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:

• 

  love my Durango - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By sandrat - January 27 - 2:00 am

  everyone in the family love to drive this vehicle. Comfortable for driver and passenger. Only mechanical problem was drivers side power window failure just outside of 30k/36mo warranty. Cost was $200. No other problems. Pulled trailers in soft sand. Great truck.

• 

  Safety First Mom - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By SafetyFirst - January 27 - 2:00 am

  For the moms out there, I purchased the Durango, not only for looks, but for the all steel construction. I am very thankful I did. A few months ago, we were in a major accident in which the Durango spun around and flipped over twice down an embankment. No one was hurt, and my baby slept through the whole thing. All the seatbelts worked great, and we didnt have any trouble getting out of the car. When I looked at the Durango after we exited the car, there were no dents on the doors or anywhere passengers were sitting!!! The Durango held up VERY well, and well be getting another one when our lease is up.

• 

  Disappointed! - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By Dont buy one! - January 27 - 2:00 am

  Truck has 25000 miles on it and been in the shop 3 times. Power steering pump failed 1 time, driving lights the next. Loud suspension noise the next time which was all the bushings...not uncommon from what I hear. Still didnt fix the problem...still loud and loose. Very sloppy and rough steering, rock hard seats and poor visibility out the windshield, transmission hesistates to shift. Not impressed for $29000!!

• 

  2013 Crew Pros/Cons - 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By tomsouthmd - January 27 - 1:16 am

  The 2013 Grand Caravan is my third dodge van; I traded in a 2007 SXT. When ordering I had to move up to the Crew to get some options that were included on the 2007 SXT such as the power driver’s seat, leather steering wheel, and garage door opener. I added the driver convenience group to get, along with other options, bluetooth. The ride is good, handling ok for a minivan, seats are an improvement over the 2007 and the 3.6 liter engine is a significant power upgrade. The tow capacity is up to 3,600 lbs and the stow ‘n go seats still provide the most versatility compared to other minivans. The transmission needs work (see below). Recommendation – take a good highway test drive before buying.

• 

  Rented Once, Just Once - 2016 Dodge Dart
  By M. Schneider - January 26 - 6:07 pm

  I had this car for almost a week. Should have picked the Corolla in hind sight. The car is so-so for a rental. Id be hard pressed to buy one considering better choices out there. The 2.4L engine is smooth and adequate. As long as it holds up long term to higher reving, it will do. The biggest issue is that the transmission has copious amount of slack and Im fairly sure the whole power train sits on coil springs rather than regular mounts. Under steady acceleration the trans works just fine. When the traffic is caterpillaring down the road between 20 and 50, the power train slack and bounce when going into the accelerator is awful. The torq converter and transmission seem to be both slacking. If Dodge cannot tighten down the transmission, they should at least add shock absorbers to the power train. The front seats are mounted too high for my 61" frame. I bump my head getting out and the rear view mirror blocks a lot of my vision. The brakes only use 1/3 of the pedal travel. What the remaining 2/3 of the travel will contribute to stopping is unknown. Even still, the brakes are linear and not too squishy. Steering is good, surprisingly for this class of car. Stereo is basic in appearance, but does have SXM, Aux input and phone capability. Didnt see HD radio option. Sound is respectable. Vibrations for the road and from the A/C fan at full speed can be felt in the foot well. Handling does remind you that you are in an econo/compact car. It softens road imperfections, but is not a sports car. The switchgear is spartan. The instrumentation is nice and a little retro. Surprised to find auto-headlights. Overall, this car needs a healthy dose of power train work. Once that is done, it may be good for shorter people on a serious budget. The Chevrolet Cruz, Hyundai Elantra, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, VW Jetta, Ford Focus and most other compact cars beat the Dart. The Dart reminds me greatly of the Chevrolet Cobalt or early Kia offerings. No wonder sales are disappointing.

• 

  driving experience - none better - 1996 Dodge Viper
  By ratical - January 25 - 2:00 am

  My 96 Viper RT/10 (white with blue stripes) has been wonderful. The only problem is I spend WAY too much time cleaning it with Zaino! The finish on the body is unreal. It seems like the clear coat is about 1/4" thick and is very glossy. Ive owned corvettes and other sports cars and I currently also own a new body miata sport. This car by far is the most enjoyable experience you can have. There is nothing like it. Dodge only built about 700 vipers in 1996, so they took their sweet time on each one! There are more 2002 Corvette z06s than there are dodge vipers in the world. They just dont get old like other mass produced cars.

• 

  NOT RECOMMENDED - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By slonna - January 25 - 2:00 am

  This was my first car,i bought with 29000 miles on it demo.And i owned for 3 years now,Quality is worse,Brakes,rotors every 30000 K,New pinion rack,Windows dont work AGAIN.And at85000K need new Engine for about $6000+labor/dealer/.It seems this engine V6 2.7 to have some higins problem with oil circulation.

• 

  My Durango - 2001 Dodge Durango
  By Mark Moroney - January 25 - 2:00 am

  Very Good. The 3rd row seat works great for hauling extra kids around.

• 

  Best AWD minivan - 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Jaidev Rao - January 24 - 10:00 am

  04 Chrysler T & C Ltd AWD has a 3.8 liter V6 215 HP 280 Lb/Ft Torque engine w. good acceleration, high cruising speed, a rigid chassis gives it a quiet ride. It gives 18 mpg, carries 7 adults and lots of luggage in luxury. AWD, towing package for pulling 3800 lbs., engine and transmission oil cooler, and auto. load levelling suspension. GPS Navigation, 4 wheel anti-lock disc brakes, traction control, Infinity AM/FM Hi-Fi Stereo with in dash 6 DVD player and 10 speakers, Auto 3 zone (driver, passenger and rear), Tire Pressure Monitor, AC with front and rear control and Electric Sun Roof. All leather seats w. 4 c

• 

  The best weve ever owned - 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By mafraziersr - January 24 - 10:00 am

  Our 1996 came to us with 106K on the odometer. I dont know about the previous owners experience. It was leased. We purchsed it at the bank auction. It now has 240K miles with no problems. It still looks great and is in daily use along with our new, flawless 2003 Chrysler T&C (21K trouble free miles). Our only complaint is the brakes. The rear brakes are weak despite our best efforts.?? No transmission problems or engine problems. A fantastic van. In fact, this was our third (86 & 88 previous)Chrysler van. Both had 200K+ miles when replaced. Weve never experienced the transmission problems that seem to plauge other vans.