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:

• 

  Great Car - 1996 Dodge Caravan
  By Netman - December 24 - 2:00 am

  This has been the best vehicle I have owned. 80,000 miles and have not replaced anything except tires and brakes. Great car.

• 

  Thats a Dodge? - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By deeceedan - December 23 - 10:00 am

  This car has lively excelleration and a 5 speed manual transmission. lots of fun to drive. The rear seat has ample room, but it can be a chore to get in and out of. Its very pretty to look at, and the handling and steering make long trips fun. People ask me "Is that a Dodge?"

• 

  98 Stratus - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By 98stratus - December 23 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this vehicle when I turned 17, its a good reliable car to drive, the handling is decent. I have so far replaced the brakes, the headgasket (under warranty), and the tires... around 70K miles... the car now has 95000.. I now plan on trading it in soon for an Eddie Bauer Explorer. All and all its a good reliable car!

• 

  Work Truck - 1994 Dodge Dakota
  By SWC - December 23 - 2:00 am

  It really is a comfortable vehicle, rides well and mine has every option so it has neat toys. However the build quality is terrible (such as my headliner caving in, the paint falling off, the interior fading to 4 differant shades of grey plus my dashboard turning blue). It has been driven hard and it is almost 10 years old, so I do expect things to go wrong... it just seems to happen more often then it should. As for safety, its built like a tank... I wouldnt even consider a 1997 or newer because they are like tinfoil with plastic bumpers. Overall, I will keep this truck until I can get a nice old Toyota Tundra Quad-Cab at a reasonable price...

• 

  TIMELESS FUN - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By STRADILAC - December 23 - 2:00 am

  THE BEST CAR I HAVE EVER OWNED!

• 

  Its been a great truck - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By Comfortably Numb - December 23 - 2:00 am

  I have a 5.2L, 4WD, with Tow Package, 3rd seat, front and rear air. I now have 69,000 miles on it and while it is only rated for 5700 pounds, I pull my boat a couple of times a year which weighs 7200 pounds (dry) on the trailer. My only complaint with my Durango is that I have to use 89 octane, or it "pings" slightly when you accelerate quickly (could be from pulling my boat???).

• 

  Please Fix The Gasket Problem - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By paulf - December 22 - 2:00 am

  I have 107,511 miles on my 1998 Stratus. I bought it before it even had the chance to even hit the lot and have put every mile on it. I havent had any mechanical problems at all except for the oil mixing with the antifreeze. All Ive had done to it, besides routine maintenance was change the timing belt at 100,000 miles. I must admit that even with the head gasket problem, It has not been a bad car. I would recomend it. Plus it looks great.

• 

  Brake Recall Please! - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By irate - December 22 - 12:23 am

  I have had my car for just 2 years, I had to replace the front brakes in January again like everyone else was told I was riding the brakes, then yesterday got to pay another $300.00 for the rear brake pads. Have never had brake pads wear out before at least 40k-60k miles!! There is a problem and they are waiting for something drastic to happen? Do not buy one unless you are excited to spend an extra $600 every year or two on brakes! Also the interior stains horribly no matter how careful you are. Even water stains. Look elsewhere. If it were worth anything I would trade in.

• 

  love it - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By gloworm - December 21 - 5:50 am

  Love it, cant complain about anything at this time. It has 2600 miles on it. I would buy another in the future.

• 

  Great First Car! - 2000 Dodge Neon
  By engstrom77 - December 21 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I bought this car about 1 1/2 years ago and we love it. It gets great gas mileage and handles the road very well. The car had about 27000 miles on it when we bought it and now it has 48000 and not one thing has gone wrong. It has good get up and go and decent braking power. I knew when I bought it that it wasnt a dodge Viper but it has good acceleration off the line and in traffic. The seats do sit a little hard on the lower back especially on long road trips. We love the design of the car and the inside as well.