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:

• 

  Neon brakes are terrible - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By MacDaddy - July 22 - 2:00 am

  Wifes car. Decent car in all aspects except brakes. Loudest I have ever heard. You have to wear earplugs when driving it, expecially in the rain. Dodge has said this is normal and nothing can be done about the brake noise. I cant believe that. Im not very happy w/ the sales department that sold me the car. They should have pointed that out in the first place. The Dodge service department was no help either. Bottom line for us is, no more Dodge products. Sad to say since I love the new Rams, but I wont go through this again. If anyone has any suggestions or has dealt w/ this problem, please offer me some advice. Thanks!!

• 

  A Definite Dodge RT Woman - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By RTLover - July 22 - 2:00 am

  This is my 2nd Dodge Durango. My first was a 99 4WD that I thought was great until I purchased a 2002 R/T. The AWD is wonderful in bad weather. I have never purchased the same vehicle twice - but I can see a 3rd R/T in the future. Love the Handling and lot of room. The chrome wheels are a nice addition!!

• 

  Great Ride - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By Do Rango - July 22 - 2:00 am

  Owned 2 Expeditions before the Durango and wouldnt take either one back. Great ride, handeling and performance. I love this truck!

• 

  durago slt 4wd 03 - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By david bentley - July 22 - 2:00 am

  I travel nationwide with my durango. In Boston, Ma. snow storm with the 4 wheel drive worked very well. I put a air raid system on and getting 17 highway 13.5 city.On the downsideI have had to turn my rotors twice now and they still sqeak.

• 

  Works well - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By North of 49 - July 21 - 10:00 am

  Have owned this Dodge Grand since new. Has worked great. Very few problems. If used for city driving can be hard on front brakes, check them often. Have serviced the trans regularly, and had no difficulty.

• 

  Our first van - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By SFR - July 21 - 10:00 am

  We are very happy with our new van. It is as comfortable to ride in as our Buick LaSabre. We LOVE the stow n go features. I highly recommend this van. We have never bought a new vehicle before but when we saw all the wonderful options, we knew we couldnt settle for less than this make and model.

• 

  Still fast after all these years! - 1990 Dodge Daytona
  By WTtech2 - July 21 - 2:00 am

  Fun to drive. A real value for the money. Still stylish after 14 yrs. At the track, this car did the 1/4 mile in 12.97 seconds @ 107.31 MPH!

• 

  wish i opted for the extended warrenty - 1996 Dodge Dakota
  By joshua - July 21 - 2:00 am

  i own a 96 dakota club cab slt with 3.9l v6 auto 90k miles.reliability is its biggest shortcomming.the transmission went out at 30k fixed under warenty,and has never really shifted smoothly.other problems include the a.c.,water pump leak,plenium gasket leak, alternator, dash lights,fuel gage. the v6 feels underpowered i would recommend the v8. on the plus side it is larger then it competitors, and averages a respectable 16mpg in mixed driving.

• 

  GM sounds really good..... - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By stacy29 - July 21 - 2:00 am

  Started out as a great car with 24k. I now have to replace the rack and pinion, sway bar links, and struts. I have excessive tire wear on the front passenger side. Quote from dealership for the rack is $1200. This is, by far, the worst car I have ever owned. I come from a Dodge family, Chrysler would have to do a serious overhaul of its engineering dept. before I buy another.

• 

  Dodge Avenger Advocate - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By becca - July 21 - 12:00 am

  My dad just recently purchased my avenger for me as a first car. I love to drive it. Its so comfortable and has great power to be a four cylinder. The features are great. The avenger has a mini fridge option in the dash. I have it and it is operational. I love this car! It has great steering and its economical too. If you are looking for a small, economical, but comfortable car the Dodge avenger would be a great consideration!