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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  A good value - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By Mr.Blue - August 25 - 2:00 am

  2003 SXT. Great value for the $$. My last one (1984 Voyager) went 184,000 trouble free miles.

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  Not so good - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By madmamma - August 25 - 2:00 am

  I put a lot of milage on my Durango each year but thats no excuse for it to just rattle apart. In the last 6 months it has spent more time in the shop then on the road.

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  Roomy car with pep. - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By Tall Guy, tall kids - August 24 - 2:00 am

  Smooth riding, with lots of pep. Very roomy in front, back, & trunk. Great visibility. Very reliable. No disappointments. The only thing to fail in 7 years is an ABS sensor on a rear wheel, although the radio buttons have become erratic while still being useful.

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  LOVE MY CAR - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By wholesaledad - August 24 - 2:00 am

  Love to drive this car, it is without a doubt a 4 door sports car, dual overhead cam fuel injected 4 banger really runs GOOD!

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  Walker Review - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By ACW03 - August 24 - 2:00 am

  Over All very good.

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  love it - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By moose2 - August 24 - 2:00 am

  This is my second durango love the vehicle for the most part,had to many brake problems.froze up in winter time,never had my ford truck brakes freeze before!Gas milage should be able to be improved.

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  Complete Lemon - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By preevyet - August 23 - 2:00 am

  Have had an oil leak problem fixed 3 times, but of course not the same problem. Still leaks, have learned to just put oil into it occassionally, cheaper than a third repair. Too much invested to sell, will keep until it completely dies (which should be soon). Also had the timing belt go out, power steering pump die, turn signal fail now twice. O2 Sensor has failed a third time, for a total repairs cost over 5 years of about $1,400.

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  Buyer beware - 1996 Dodge Caravan
  By Robert Dennington - August 23 - 2:00 am

  The car has been trouble from the beginning. Chryler couldnt fix the problems while it was under warranty and now since it is out of warranty the problems keep growing.

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  GREAT TO DRIVE - 1999 Dodge Caravan
  By DRIVE ME ALL OVER - August 23 - 2:00 am

  GREAT I PURCHASED THIS SPORT MINI NEW . MY FAMILY & I HAVE LOVE TO DRIVE THIS VAN FROM DAY ONE . WE HAVE BEEN TO ORLANDO FLORIDA IN IT 3 TIMES AND PLANNING TO GO AGAIN . FOR THE 4TH TIME NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT . WE ARE A FAMILY OF 6 WE ALSO HAVE A M BENZ BUT LOVE TO DRIVE OUR WHITE SPORT MINI VAN FULLY LOADED WE WILL BUY AND OTHER DODGE MINI SOMEDAY . THINKING OF SELL THE M- BENZ TO BUY AN OTHER DODGE MINI. BUT I WILL NEVER BUY FROM OASIS DODGE. OLDBRIGE NEW JERSEY THERE SALES DEPT IS VERY BAD . SALES PEOLPE ARE VERY RUDE.

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  Id buy another one! - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Ron Irwin - August 23 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Grand Caravan ES AWD by ordering it from the factory. Its really cool seeing the "This car built especially for ..." on the sticker. After 131,000 mostly repair-free miles, Im sold on this cars extremely comfortable long-haul ride. I was going to buy an Explorer, but am very satisfied with the vans much better ride and handling. The all-wheel drive is a must for high country driving on ice and snow, as long as youve got the studded snow tire traction. Ill buy another one, but not until I hit 200,000 miles with this one, hopefully!