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 - 1990 Dodge Spirit
  By Ghost - December 3 - 2:00 am

  I purchased my 1989 Spirit "Turbo" with 24 miles on it. The first 110,000 miles the car was "God Sent". Little to no problems at all. I ran her good and kept my maintance up on her. At 110K her transmission went, 115K head gasket went and at 120k second head gasket was needed so I sold her. Everthing still worked in her. I brought her new, loaded and kept her for 8 years. I was sorry to see her go.

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  dont buy the neon - 1997 Dodge Neon
  By antidodge - December 3 - 2:00 am

  during the three years that I have owned this vehicle Ive put over 6,000 dollars in repair. Ive replaced the head gasket, transmission, and the motor. This car does not even have 85,000 miles on it.

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  best vehicle ever - 1993 Dodge Caravan
  By Ahhhhhh - December 3 - 2:00 am

  this is a great van

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  Perfect! - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By Mike2 - December 3 - 2:00 am

  After 19000 trouble free miles,its still perfect! No warranty or other repairs and the 100,000 mile warranty is a comfort. Its a great car, good on gas, great looks, comfortable as hell. After several Bad experiences with Taurus and Ford in the past, I bought this because of the warranty and was pleasantly surprised by how great the car turned out as a nice vehicle.

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  4 DR Quad Cab 4WDR - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By brandy66 - December 3 - 2:00 am

  I bought this truck in june of 2002 with the 4.7 engine and tow pakage. I have taken it hunting fishing and camping. Ive pulled my boat with it and have had no problems at all. It is grate for the family plenty of room in the back seat for two kids and room left over.The 4.7 is awsom chevy and ford dont make a small truck that can compare.I drive a mix of highway and city and get about 15.3 miles to the gallon with 3400 miles on the truck now. Iam hopeing this will get alittle better as I get more miles on it. I chose the dodge truck for a few reasons.Looks, Price the price is better than the ford or chevy.style, interior room. power from the 4.7 is great.

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  06 Charger R/T - 2006 Dodge Charger
  By Tim - December 2 - 6:10 pm

  I love the fact I get 25-26 mpg with combined highway and city driving. The Hemi engine has alot of pep for a 4,000 lb vehicle, but am addicted to power so more would be better. Aftermarket upgrades for the engine are plentiful so hp upgrades are relatively easy. Smooth ride, with lots of features and the sound system is flat out great for a stock system.

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  aarrgggg - 2000 Dodge Neon
  By SlvrNeon2000 - December 2 - 2:00 am

  Ok where do I start Ive had the neon for about 2 1/2 years now and it has 63k on it... and the air conditioning went after one summer use the sunroof went on me after one summer use... it makes awfull noises... and vibrates horribly although it does surprise me for room im 61 and able to fit in it not very comfortably but, i do fit... but, I wouldnt recomend this car to anyone that has high expectations... it is very affordable but, you get exactly what you pay for!

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  A Nice Covered Truck Room - 2016 Dodge Durango
  By Paul Amenta - December 1 - 5:24 pm

  vacation 4 adults 4000 miles 100percnt

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  Granny car gone wild - 1992 Dodge Dynasty
  By Moparfreak - November 30 - 2:00 am

  This car looks like crap. So darn ugly. But, I have to admit, the thing ran not too bad. it had the "beefy" 3.3 in it. It served its purpose. It was ok, BUT, the tranny went out at 115,000. And this is not a freak deal. My father-in- law has had 4 of these, and the tranny went out in every one of them. Most were with more miles on it than this one. And none were 92s, but the same deal with all of them.

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  Excellent car a must buy - 1997 Dodge Intrepid
  By Rickalliston - November 30 - 2:00 am

  i bought a brand new 1997 intrepid back in mid 1997, i use this car on the daily basis and i use it heavily in traffic and also on the highways, this car has never let me down, the only problem is that the engine light is on but my mechanic says it says that because it is due for a maintance but no major problems. The only thing i would want is that the car would come with a CD player and subwoofer powerful stereo system to listen to my music, even thou its 6 speakers are good enough. Excellent american car.