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:

• 

  A Good car ... - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By cmeel - October 25 - 12:06 pm

  I love the look of the car from the outside but on the inside its a disappointment manual locks & windows and it is just cheap! I love Dodge and we bought this car after our 1st one died and wasnt worth repairing and we needed a car asap (not enough time to really shop)this was the only hatchback and it looked good so we took it.Driving its good,nothing Great or Horrible. If you have young kids stay away from this car!! the front passenger seat has to be straight up and pulled forward a lot in order to fit the carseat which is just plain uncomfortable. It needs some interior & engine improvments to really be good/nice other wise its just an ok car.

• 

  Surprised at Reliability Two Years Later - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By safedrivertoo - October 22 - 9:21 pm

  I bought my 07 Caliber two years ago, and it had 36,900 miles on it. It was a rental and the warranty expired at that point. Ive never had a warranty on it, and I have put 60,000 miles on it, so its up to about 97,000 miles, and I havent put more than a fuel pump (which strangely went at 50,000 miles after a fuel system flush--Im still skeptical about that although everyone says it couldnt be connected). That repair was $500ish. I am preventative and get everything flushed and checked regularly, and I havent needed any major repairs done. I might have put $1,500 in repairs since Ive owned it--tops. I always figure if I get 110,000 or 120,000 miles out of a car it did its job.

• 

  love it , hate it - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By pookylopez1 - October 22 - 6:47 pm

  Honestly have had it , i have a love and hate relationship with this car, i love the look and love how it drives, BUT only when this car is not giving problems! its costing me so much money, sometimes doesnt reverse, the gears sometimes dont work, they tell me its 2 sensors, i pay over 1000.... its fixed... for 4 weeks until it decides to do it again.. .wont go over 35.... getting fixed again. wow, and the service engine soon light wont go away, and of course my registration is due in 3 days, and it wont pass the smog check. in conclusion i wish that i never got this car.

• 

  Honda Pilot to the Durango - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By throwerguy - October 21 - 8:44 am

  We just purchased a 2011 Durango Crew AWD with the V6 and we are extremely satisfied. Our dealer let us have a demo Durango for 5 days and my wife and I put it through the paces of daily life with two small children, a dog. We we very impressed and compared it head to head with our 2009 Pilot EX-L 4X4. We looked at the 2012 Pilot, but felt the Durango offered more content and a much more refined interior than the Pilot. In addition, the Durango drove better (crisp handling for a 7 pass. vehicle) and was much quieter on the Highway. And, after drivng it for another week since delivery, we are very impressed with the mileage (better than the honda by a mile or two per gallon on average).

• 

  Best Van Ever - 2005 Dodge Caravan
  By bookworm2991 - October 20 - 9:52 pm

  I purchased this vehicle in August 2010. I have a 3 year old and was expecting my second child. I fell in love with this van. It was very comfortable to ride in, had plenty of room, child seat anchors and one of the second row captains chairs had a built in 5 point harness child seat. During the year that we had it we never had any problems with it. I was recently in an accident and it was totaled. I am hoping to be able to replace my van with a newer model.

• 

  DO NOT BUY THIS CAR!!!! RUN AWAY FAST!!!! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By shelby6282 - October 19 - 4:56 pm

  Have only owned this car for 40 days. It has been a total nightmare. Oh & I did buy it from a dealer not just anyone. I am the 2nd owner & the car looked great with tons of add ons. After owning it 4 days engine light came on. Dealer said its O2 sensor & replaced. 2 days later engine light on again. This time they said the computer was not reset right. Barely drove it home from the shop & guess what engine light AGAIN! this time the codes were showing that it was the cadilic converter. Dealership, no its not the converter something with the sensor didnt get hooked up right causing a code. 1 week later, engine light again. they changed the converter. Drove 1wk & now brake lights on!

• 

  Im now a Dodge Fan. - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By superolds - October 18 - 6:35 pm

  The Durango has it all. Plenty of room and cargo space. Rides very smooth and quiet. The biggest surprise is the fuel economy.The EPA rating is 16 cty - 22 hwy. Were averaging between 19.5 to 21.5 and on the hwy at under 70 mph were above 25 mpg. Dont let Consumer Reports fool you into thinking the Transmission is its weak spot. Its a Mercedes Tranny used a few years back in thier AMG Cars because it has a very high Torque resistance. It is also very efficient. Maybe some more gears wouldnt hurt. Anyway, we travel to Myrtle Beach, which is 900 miles away. We could make it all the way with one stop, a little more than half way, for gas. Pretty cool. Theyve done a great job with th

• 

  great minivan - 2001 Dodge Caravan
  By dghost1 - October 18 - 11:27 am

  I bought it a year ago with 155k miles , have not made any repairs but regular maintance oil changes,. I put in a KN air intake and it gives me 22 plus MPG. I really like it, runs great cant even feel the motor running. Great family vehicle, plan on trading it for a newer model. I was really suprise a dodge could deliver a great review.

• 

  It Is What It Is - 2008 Dodge Avenger
  By notimeatall - October 17 - 11:12 am

  Recently bought a base model 08 Avenger with ABS for my kids to drive. Theyve already totaled one vehicle so I was looking for something safe and inexpensive. While I would never have bought the Avenger new, this car has worked out very well for us. Key points for us were: Safety - IIHS Top Safety pick. Check out the side impact videos on IIHSs site. Cost - We bought this vehicle for $7000 less than a comparable mileage 08 Honda Accord would have cost. I dont expect it to last like a Honda, but we only expect 6K miles per year, and the $7000 will buy a lot of nuisance repairs! I would not, however, have considered the $20K for new one - they DO depreciate FAST

• 

  Me and my Magnum - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By jwdugar - October 17 - 12:56 am

  It was love at 1st sight. If a station wagon & the bat mobile had a child it would be the Dodge Magnum. Here I am 6 years & 100k miles later and all I love is marred because the car is made w/rubber and plastic screws. I never neglected maintenance and upkeep. Now the dash vents have come "unattached" to the dash, the toggle for the navigation controls has untoggled and to fix it I have to replace the entire radio system. The front carpet detaches, the rear vent blows sometimes, the undercarriage screws, being plastic have worn out and the under carriage "plate," also made of plastic has split at the screw holes and has to be replaced. Not a good long term vehicle.