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:

• 

  Cheap - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By JSam - February 28 - 2:00 am

  Love the roominess. Unreliable for nickle and dime things. I have had the door seals replaced 3 times. Dealer believes it is a design defect. Undersized engine, but comfortable especially on long drives. For a small 6 cylinder, the gas mileage is not very good. Slight transmission hesitation when cold (which dealer denies he can find). Minor engine probelms during warranty.

• 

  Yes It Is! - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Dawn Main - February 27 - 4:53 pm

  I love it. The best car that I have ever owned. Excellent handling, comfort and looks! I do have to say that most of the looks come from men. Women are not as taken with the car.

• 

  Old Reliable - 1995 Dodge Caravan
  By Vee racer - February 27 - 2:00 am

  I bought my van with 71K on it and now have over 195K. Other than tires, brakes, O2 sensor, and regular oil changes, the transmission (rebuilt once) has been its only Achilles heel. I put about 6000 miles a year towing and it has been an excellent vehicle. It has good power, more room than most SUVs due to the removable seats, and gets better gas mileage.

• 

  Its cool - 2000 Dodge Avenger
  By Oldskool96 - February 27 - 2:00 am

  The car fit me perfectly. Stylish on the outside, simplistic on the inside.

• 

  Great car to drive - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By robb_1 - February 27 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car new and now have 25k miles and no problems. The car rides great and very comfortable on long trips. A great engine(3.5L) for a mid size car. I plan on keeping this car for a long time. I think I have to buy one for my wife, she loves to drive it!

• 

  piece of trash that goes fast - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By lovethepower - February 26 - 2:00 am

  I wont lie to you. I enjoy driving this car. Its fairly fast for the price and manual trans is the best way to go here. The style is good, too. Unfortunately, the standard features on this car are awful. It has no power steering or a/c. Theres no armrest or center console, making it difficult to be comfortable in the car. Other than the blown head gasket (I hate Chrysler), its been very reliable. It has never broken down or had another serious problem in the eight years that its been running. Go power!!

• 

  Awesome - 1997 Dodge Avenger
  By Nareitz - February 26 - 2:00 am

  This is an awesome vehicle. I went from a Honda Accord to the Avenger and will never get another Honda again. These cars ROCK

• 

  decent buy...just dont look at resale! - 2000 Dodge Avenger
  By Kilbrie - February 26 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car for my wife. I decided on this car based soley on looks, and the fact that every review mentioned that the quality was much better after 1999. It has been a reliable car and has given me no major problems, but I will not own another one. After 40,000 miles, there are numerous interior creaks and groans, the interior light keep blowing, the motor has developed a "tick" and the transmission is shifting is very sloppy.

• 

  A family staple - 1999 Dodge Caravan
  By GM raised - February 26 - 2:00 am

  Would not have went through toddlers without it. Reliable, reliable, reliable. A little lifter noise at 45,000? Friends had purhased other companies vans about the same time and it reliablity of the dodge was far superior.

• 

  Can you say Electrical Problem? - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By 7TimeChamp_3 - February 26 - 2:00 am

  I should have known better than to by another Dodge. Much like my 97 Caravan this car has been one problem after another. My ABS has failed 4 times on the car and Chrysler has done very little to try to fix it. The 5 speed is hard to shift, often requiring a double clutch to get the car to shift, which the dealer tells me is normal. I have been driving manual shift cars for 15 years and have never had these issues. The car is sluggish, our other car is an 02 VW Cabrio with a 4 banger and it runs every but as well as my R/T. Dealer tells me that is the thin air in Colorado. I think the car is thin on good old HP.