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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  Decided to buy American - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By Mark Gonzalez - February 17 - 9:27 pm

  I owned a Toyota Corolla for the past 7 years and decided to buy American. Thought Id go with a mini Charger muscle car and purchased the Avenger R/T. Goes like stink but the payoff is frequent stops at the pump. 6 speed auto stick should have been better engineered with a 5 speed. The interior comfort could be better as well as the quality and construction of materials, read cheap. Lots of great features though. Awesome sound system, creature comforts galore, powerful engine and lots of compliments from casual observers. Chrysler has something here, if they would just finish it off with a better interior grade of materials. Fun to drive. Id give it an 8.

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  Tie Rod, Engine light, lighting bolt - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By jud - February 16 - 6:54 am

  Well it is a nice car to drive but has spent a lot of time with issues. for example three times the Bluetooth had to be fixed still not working, tires have to be replaced every year, engine light on continually even after it has been fixed the light shines again within a couple of days, lighting bolt light that tells you to heat the car up when the temp outside is below a certain degree comes on in the middle of the summer when it is 25 celcius outside and if you do not let it warm up the car will not run properly (near got in an accident a few times the engine cuts out- no power) we have had this looked at but it continues to be an issue now the tie rod ends are gone again. We got a bad one.

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  A problematic vehicle - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Canada Dry - February 14 - 7:00 am

  Having purchaed a 1993 Dodge Caravan that gave us 8 years of trouble free service we did not hesitate to get a new one in 2001. However, while very comfortable it has proved to be a mechanically poor buy. We have purchased a new alternator, many rotors, the A/C is gone, and it now needs a new transmission, water pump, and a number of other more minor repairs. I would not recommend this vehicle I am sorry to say.

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  Its an OK van - 1995 Dodge Caravan
  By naimskyline - February 13 - 11:51 pm

  This car has been in my family for like 9 years and it was passed on to me as my first car until I graduate high school. Its a mostly reliable vehicle the only issue is the paint on the roof peeling in large pieces and I remember when I was 12 my dad had the transmission rebuilt after it failed. When I started to drive it my horn and wipers failed and had it replaced. In spite of the problems this car has had in the past its actually pretty dependable and Im sure it can go another 75k to 100k miles with 120k on the odometer without a major powertrain break down.

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  OK then Died at 115K - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By Goser - February 8 - 11:47 am

  I gambled when I bought this car. My brother works for Chrysler so I thought that I would keep him employed. Frequent brake replacements, Car ok til 70K major repairs= $2500 Luckily I had 7 year 100K drivetrain warranty. This year the engine over heated cost me 2K,(mistake) then the engine blew about 2 months later. Figured tranny next so I junked it. If I would have bought Toyota it would have still been running and worth money. DONT buy a used one unless you have a death wish!

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  Great SUV, but - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Bobby - February 7 - 6:06 am

  Have about 1000 on my machine so far and all the pieces are still together. Gas mileage about what I expected, 28mpg highway. Dont know just why some duck put 19in. rims on this thing but here in northern N.B. most of us have extra wheels with snow tires. No one has 19 in. snow tires (scared to ask how much). Base wheels are 16 in. and would be OK except cant get them, sold out so far. Comfortable and quietest Dodge Ive owned so far.

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  2005 SRT-4 - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By MoparSRT-4Life - February 4 - 10:59 am

  I have always wanted a turbo-charges street legal car, and Im a big Mopar fan, so why not. I bought an ACR Srt-4 Orange blast Neon. I have been researching them since they came on to the car scene in 2003, Couldnt get my hands on an ACR because only a limited amount of them where made in 2005. But finally found one, and got a great deal for the performance I got! All I can say mainly about this car is that ultimately if youre looking for something with power, and dont want to spend tons of money, buy an SRT-4. Dont let people fool you, its not just a Neon!

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  Great car, looks and drives great. - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By AJ - February 3 - 4:49 pm

  I just logged 22K on my Avenger and havent had any problems with it. I change my own oil, have the tires rotated and balanced and wash it every now and then. It really is a great car to drive, it doesnt have the power of the beefier 3.5L Avenger, but the 3.5l isnt getting the great gas mileage either. I consistently get about 27-29 Hwy/City per gallon. I can take a 5 hour trip (75MPH) and not have to stop for gas. The interior is a little "plastic", but its functional and has the beverage chiller to boot! I did not opt for the sport package they offered, but Ive seen others and it does add quite a bit of flair to exterior, it looks great as it sits though. Overall, its a great car.

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  Great Truck - 1996 Dodge Dakota
  By laxman84 - January 31 - 9:37 pm

  Awesome truck. Got it for an extremely low price five years ago. Has lasted 13 years of Wisconsin winters and only has a bit of rust under the passenger side door, which is quite an accomplishment. Made it to Colorado and back, and almost kept up with the Wranglers on the Jeep trails. Starts every time I need it to, no matter the temperature. Two weeks ago, -17, -15, -27, -2, and -19, and it started each morning. Little things have been going wrong, 4X4 light doesnt come on (but 4X4 stills works), cigarette lighter is busted, parking brake cable needs a replacement, and AC is out, but that is to be expected with a old truck. All in all, my next vehicle will be a Dakota

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  Likes and Dislikes - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Newvan318 - January 27 - 10:00 am

  Fun to drive confortable for the whole family good dependable travel vehicle, just needs more horses.