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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  Heed these warnings! - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By Tish - January 29 - 2:00 am

  read this page before, bought the car anyway, and so far ive had the head gasket replaced once, the air conditioned "recharged" once and will need replaced this summer, and now i found out theres been a brake recall on these cars! Too much hassle and $$$ for this fairly so-so car.

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  NEEDS A TURBO - 1996 Dodge Avenger
  By marcus - January 29 - 2:00 am

  CAR IS SO FREAKIN COOL. SWEET STYLE AND HANDELS PERFECT. HAVE HAD NO MAJOR PROBLEMS, BUT THE NORMAL. I THINK THE CAR NEEDS A TURBO ON THE 420A ENGINE LIKE THE ECLIPSE THAT IT SHARES IT PLATFORM WITH. THE CAR LOOKS FAST BUT IS MISSING THE POWER(4CYL) THAT IT SHOULD HAVE. IT WILL COMPETE WITH THE RICERS WITCH I LOVE. THE CAR IS STARTING TO GET AFTERMARKET PERFORMANCE WITCH IS EVEN BETTER.

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  NEEDS A TURBO - 1996 Dodge Avenger
  By MARCUS - January 29 - 2:00 am

  CAR IS SO FREAKIN COOL. SWEET STYLE AND HANDELS PERFECT. HAVE HAD NO MAJOR PROBLEMS, BUT THE NORMAL. I THINK THE CAR NEEDS A TURBO ON THE 420A ENGINE LIKE THE ECLIPSE THAT IT SHARES IT PLATFORM WITH. THE CAR LOOKS FAST BUT IS MISSING THE POWER(4CYL) THAT IT SHOULD HAVE. IT WILL COMPETE WITH THE RICERS WITCH I LOVE. THE CAR IS STARTING TO GET AFTERMARKET PERFORMANCE WITCH IS EVEN BETTER.

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  Awsome - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By Johnjohn - January 29 - 2:00 am

  Some have bad mouthed this car and Dodge cars in general. I love my stratus es. It handles great in the snow which was an important factor living in the northeast. I have owned 3 dodge cars and have never had a problem with any of them. If you keep up the maintenance on them they will last forever. My last car was a 1994 dodge shadow es i traded it in with 156,000 trouble free miles on it.

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  Fit the bill - and delivered - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By Donnie E - January 29 - 2:00 am

  I got what I expected. Purchased new off the lot. Needed 7 seatbelts. Only thing to go wrong in 4 years was the battery. Dealer arranged pickyup, replacement, and return. Bought for 31K, sold for 18K (held for just over 4 years).

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  "D" - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By mickeymouse_123 - January 29 - 2:00 am

  I had just bought my 2002 R/T Durango and am enjoying it. I personally love the unique look of the Durango. Previously, I bought a 2001 and not even a month later I was hit on the side and it saved the lives of my children in the middle section seating. I and my family miraculously walked away from the accident w/out a scratch. (actually we had to climb out of the windows cause we couldnt open the doors!) Although its a gas guzzler, in comparison to mini-vans and cars, I wouldnt hesitate to state that this vehicle was worth the protection for my family.

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  Underwhelmed - 2016 Dodge Charger
  By Carel van der Merwe - January 28 - 1:20 pm

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  The best Cheap car Money can buy - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By ftsmithpaul - January 28 - 2:00 am

  The most fun and bang for the buck of any car on the road. What other car does 0-60 in 7.5 seconds, 1/4 mile in 15.9 seconds and slams the top speed limiter at 130 MPH, and only listed for $13,700... and there was a $1,500 cash rebate to Boot. Looks... well okay... but it was TOPS in its Road Race and Autocross class.

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  Dakota R/Ts are fun! - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By The G Man - January 28 - 2:00 am

  The Dakota R/T is an extremely nice truck. great handling, excellent design, well built, and enough power to get you into some serious trouble.

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  Stealths are where its at - 1992 Dodge Stealth
  By StealthmanRT - January 27 - 2:00 am

  I have had my Stealth for over a year now and I still get a rush every time i get in it. It is big enough to hold football players like me (62 230) but still seem close and comfortable. They ARE expensive to own (especially when they break) but with a little TLC they dont act up to bad. My car has NEVER failed to start and my only problems have been a result of a tight suspension on not-so-great roads (potholes, etc.)