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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  Happy so far - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By A12BEE - May 27 - 2:00 am

  Just picked up my new quad cab SLT plus. 4.7L,5 speed,buckets,leather wrap wheel and bed liner. Very pleased so far, ride is excellent and engine performance is very good. As with everyone else I have noticed the gas gauge is very responsive in the downward direction. Love the color,Patriot Blue. Did add some Huskey mud flaps this weekend as I could see they are pretty much required if you plan on keeping the paint looking good.

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  ShakeRattleandRoll - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By grandeheadache - May 26 - 7:36 am

  Major repairs starting at 5.5 years and 98k miles is not acceptable. AC died. Front tie rod issues. Constant rattling on every bump - service dept. never finds an issue. Serpentine belt never wanted to be a part of the vehicle. I cant believe how quickly it rusted! Have been driving Fords too, and havent seen that. We had enough.

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  Stratus ES - 1997 Dodge Stratus
  By pitt1991 - May 26 - 2:00 am

  The vehicle has been great. No major problems. Needs more head room and better location for cup holders.

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  the truck that still looks like a truck - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By veirpiecrs - May 26 - 2:00 am

  nothing but fun to drive.

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  Great Car! - 2001 Dodge Neon
  By Shenny - May 25 - 2:00 am

  A great buy! Last day of the month, and I bought the car brand new for $8K. Ive had two problems. One was with the steering column clicking, which the dealership fixed by replacing the steering column free of charge. The other is the sound the brakes make when wet (and I knew that was an issue).

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  Impressed - 2003 Dodge Intrepid
  By MyfirstDodge - May 25 - 2:00 am

  For my first dodge it rides well and handles quite nicely. The design is really good also.

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  Decent Car - 1994 Dodge Intrepid
  By manforallseasons - May 24 - 2:00 am

  Purchased new in 94, have put over 110,000 miles and still running well. Only major problems: (a) 3 evaporator coil failings in first 5 years - however, dodge/dealer handled these well (at no charge) and have not had the problem in last 4 years and (b) major PCM (main computer) problem that dealer repaired without charge despite being beyond warranty. Engine and tranny have been great - key is to service tranny on schedule at mopar dealer. Even after 9 years, still get compliments on how good the car looks.

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  Attention Grabber 4 Sure - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By rtlady - May 24 - 2:00 am

  Have had my car 2 years today and it still turns heads. If you love attention, this is definitely the car for you! Paint finish is awesome - still looks like a new car.

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  Should have bought the big warranty! - 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By TimfromCA - May 23 - 3:16 pm

  Loved the new van at first - until the first transmission went (at only 50k miles). The replacement trans was bad before it even left service! Had probs with sqeaky seats, noisy struts, computer went out at 110k - and the brakes... Brakes dont have nearly enough stopping pwr due (I guess) to poor design. Went thru at least 7 pad changes and 3 sets of rotors in 135k. Lastly, the paint clear coat started disintegrating last year - apparently I wasnt the only one to experience this, just take a close look at the late 90s Green models and Im sure youll see what I mean.

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  great off road truck - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By johnny69 - May 23 - 2:00 am

  so far so good 14000 miles no problem.Brakes are starting to show ware.