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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  All the way with Dynasty - 1991 Dodge Dynasty
  By smoothrider - November 14 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 1991 Dynasty in October, 1991. It has been a great car. It now has 189,000 on it and of course it needs some work. The 3.3 V6 is a very good engine. It has a good ride and the styling. In 11 years Ive only replaced two water pumps, a starter and a transmission overhaul at 155,000. The weakness that I see is that on most Dynastys that have been over the road have rust at the bottom of the front right passenger door. Mine cost only cost $100 to fix. I was disappointed to find out that neither rear door opens from the inside, since about the 180,000 mile mark. I really like my Dynasty! Ill hate to see it go.

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  MAYBE ITS A BAD APPLE... - 2000 Dodge Caravan
  By Bieque110 - November 14 - 2:00 am

  4 months after purchase the brake pads were all worn out. Replaced the same with OEM parts from Dodge and they are about to go out again. 6 months. Squeaking sound coming out of the two front wheels. Took it to a Dodge dealership for repairs and. ("That is a normal thing") The squeaking sound that is. 6 months. The Serpentine Belt and the Belt Tensioner snapped in the middle of the highway. 7 months. One of the Wheel Covers (OEM) flew God knows where. In order to purchase that one Wheel Cover I have to pay $94.50 for it. Ridiculous! 11 months. The starter is saying goodbye. You can easily lose a good $3,000 a year in value on this vehicle.

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  My 4.7 MAGNUM V-8 QUAD CAB 2000 - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By SKOOB - November 14 - 2:00 am

  Have had my quad cab for almost 3 years now, Have had no problems with my as of now. Only thing to mention is a slight ruff idle when cold weather sets in, lasts only about 3 seconds. now have 25,000 mi on it, The 4.7 V-8 has been a very good motor, the performance of this truck is awesome. Reminds me of driving my 69 Superbee back in High School. When I first test drove the 4.7 quad,from a dead stop it put down 15 feet of rubber. WOW I did not expect that, the smile on my face was enough to sell me. Only thing that bugs me is the poor gas milage, 13 mpg average city and highway. But this is more then likely due to my heavy foot. Cant help it. Its too fun.

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  Family Car - 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By cricker - November 14 - 1:29 am

  I was all set on an SUV and on a whim stopped in a Dodge dealership. The dodge grand caravan offered so much more space for all the things we bring on family trips. We were sold despite the poor reviews. 3 wks later we took the car on our first trip. There was room to spare even with 2 adults and 3 kids. Finally! However, on the trip the cruise control started acting up. When breaking the transmission would downshift and try to accelerate. You had to turn it off on the button and not with the break. Then it wouldnt shift into drive after we stopped for gas. 920 miles on the car 3 wks old and we had to spend two nights in the middle of no where for a minor repair to be completed.

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  Great Car - 2003 Dodge Intrepid
  By bobtribe - November 13 - 2:00 am

  This car has a great style. The engine sounds very nice and can get up and go very fast for its size. I went on a trip to Wyoming with this car from Oregon. The Car was a blast to drive, it was a great experiance. And the whole time I got around 28+ mpg which was REALLY good for the power.

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  Costly to maintain - 1997 Dodge Neon
  By Wiseguy357 - November 12 - 2:00 am

  When I bought this car, I did not know that it had a lot of problems. The car was cheap when i got it($4500).I have had thousands of dollars worth of repairs done to it. I have had trouble with: head gasket,axle seals, barrings in the transmission,master cylinder, breaks, rotors, ac compressor, battery and minor electric problems. I have 12" subs in the trunk, and it really rattles when the bass hits.

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  Excellent low budget car - 2000 Dodge Neon
  By Jhatfi - November 12 - 2:00 am

  My fiance and I bought her a Neon as her first new car purchase. It has been a good car for commuting and grocery getting. It suspension is a little soft and the motor is a bit noisy, but overall it has been very good to us. The gas mileage has been excellent, the stock stereo is actually very good, the seats are comfortable. I personally think that interior is rather plain and it could use a little refinement bringing it closer to class leaders such as the Mazda Protege and Honda Civic, but what can you expect for around $10k.

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  I want expecting to buy a Stratus STX - 2003 Dodge Stratus
  By bevans - November 12 - 2:00 am

  We went the the dealer with a Stratus R/T with a large V6 and auto trans in mind, but met the 5 speed manual STX version and drove it. I was shocked when the salesman told me it was a 4 cyl. It was a beautiful car and extremely fun to drive. We only have 2000 miles on it so I cant comment about problems. So far, we havent had any.

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  clarkfrtzmachine - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By clarkfrtz - November 12 - 2:00 am

  overall vehicle is reliable, and very dependable, is very child friendly and has good set up inside for children to ride in the back or for adults toenter the rear seat.

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  Fun times - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By Off-roader - November 12 - 2:00 am

  I think all you people you say that the durango needs a 5.2 intead of a 4.7 dont know what your talking about. we have a 1998 5.8 durango in great cond. and the 4.7 drives and feels alot better. The AC in mine is alight not that much different then in the 98. but the 4.7 model is lot lighter feel and it alot faster then 5.9 was new. they really but alot of work in the new engine. it also had a Benz feeling in it. its not as truck feeling as the 98 had but still nice. handles in off roading better then 98, really fun to drive, better then any ford or chevy can do.