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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  Renewed Confidence - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By FR8TRAIN - March 15 - 2:00 am

  I puchased this vehicle with 25,000 miles on the odo as a previous rental. The 3.5l engine is a delight to drive with plenty of torque on hand without unnecessary downshifting. The car handles much better than its size would imply and out on the highway its a cruising machine! The body feels very solid with no perceived twist or flex. No squeeks or rattles. I average between 21 and 24 mpg in mixed rural driving and fully expect I could get 26+ mpg on the open road. Leather seats nicer than I expected. Love the automatic climate control.

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  Jorney handles tough list of requirements - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By David Dewey - March 15 - 12:36 am

  I wanted 7 passengers capacity with high mpg. This car is a great answer to that problem.

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  In shop more often then on the road - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By cleatus - March 14 - 2:00 am

  This truck is great when it is running, unfortuntly, that is not too often. With less then 20k it needed a steering rack. About 30 k came the 1st set of rotors,at 81k now its on its 3rd set. water pump and catalytic coverter have also had to be replaced.I now have an ABS and brake light lit up indicating ABS failure and have found out the toque converter in the transmission is bad. This truck is less then 5 years old and has 81000 miles. too many problems for a vehical of this age...

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  Watch out for power steering problems - 1997 Dodge Intrepid
  By johng - March 14 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car used with about 60,000 miles on it. I LOVED the car but never expected to have to suddenly replace the entire steering system for $1,600. Still love the car and it gets great gas mileage despite the optional 24 valve 3.5 liter engine. Im getting 23 or 24 mph on the highway. POTENTIAL BUYERS: this car is reportedly notorious for power steering going out and taking rack & pinion unit with it. Mine went out at 70,000 miles, and my freind with a 1998 Intrepid had EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE, costing him about $1,600. The power steering seems to be undersized or something, but is great in every other way.

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  Intrepid ES is Very Reliable - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By Matt42 - March 12 - 2:00 am

  Great handling. Easy to control just like a smaller car. 40000+ miles no minor or major problems whatsoever. No parts has ever been replaced yet, including brakes. Amazingly roomy, once carried 12ft long pipe with rear seat folded down. Comfortable, fun to drive. Pulls good but transmission is too slow for manual shift down. The total maintenance cost in 3.5 years/40000 miles excluding oil & gas is no more than a few hundred bucks. Overall this is a *very* reliable car.

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  baaad - 1995 Dodge Intrepid
  By rymcp - March 11 - 2:00 am

  Was nice at first but now after less than 1 year of me owning it, the tranny as well as motor need replaceing. Its at just over 200000km (sorry dont know miles) the repair bill is more than i paid for the car, definitely time for trade in. Sorry I bought it. a\c never worked for me though.

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  Need more time with it but loving it. - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By JustGotMine - March 9 - 10:00 am

  When I got in the car to test drive it there was 17 miles on the Odometer. I have it home and have run a few errands but need to spend more time with it. I have the alternate (non-viper style) front seats and really like them. I really like the cloth centers in the seats for a more comfortable california summer.

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  i never thought I would love a Dodge!!!! - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By baggiemaggie - March 9 - 10:00 am

  I have always driven a Gm vehicle till now!!! I became so disappointed and needed a car that was roomy , exciting dependable and efficient... I got it so far!!! We have spent more time showing this car to curious on lookers... 3 hours one time outside a store...all i needed was laundry soap... but we had to take the time to show the car of our dreams.. it was worth it!!!

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  Love that HEMI - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By Riddler - March 9 - 10:00 am

  Lots of room and good power. DVD system is hard to see if you a small child. Wish it got better gas milage. Wish the drivers seat would go lower. Excellent turn radius and handling. Glad I bought it.

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  Great Little car - 1993 Dodge Spirit
  By spirit - March 9 - 2:00 am

  I have had my spirit for over 2 years now. It has been extremely reliable and ive had only minor problems. Now my car has 136000 miles on it and its still going. It may not be the best looking car, but if your looking for reliability , you cant go wrong with this one. I also just bought another spirit 93 with 73508 miles. I know ill get at least 150k out of it.