectations on this car were low. I took a 2k mile road trip in it and it worked better than the dealership promised. I absolutely love it. Great ride. Great gas mileage. Great acceleration and breaking. Plenty of room for everything. The only downside from it was that the Bluetooth and passive entry did not work. The passive entry was fixed by the dealer for free and the bluetooth unit is on back order. The dealer tells me that no one in the southeast has one available. I am tempted to visit the BMW manufacturing plant and do burnouts in the parking lot. Long Live Detroit!

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  Update from Joe from Amarillo - 2010 Dodge Challenger
  By slyandvi - February 25 - 5:18 pm

  After almost two years I still enjoy driving this car. I have aded many little things to make it my own. like new whiskers with S/E and Sequential lights, chrome the inside

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  Great Balance between muscle and every day driver. - 2011 Dodge Charger
  By xevilxdanx - February 23 - 4:19 pm

  I have put 9,000 miles on my car. I purchased the max package, which has a lot of great features from the sound system to the blind spot monitor. I only wish they installed vented seats for the summer time. The car has plenty of power for its size especially up hill. The AWD is great in the snow and shuts off above 40 degrees and only turns on when it is raining, manual mode is on, or the Traction Control is turned off. If you put the car on cruse control the car will get 25 miles to the gallon on the highway. The touch screen is extremely useful. It allows you to navigate your I-pod control the climate controls, see the 5 day forecast, and watch DVDs when parked.