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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  Dakota Sport - 1996 Dodge Dakota
  By mopar guy - April 17 - 2:00 am

  2.5 ltr 5spd Great truck, no special repairs other than regular wear/tear, first 5 yrs of ownership cost $600 for repairs, not bad!! Easy to work on with 2.5 and no a/c, you can stand in the engine compartment to work on it.

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  SATISFIED - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By JIM - April 17 - 2:00 am

  I got this van for 13,999. I plan to drive it to work everyday. Its been great and the dealer was great too.

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  SATISFIED - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By Jim - April 17 - 2:00 am

  I got this van for 13,999. I plan to drive it to work everyday. Its been great and the dealer was great too.

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  Hot Dodge - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By Coronet 73 - April 17 - 2:00 am

  This is it! The only way to travel in style and performance. the Durango came out and the auto industry blinked and gasped for air and said oh sh*t we need something like that. It is what all suvs should be like. Hand down the sweetest SUV out there!

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  First time truck owner - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By Kelly Jones - April 17 - 2:00 am

  This truck handles really well. The ride initially is not great, you feel all of the bumps and grooves in the roadway. Over time, this seems to have smoothed out a bit. Interior is very comfortable and roomy in my model (bucket seats, club cab). Gas mileage is around 17-18 city, 19-21 hwy.

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  big mistake - 1997 Dodge Stratus
  By matt - April 16 - 2:00 am

  the more people i come across the more i see the same problems with this car head gasket front end parts and the head i have spent over 3500 just to keep it running the first year and a half i had it and i did find out other people had the same problem

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  The Poor Mans Viper - 1997 Dodge Avenger
  By OakleyJohn - April 16 - 2:00 am

  This is a wonderful car. I bought it with 73,000 miles on it. I have at it for over 6 months now and it is a great car. The Avenger seems to get a bad rap, only because there were some major flaws in the ES V6, but the STD 4 CYL runs great. Turning ratio is a bit annoying, but hey a small price to pay for such a low maintainence car that packs a wallop! Overall the Avenger is a great car, if you buy the STD 4 CYL.

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  viper - 2003 Dodge Viper
  By dart7772 - April 16 - 2:00 am

  this is by far the best car that ever exists. i love the new style and i recomend this car to anyone that wants a real modern american muscle c

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  worst van - 1999 Dodge Caravan
  By wtreq - April 16 - 2:00 am

  quality suck spend over 2000 in repairs not sefty you dont have to hold break pedal when start to drive delership service worst in the world and for $71.00 an hour they was willing to start a guessing game

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  I love it!!! - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By smitty - April 16 - 2:00 am

  I relly enjoyed my Intrepid. It handled well and had a lot of interior space. Had lots of problems with the windows not working. I had to get the motors changed on all 4 doors and a couple of them twice. Other than that really no problems. It rides smooth and handles well. My Intrepid was totaled in a wreck (by a Camry). My wife was well protected when this car ran the light and hit her just in front of the drivers side front tire. It passed a great crash test.