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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  Complete Lemon - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By preevyet - August 23 - 2:00 am

  Have had an oil leak problem fixed 3 times, but of course not the same problem. Still leaks, have learned to just put oil into it occassionally, cheaper than a third repair. Too much invested to sell, will keep until it completely dies (which should be soon). Also had the timing belt go out, power steering pump die, turn signal fail now twice. O2 Sensor has failed a third time, for a total repairs cost over 5 years of about $1,400.

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  Former Mopar Lover - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By cobraarvey - August 22 - 2:00 am

  Was a big Mopar lover until the mid 80s until quality dropped dramatically. Then I went to Ford. But I always held some allegiance to Chrysler products and even own a 74 Duster 360 with 40,00 miles that I have had since new. Decided to give Mopar a try again with the 2000 Durango R/T. Wrong move!!! In the shop several times a year, and basically a piece of junk. Has had a head gasket replaced, fan clutch, catalytic converter, ignition wires, etc, all with less than 50,000 miles. Has died on the road on two occasions so far, and had to be towed while my family was on trips. Meanwhile my 93 Ford Explorer went to 70,000 miles without a hitch.

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  had enough - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By Rhet1 - August 19 - 2:00 am

  The truck is decent until it hits 20k miles, then it all goes to hell. Transmission is horrible ( been replaced twice ) the build quality is horrific. It rattles and pings at any speed above 30 mph. We made the mistake of buying 6 for our fleet and will be getting rid of them asap. Do yourself a favor and look into something else!

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  Great value; still things to be desired - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By tam20815 - August 18 - 10:06 pm

  The 5.7 liter, hemi V8, 2006 Dodge Charger is well worth the asking price. Hands down, it is a great value. There is certainly no lack for power here, as the 340 horsepower hemi definetly packs a punch. In addition, the sleek and stylish design make this sedan the sexiest on the market. That being said, there is still more to be desired from the new Charger. For one, the steering is very responsive and overly light and sensitive. In addition, there is very little visibility in the new Charger. Overall, this car is great for the asking price, as the positive features out weight the negative by far. I love this new vehicle and have no regrets.

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  good so far - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By biggj - August 18 - 2:00 am

  brought slt so far no problem, enjoy driving, very bad on gas, rear air dont cool like i would like. very good on the hwy

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  Engine & Sensor PROBLEMS - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By Brenp - August 14 - 2:00 am

  I was very happy with my car UNTIL I had to start replacing sensors and now my engine is gone. It seems that Ive taken to this car to have something repaired way to often! I have 85,000 on the car and have been told by several mechanics that they have heard of many problems with this engine and was suprised that my engine hadnt gone before now.

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  Looks great, but... - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By JT - August 11 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car because I had read good reviews about it, and for the price I paid, I got a lot of car. It is very fun to drive, with the 3.5L engine, there is plenty of juice in the pedal. The car is very roomy, and the styling is great. But once that novelty wore off, I found a car riddled with expensive issues such as porr tranny, front end issues, a/c evap coils that cost almost $1g to fix... the list goes on and on. Now I know that I got WAY more than I bargained for. The car is a ticking bomb.

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  Should have been Recalled - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By feqmxa - August 8 - 2:00 am

  Bought it new. Had $8500 of body damage 2 weeks after I bought it. Insurance fixed it(should have totalled it). Head cover gasket started leaking oil around 65000 miles. Had it replaced at $600. Started leaking again around 80000 miles. Then head gasket blew. Donated it to charity.

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  2000 Neon - 2000 Dodge Neon
  By kes - August 8 - 2:00 am

  it rides comfortably with good lumbar support and with a fairly comfortable backseat ride. Problems are the front seat space if you are very small people its fine but if you are on the large side you are constatnly bumping shoulders. The bars between the doors and windshiled cause a blind spot and are hazardous. Interior front and back windows are difficult to clean. Gas mileage for city driving is about 12 miles to the gallon but highway goes up to about 35. Mopar products are not dependable as in 3 batteries in 3 years. Minimal amounts of moisture in the air will cause the brakes to squeal, another Mopar product. Poor weatherstriping

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  good vehicle but could be much better - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Rob Wayne - August 6 - 10:00 am

  goodyear tires wear out real fast and you dont even have to abuse them....recommend investing in a better tire other than the goodyears.