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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  avenger - 1995 Dodge Avenger
  By mamagem - May 14 - 2:00 am

  Its a very good car. Its fun to drive it makes sense and is reliable.

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  Green Durango - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By Intellectual - May 14 - 2:00 am

  This truck has never given me any problem in the 5 years Ive owned it other that the battery dying in the middle of a deer hunt. Gas mileage is fairly typical of other SUV owners Ive talked to, and it is tolerable if you keep your foot out of it.

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  black stratus - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By redrpb - May 14 - 2:00 am

  Exactly what it is an affordable sporty car.

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  Dakotas a hit - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By dakotavol - May 14 - 2:00 am

  Second Dakota Ive owned, and Ill do it again, more than likely. This truck has the new 4.7 V-8, and although I hated to see the venerable 318 go away, the 4.7 is POWERFUL. Its got plenty of power to react quickly, even when pulling a boat, trailer, or other heavy load. Comfort is on a par with with most luxury cars, the ride is smoother than any truck Ive ever ridden.

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  mine - 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By bry521125 - May 13 - 10:00 am

  new tranny @50k much too soon! Rides very nice on highway and in city. Plenty of room for our family and for weekend trips.

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  Totally reliable, economical little car! - 1997 Dodge Neon
  By *~Kelli~* - May 13 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Neon new in April of 1997 and I have been more than pleased with it ever since! When it was new there was an issue with the transmission that was promptly replaced without any problems and ever since then, it has only been to the shop for scheduled maintenance (knock on wood). It gets SUPER gas mileage! Even today, it is still getting 39mpg hwy and 35mpg city consistently. For a 4cyl car it has alot of power and speed. We now have a Chrysler LHS to use for a luxurious family car, but my husband still drives the Neon daily with no trouble for his 150 mile round trip commute.

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  Good Little Car - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By chamb - May 13 - 2:00 am

  My wifed owned for 8 years (purchased new) and NEVER had any problems with this car. Althought this isnt the safetest car on the road today, it did hold up well on 5/12/03 when she was broadsided by a new Ford Windstar Van...thank God nobody was hurt !!! Now she wants another one...that says something for this little car.

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  Reaserched it ! Bought it! Happy with it - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By Dave - May 12 - 10:16 pm

  I had been driving a Ram Hemi, wanted to downsize a little but couldnt find any SUV values. The Nitro sticker price caused me to look further. I liked all of the standard features and 4x4. I decided on the base model and upgraded to include the 4x4 and tow package. The base sound system works exellent and the ride is comfortable. I am tall and have to lean a little to get in, but plenty of headroom once inside. Plenty of power from the 3.7 and plenty of room inside, with the seats folded down for a place to sleep while camping! I did plenty of research, and for the money, I found nothing to compare. I have not experienced any of the problems described by others. Very happy!

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  Gotta Hemi - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Dude got a Hemi - May 12 - 6:06 pm

  Wow, steering took a little bit of getting used to. It is very precise. Where you point is where it follows. Does not drive like a big wagon, inspires you to take curves quickly. Feels like a car that cost 20,000 more.

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  Owned 2 so far. - 1994 Dodge Shadow
  By Shaner - May 12 - 2:00 am

  I have owned 2 of these (actually 1 Shadow and 1 Duster). My wifes Shadow has been one of the best cars Ive owned. It has been a good, reliable car. It has 150,000 miles, the last 20k have been all short trips. It is still running great. Only major repair was the head gasket (which Im told is normal at 140k), other stuff has been general maintenance (brakes, battery, etc). My 94 Duster had some problems, but I bought that w/ 100k on it. Who knows who had it before??? I think it only goes to show that if you take care of car, itll last.