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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  Just dont do it - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By neverbuydodge - November 10 - 4:06 pm

  Bought my car new in Sept 08. Radio has been replaced 3 times now! First time the CD player refused to open/eject. 2nd time the radio mysteriously erased my collection of over 300 songs Id downloaded, and stopped loading my pics. 3rd time the radio started acting odd, then just died altogether. That was finally replaced with a "new" radio, on which the screen now randomly goes completely black so that you cant use the touch screen at all, and most of the buttons are on the touch screen. Tires were cracking and had to be replaced at around 30,000 miles. Transmission has a leak now. Dealership and Corporate both were a pain to deal with, very frustrating!

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  Get Checked out - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By jimmy114 - November 10 - 2:18 pm

  My Stratus has 122000 miles on it and timing belt is going out ($1000) and the body model control is going out ($1000) the car isnt worth much more then that... the inside is nice but all the handles are broken. If your going to buy the STRATUS get it checked out as for me i recommend you move on and find something else

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  Loving this new Durango 5.7 AWD Citadel - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By ozcop1 - November 9 - 12:37 am

  I have only owned this SUV a week and have only driven it 300 miles. So far, I really like the ride and drive, and even the fuel mileage, which in local driving only is turning 16.2 mpg. I fully expect better mpg numbers as its broken in. I love the entertainment system, which came standard on this model and have been loading CDs to the hard drive this week. The sound system is excellent! If I have a complaint it is with the non-tilt steering wheel. The adjustable column and telescoping wheel is nice, but you have to get it adjusted just right to see all the dash and electronic read-outs. Not a big deal, but certainly different from my 05 Limited I traded in. Thats only a minor issue.

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  I LOVE THIS CAR! - 2011 Dodge Avenger
  By rtm82 - November 8 - 10:52 pm

  Mulled over whether or not to buy for over six months!! Could not decide what car to buy, was looking at Kias, Fords, Hyundais and Chevys. After doing market research and driving each one about 5 times (poor salesmen), I finally decided that the Avenger was the funnest! Not to mention, the MYGIG system is awesome! I was a little unsure about my purchase after I made it, but every day after I bought it, I fall in love more and more! This car has all the power I need, and if I drive it nice, this awesome V6 still gets 25mpg in town! I am so happy I took my time to make a decision, this is a perfect car for me!

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  Love this car! - 2012 Dodge Avenger
  By dodgeman23 - November 8 - 4:21 pm

  This is my 2nd Dodge Avenger. They seem to get better and better each time. I only have 600 miles so far on this car, but I can see already how good it is. The biggest improvement I see so far is the interior quality and ride quality which is far better than the 2010 that was traded in. Almost no wind noise at highway speeds. It handles much better than I would have expected. So far, I have not found any flaws with this car...its perfect. Too early to gauge highway MPG, but I expect it to be better than my 2010 which got 37.5 mpg on the highway. I am very please with this car and suggest anyone who has not driven one yet, give it a try.

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  I think I got a lemon - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By sheriday - November 4 - 3:20 pm

  In 2006, I bought my 2005 dodge magnum the first time I saw the magnum I knew that was going to be my next vehicle I would own. Well since having my magnum I have put 8 tires on it, 3 tire rod ends,and an all whell alignment cause you cant just have a front or back you have to have them all done at once, brakes for the works all around twice, and the rocker panels are held up with plastic clips that cost $5.00 per clip. The front dash rattles without the heat on. There is so much rattles in the front end. And recently I was driving down the road and it was like it went into neutral all by itself and my headlights go dim just randomly. Great car if you have lots of money for the repairs.

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  Durango 2011 - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By peri1 - November 4 - 2:16 pm

  Ive been driving my new Durango Citadel 5.8ltr for a month now and absolutely love it. It rides great, its comfortable and it has a beatiful interior. My commute is of approx 10 and the gas mileage is average for the segment. I love the interior (napa tan leather). The third row seat is comfortable for me and Im 6 feet tall. There is plenty of room after the 3rd row for bags and everyday shopping. It is my first american car and so far so good. I did get the extended insurance on the electronics since Im still weary of american quality, I know they have come a long way but... we will see I hope it compares to Toyota and Nissan.

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  Love this SUV! - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By headshrink - November 3 - 1:59 pm

  First time owning a Dodge/Chrysler product and I have to say so far I am seriously impressed. The initial impression with build quality is outstanding! There are no creaks or noises anywhere. I test drove basically every mid-sized SUV that had that had a third row seat. The Durango was the final car I was testing and as soon as I drove it I knew that I would be buying it. Actually I ended up leasing it because I was nervous about buying a Chrysler product due to their recent history and, their lease incentives here in Southern California were so good it was hard to resist. I have car pooled with the kids for two weeks now and have taken it off-road twice. This vehicle did very well in both situations and everything in between so far. I basically do no freeway driving so my mileage is around 15mpg and I am being light on the pedal. This SUV handles better than most cars I have owned, the turning radius is unreal. There is very little body roll on turns, especially considering this vehicle weighs 5000lbs. The balance they have struck seems hard to attain, it has a masculine SUV look but drives like a car and seats 7. My only gripe is that I wish it came with skid plates, but I can buy the package for $250 (at least that is what I read online). If you are in the market for an SUV with 3rd row seating, you would be foolish not to test drive this one.

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  If This Helps Just One Person..... - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By badavenger - November 2 - 4:15 pm

  If youre considering buying an 08 Avenger, DONT!! My warranty expired on 10/09/11 (due to time, not mileage), 4 DAYS LATER, while getting new tires, the valve stem split apart when the valve cap was removed. Dodge wont authorize reimbursment of TPMS valve assembly. Then 15 days later I find out I need a new alternator after hearing a whining noise and battery idiot light came on while stopped. Theres only 32,000 miles on the freakin car!!! If I can help just one person save money with this review, then the time spent registering as a new user is worth it.

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  glad I took the chance - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By noasiancars4me - October 25 - 11:09 pm

  After spending my life going with Camrys, Accords, and other so thought quality mid sized clone cars I took a shot with this car when it first came out in 2006. It was only 1500 more then the accord I was looking at, at the time. This car is a lot more comfortable and a lot more fun to drive then the array of Asian cone cars out there. Its paid for now and I dont know what I am going to do if I ever have to go back to the cars we have been taught to believe are better quality. This car for me proves that to be totally the opposite in fact. 5 years and 80k miles later it is "by far" the best quality car I have ever owned. (Yes BMWs and Mercs are out of my price range)