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 big paperweight - 1997 Dodge Neon
  By mscotti - July 6 - 2:00 am

  great purchase.. at first. now, just 3 years later engine has seized and i am stuck with a worthless vehicle and 1 year of payments to go. had problems right from start ranging from altenator to battery connections. ending with a seized engine @ 86,000 miles. would not recommend this car AT ALL. older models have shown to be very problematic (head gaskets, engines). not worth anything in resale value.

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  2003 sxt 4wd - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By goodyear 1 - July 6 - 2:00 am

  Love the truck wish it had a few more options. Best buy for the money.

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  PictureX - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By wheel72 - July 4 - 6:36 am

  Good vision from front seats. Easy to maintain, through out. Handling is fun and easy to manouver. Front wheels tend to slip easy on wet pavement, especially on move out from stop. I put special traction tires on front that helps sliping a lot. 3rd row seats are uncomfortable for long rides, tilt back excessive. Smooth shifting. storage space is good.

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  1993 Dodge Dakota - 1993 Dodge Dakota
  By Hugh319 - July 4 - 2:00 am

  My Dakota is a 4x4 extended cab with a locking shell over the bed. It is the 3.9L V6 and 5 Spd manual tranny. I have used it as a work truck for my Handyman business and as a 4x4 to explore reasonably tough 12 to 13000 Rocky Mountain 4 wheel drive passes. We have also used it to pull a 1500 lb poptop camping trailer over 7000 miles. That was a breeze! It has also been used in the business to pull heavily laden utility trailers. I once pulled our 3600 lb travel trailer for about a hundred miles to get it repaired. That was about 120% of what it could do well. that means that we were down to 2nd gear on a 3 mile 7% grade at about 25 MPH... Not fun...

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  I love this car! - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By Lotsa Miles - July 4 - 2:00 am

  I bought the ES model with all the vailable options in May of 2000. I drive about 80 to 100 miles a day, so I wanted reliability and comfort, but I still wanted sporty styling and handling. The Interpid has been perfect for over 90,000 miles. I have had no mechanical problems, the interior materials have held up well and the car remains comfortable and fun to drive. It still looks like new and drives great!

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  Long Term Owner - 1991 Dodge Spirit
  By JohnQ - July 3 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car in 1991 and have driven it for over 12 years. Repairs have been been minor and very few. Maintenance is easy to do myself and the parts are standard and not expensive. This is without a doubt the most reliable car I have ever owned, and has certainly been a good value. I keep thinking that I will trade it in when it dies but it just keeps on running great. I can still do 75 mph on the highway and it still gets 24 mpg driving around town.

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  Disappointed - 1997 Dodge Caravan
  By Disappointed in SD - July 3 - 2:00 am

  Within 2 years things just started to go wrong: wind noise in the drivers side, which after many attempts it is still not fixed. The wipers go on without anyone touching anything (like there is a ghost). Same thing with the cruise control. The latest is a gas leakeage in the a/c system that will cost $1,200 to fix. Its been one problem after the other. I will never again purchase a Dodge product. To add insult to injury even though I had tried to get the wind noise repaired at the dealer many times during the warranty period and they were not able to fix it, once the warranty expired Dodge pretty much said it was out of their hands!

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  very nice car - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By earl - July 2 - 3:23 am

  i got this vehicle in oct.o7 i have own close to 30 cars all types and this car is very good it is 2.0 some say they are slow not this one i get about 32 miles to a gal.hwy 26 city this is a grate car and with only 12000 miles and 12 more payments iam hook /// iam keeping this car tell the wheels fall off Csmile) people should check this one out they will be surprise. almost forgot and for those who has one go to a kn air filter

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  Dont buy a neon - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By redcurls417 - July 2 - 2:00 am

  My maintenence log has become a novel for my 96 Dodge Neon. --original paint has peeled off --air conditioner broke 5 times in first 3 years --engine belt shreaded first week of ownership --hole in gas tank and oil leak in past year --gas mileage has gone down considerably in the past year

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  Dont buy it - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By Thom Bollinger - July 1 - 2:00 am

  Spent much in repairs: head gasket, EGR valve, radio works from time to time, heater cuts off after half hour of use, door windows not secure in door and are now scratched, seat stitching separated after two years.