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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  Great Car! - 1994 Dodge Stealth
  By wheels - January 31 - 2:00 am

  If youre looking for a fun car, this is it! Easy to drive, lots of extras, and a great deal pricewise thanks to the SUV revolution. Its reasonable to find one for under $10K...pretty good for a car that was valued at around $40K when new just nine short years ago. An all around great sports car with styling that leaves Corvettes of that age wanting. Low, wide profile with big Z-rateds round off this future classic.

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  Good All Around Vehical - 2000 Dodge Caravan
  By Vanagon - January 31 - 2:00 am

  I have put 40,000 on the van. I bought the caravan rather tha the grand caravan because I wanted the better milage and less weight for power. It certainly isnt sexy but is handy as hell. From plywood and bricks to kids and trips it is an excellent vehical for a family and home owner.

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  All Around Winner - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By PVF - January 31 - 2:00 am

  I researched the Neon R/T and other cars in its class and found no other car with such good looks (inside and outside), features and performance for the price. The car is truely loaded and with a little extra money you can get a truely great sound system and sunroof! But the best part is driving it. The car is quick the steering and braking systems are excellent and the suspension is perfectly tuned.

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  still satisfied - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By sacramentodave - January 31 - 2:00 am

  After driving 22,000 miles with it, I can say that I am still very satisfied with the Stratus 2-dr SE. I have had no problems other than a few new rattles with the plastic interior. It still runs great after all this time and have not regretted the purchase. The price paid was 13,995 and was definitely worth it, especially with the great warranty.

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  THis IS the Best Car Ever - 1995 Dodge Stealth
  By Hank/ Hank_Joe - January 30 - 2:00 am

  I Love this car, even before I bought it, all the girls come up to me and ask me what car it is, and i tell them its a Dodge Stealth!! And on the highway its realy fun, because you have so much power you can pass anyone (exept the cops.) This car is a realy fun car to drive! Its good looking, fast, and a chick-magnet!! Trust me )

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  Very Nice Ride, wish I had gotten the 8 - 1997 Dodge Dakota
  By Abu_The_One - January 30 - 2:00 am

  Great interior, rugged Exterior, Roomy, great for towing almost anything. The gas mileage is typical, and i wish i had gotten the 5.2, but the 3.9 seems to be serving me well.

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  A great truck! - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By ZCR - January 30 - 2:00 am

  Will do anything you ask of it.

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  Magnum SXT AWD - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By RVR - January 30 - 1:53 am

  I am very satisfied with the car. I will recommend the car to my family and friends.

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  01 Grand Caravan Sport- no fun to drive - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Ken V - January 29 - 10:00 am

  After leasing a 98 Grand Caravan and loving it, I made the huge mistake of leasing this 01 without a test drive. This is an AWFUL vehicle- wallows on roads, no pickup, especially with the air on- and oh, by the way, the cars been back at the dealer three times for AC problems and still isnt fixed. The beast gets hot inside with no air! Average mileage less the 15 mpg. If you have an older Grand Caravan, keep it!

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  Grand Caravan Quality? - 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Texas-Tall - January 29 - 10:00 am

  In general, we have enjoyed owning Chrysler mini-vans. The features, ride, power and handling have always been good. The reliabilty of our original 1992 Grand Caravan is what led us to buy Dodge again. Unfortunately, in September of 2001, eight months after purchase and several other major repairs, the control panel cluster and control module on our 2001 Grand Caravan failed. It was replaced by Dodge with a 2002 Grand Caravan EX under Texas Lemon Laws. The replacement has been fine til now, when the control panel cluster and control module have failed again! Im concerned that there may be a manufacturing issue with those components.