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 Value - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By Lukas - September 11 - 2:00 am

  I wanted a small sports sedan with ABS, 4-wheel disc brakes, 5-speed, good power and room for my family at a low price- Neon delivered. It has been surprisingly durable and the cost of ownership has been very low- just passed 100,000 miles with original clutch, shocks, head-gasket, etc. Brake pads lasted to 80,000 miles!

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  I Love My Dodge - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Zazzy - September 10 - 4:00 pm

  Ive only owed it for 3 months, but so far it is great. Fuel mileage is everything they say it is. I get slightly over 31 mpg. Its comfortable inside, and looks great outside. Because it has an excellent safety rating, the insurance costs are low. The rear seats fold back which gives me a huge amount of space for cargo. Stereo system is not bad either. If there is one thing that I do not like it would be that trying to check your blind spot on the drivers side is nearly impossible. I solved this with a blind spot mirror attached to the outside mirror. Other than that I am a very happy Dodge Caliber owner.

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  Very Happy with my Grand Caravan - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By augrpeters - September 10 - 3:31 am

  My van has 83000 miles on it and drives like new. Ive had NONE of the problems stated by other owners. My 3.8 pulls strong and still gets 25 MPG. Im only 18 and yes I get made fun of for driving a minivan but it just keeps going and refuses to let me down (Ive been hard on it.) My van has taken me places where it was never designed to go. The only problem I ever had with it was caused by water in the gas. It has never failed to start even on the coldest mornings. My friends all make fun of me for having a van but Im the only one who hasnt been stranded by a vehicle. I will keep my Grand Caravan until its almost paid off and I will upgrade to a new one. Chrysler got it right with this!

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  Never Again! - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By mrock - September 10 - 2:00 am

  Bought as a program car. Have 54K miles on it. Have had numerous mechanical problems. AC out @30K. Front right strut@40K. Left control arm bar@50K. AC and alternator belts@53K. Even the Dodge emblem fell off the front hood. Talk about junk. I tried to trade it in and the dealer would only offer me 2k for it. Talk about a joke. Ill never buy American again.

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  What will go wrong next?? CAE - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By MixedBag - September 10 - 2:00 am

  My Intrepid has 145K miles and the engine has been very reliable. It rides like it has 40K miles. But I am counting the days until I can sell or finish the payments. List of Problems a.Driver seat bolt broke. (Thankfully, I was not driving.) b.All power windows have stopped working. (No more drive-thru meals.) c.Speed sensor has malfunctioned 3 times. (Once during rush hour in Atlanta) e.Power seat assembly is broken.(Costs $1K to replace... why throw good money after bad???) Learn from my mistake:If you buy an Intrepid (any model) get a very good price, with a dependable warranty.

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  Good thing it has a warranty... - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By mikeclark103 - September 9 - 2:00 am

  The interior has plenty of room, its fairly comfortable, has decent speakers and cold a/c. My car is less than a year old, burns oil, has a rod kncoking in the motor, stalls after exiting freeway on occassion, rattles at idle. The grey dye used on the steering wheel has already worn off and the dashboard is chipping. The car is fun to drive, I use it mostly on the freeway. I will be offloading this car to a used car dealership as soon as I can afford a Toyota.

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  Dodge......delivers ! - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By CustomCab - September 9 - 2:00 am

  Weve had it for 30K miles and love the extra room and comfort of the big "D". Traded a Jeep Grand Cherokee in on it, so this Dodge had a heck of a reputation to live up to. Really like the aggresive looks of the Durango. And LOVE the sound of that 4.7 V-8 when I mash the pedal. Doesnt seem to be too bad on gas, given the weight of this thing and the engine. About 18 mpg on the hiway. Not as good as the Jeep, but we knew that up front.

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  98 Expresso, DOHC - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By DOak - September 8 - 2:00 am

  My Neon leaked oil like a sieve from after merely 5000 miles. Head gasket replaced under warranty at 49000 miles, and is ready for another head gasket again, with no warranty this time! I know of 20 year old cars with original headgaskets in their engines. This was to be my daughters car, but I dont trust it. As far as Im concerned, the car is really a pile of junk and has turned me off to any potential new vehicle purchase. I can do better buying a used vehicle someplace.

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  SO FAR SO GOOD ! - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By keck - September 8 - 2:00 am

  This is my first NEON , not my first chrysler product. I bought it for the price ( I work for D/C ) employee discount and all that . so far so good . it has 9500 mi only a loose door check I fixed it myself witha 10mm socket. it is getting about 34 mpg now , it has gotten better it was 31 when i first checked .

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  I love It - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By Rebecca S - September 8 - 2:00 am

  My 1998 Durango has 95,000 miles on it and still purrs like a kitten. I live in a very rural and mountainous region. Gets me anywhere I want to go. I love all of the interior room. Great for traveling but not on a daily errand basis. Not good gas mileage. At 70,000 miles repaired a window motor, air conditioning hose and valve. Other than tires and regular maintenance. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone who needs a powerful suv......