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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  good car, great buy - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By fredmanxyz123 - March 2 - 2:00 am

  Mine has the 2.7 V-6, I wish it had the 3.2, I miss the power, and driving a FWD for the first time takes getting used to, but this is a great buy, a great car, all things considered, when you look at features versus cost. The nearest thing to it is over $30,000.

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  Awesome distinguished ride! - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By Daniel M. - March 2 - 2:00 am

  This car has been the best thing that I have had in a long time! No one knows what it is, they always say "Hey thats a nice....uhm?...Pont...Ch...What is that?". The car turns on a dime and at times shocks me with its power (it really moves, pending you know how to shift then its untouchable). The cool thing about this car is the aftermarket goodies, Ive already purchased an air- raid intake system and will be purchasing a supercharger as well!! (even though the car does not need it at all). When driving this car it feels as luxury as my parents Infiniti Q45, so its sporty and good looking.

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  Chrysler is falling down! - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By Richard E. Lysek - March 2 - 2:00 am

  Just returned the rental to Payless. The dash lights didnt work, no auto-down function on the drivers door window, very hard drivers right arm rest, no auto-remote for opening of the doors, 12 mpg overall.

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  Great Affordable Car - 1997 Dodge Avenger
  By Slonestar2000 - March 1 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Avenger in September of 1999 and Ive had only a few maintenance difficulties with it but nothing that I couldnt repair myself. This car is amazingly low maintenance, and stylish yet still affordable.

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  Love this car!! - 1997 Dodge Avenger
  By darkangel - March 1 - 2:00 am

  people always ask me why did I buy an avenger? the ratings are so bad. thats only because people by the V6s. My four bangers pushin hard and Im loving every minute of it. the bigest problem Ive had was a broken power steering belt ($26 replacement wow..) kinda hard to work on the headlights, but oh well, I wont be changing them for a while.

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  2000 R/T - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By PopolZ - March 1 - 2:00 am

  Im please with my intrepid even if I had a few problems. Had the steering rack, sway bar endlinks, the door badges (they were pealing) and the door seals replaced all under warranty. the trunk release button wasnt working but got it fixed too. I also had some problem with my wipers, the dealer changed the switch, the wiper controller (the whole BCM was changed),wiper motor and now its all good!

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  2001 Stratus Coupe SE - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By Josh327 - March 1 - 2:00 am

  What attracted me to the Stratus Coupe was first the styling, then I really couldnt believe the price. A fully loaded 200hp coupe for 20grand, not bad. Much better styled than the Monte Carlo. Build quality could be better, sometimes can hear rattles in back and in the dash. 3.0 V6 is a gem, very smooth, however max torque isnt achieved until higher in the revs, so if you drive like me, you are frequently in the 4-5rpm range. Overall a very good buy.

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  never left on side of road - 1993 Dodge Shadow
  By mamasplat - February 28 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car used off of my mother, and she bought it new off the lot. This car as been so reliable, we have used it to go far distances from our home, and it has never left on the side of the road. And we have 150,000 on it, and it is still going strong. The engine makes a few noises (belt I think) and I think it needs a new head gasket. But for it lasting 10 years, and never had a major problem, I like the car, I would definetly by another one if they were still around.

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  Dodge dont know transmissions - 1995 Dodge Intrepid
  By chrissbrother - February 28 - 2:00 am

  Dodge needs to start buying their four speed transmissions. Only buy this car if you want to buy a new transmission every 40,000 miles. This car was in the shop for repairs 17 times in the first three years, then it got worse.

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  Love my ES but not perfect - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By Astro - February 28 - 2:00 am

  Overall a great car for the money. Bought an ES with all the options. Looks sharp, great interior, fun to drive. Very comfortable and (of course) roomy. Problems? While no major mechanical failues, the car did have annoying electrical issues for a time. Interior lights would dim/brighten on their own and climate control would occassionally default to "Manual" at start-up. Covered by warranty but two trips to the shop and two new computers before the problem was addressed. I dont trust the cars long-term reliabilty but would still buy it again because it was priced well and is so enjoyable to drive. Plan to keep it as long as I can.