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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  NOT happy - 1995 Dodge Stratus
  By NOT happy - March 21 - 2:00 am

  Nothing but problems since the purchase date. The thing can eat brakes more than anything, crap transmission, and who thought to put the battery under the fender? Looks great, runs horribly.

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  Keep looking - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By jim - March 20 - 4:23 am

  Our 2005 Grand Caravan sxt has had to have the air conditioning repaired. We also had to have new plugs and wires and the software upgraded on the computer. It also has a whine around 50 miles per hour.(Dealer has heard noise, design flaw, no fix as of yet) I am very unhappy with this van, we bought a new van, not a used one. This van has been in the shop more than our 96 Ford Windstar was in 9 years.

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  3000 Miles in a Hemi AT - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Larry - March 20 - 3:26 am

  We have had our Magnum about two months now...no problems...gas mileage is improving...to 20mpg highway at 75 if I stay off the Hemi... :) Our only concern is an occasional popping sound in the sunroof when the vehicle body torques. Awesome in a blizzard, better traction and control than my 4 wheel drive truck. The steering is different than any other vehicle we have had, doesnt seem to pull in either direction..just a little more pressure required than usual to steer. Could be because its an AWD. Been waiting for a "stop light jockey" to take me on but they all seem to look over, see the word Hemi on the fender and then pretend to be model drivers... :) Love the car!

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  Dodge Caravan Transmission Warning - 1993 Dodge Caravan
  By EW - March 20 - 2:00 am

  This was the first of two Dodge Caravan purchases. The 1993 has 192,000 miles and the 1996 has 152,000 miles. Both have the 3.0 engine. In both vehicles, the engines are extraordinarily reliable with VERY FEW repairs. On the other hand, both have needed transmissions within 70,000 miles and each van has had three transmissions (two replacements each). Neither vehicle was used in towing or hill climbing nor have they been overloaded. Both were used for daily commuting on the FLAT Chicago area roadways. If it werent for the poor transmission quality, these would be outstanding vehicles.

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  Nice Design, low quality - 2000 Dodge Neon
  By metamatrix - March 20 - 2:00 am

  This car drives nice, has excellent gas mileage, is very roomy, and has good handling and decent acceleration for an economy car. The downside is quality. Everything rusts very quickly, I have already fixed the front brakes once, the rear drums twice, and several minor things have gone wrong. Although it has never broke down and always starts, I dont have confidence in this car after 3 years and 24k miles.

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  2004 Dodge Grand Caravan XLT - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By mrsvito - March 19 - 2:00 am

  Love my van but it does eat gas! Only complaint is having to remove rear seats instead folding them down as in the Japanese vans. Rides great and the kids love it!

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  Great Job Dodge!! - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By pastorkdc - March 19 - 2:00 am

  I love the new styling, this is our second Dodge Grand Caravan (previously owned 1994). The DVD is great for long trips with the kids. This vehicle drives more like a car than any mini- van we have driven.

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  My Reivew - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By frozensis - March 19 - 2:00 am

  We love our van! Its the vehicle of choice for us to take whenever we go somewhere. And both of our vehicles can hold all of us.

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  Super! - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By tamklo - March 19 - 2:00 am

  Very nice vehicle, good quality for the money, lots of attention to features makes this van above the others. No whimpy clink shut doors or whimpy horns on this vehicle. Its solid! Excellent excelleration with the 3.8ltr. Good control in winter conditions. Very comfortable, underline very! Lots of room!

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  New Chrysler Minivan - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By cathi - March 19 - 2:00 am

  Love everything about it...Chrysler built a minivan that has exceeded my expectations.