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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  Fast, Fun, Gorgeous and Very Comfortable - 2012 Dodge Charger
  By hemi_for_me - September 14 - 11:01 am

  Although I never would have bought a Chrysler product in the past, the 2011 Charger redesign is amazing. Its beautiful, fun, blazingly fast, quiet and extremely comfortable. I only wish they would have had the 8 speed automatic available for 2011. The extra gas milage from the 8 speed would have been greatly appreciated. Otherwise, absolutely love this car. Cant believe I bought a dodge! Audio system and navigation are good, however some of the applications are not compatible with the iphone (like reading text messages). Also, I wish the doors would automatically lock on exiting the vehicle. The passive unlock system works well, but you still have to lock the doors when you exit.

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  Reliable family SUV, bad bad. mpg! - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By steveerai - September 14 - 9:05 am

  We have had this car for about a year and it has been good to us. The leather and suade interior is so nice! The 2nd and 3rd rows are very spacious. A few things we dont like is the mpg! We get about 12-15 city and 15-17 hwy. Not very economical at all. Also the lever to put down the 2nd row seats is too close to the plastics. I always scrape my nuckle as it is VERY hard to pull. Other then that its a nice family suv, thats if your last name is Gates or Trump. As the gas price will cost you a fortune! !!!

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  abandoned - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By irate - September 12 - 10:17 pm

  If youre thinking about buying a 2011 Dodge Durango with a 5.7 hemi "dont do it" unless you dont mind driving a vehicle that feels like its miss-firing. In fact, the problem is so bad Im taking a loss on mine and trading it in for another vehicle with only 6000 miles - after being totally abandoned by both the dealership and Dodge customer service citing the condition Im feeling is a characteristic of the vehicle by design for fuel efficiency. A cute play of words that leave you no recource. I will never ever step foot into a Dodge dealership again....

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  Going Back to Dodge - 2011 Dodge Nitro
  By nitro_drummer - September 12 - 11:06 am

  This is the first Dodge Ive owned since having a Dodge Daytona Shelby Z back in 1992. After experiencing all the problems with that car, I said I wouldnt own another Dodge. Well, I bought my 2011 Nitro Heat 4.0 on Aug 31st and so far, Im very happy. I had been in the market for a 5 passenger SUV, and after growing tired of looking at all others with no real style or excitement, the Nitro, with its large grill and huge 20" chrome wheels hit me like a breath of fresh air. I have to thank my wife for helping me find a car that makes me smile again.

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  2nd time around - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By momscar12 - September 12 - 6:23 am

  First off, I started out with a 2011 Express model mid-July. 1 month later I was rear ended in a collision. So, after seeing what the car did and the safety features the Durango offers, I got another one. Second time around I could only get the 2012 - there are just a few changes from the two models. So far I love it again. Its a great car to drive, comfortable, luxiourious even in the "base" model, very roomy but not too big, and makes for a cool mom or dad kid-hauler. The vehicle handles very well for the size and has a lot of "get up and go" with the V-6 engine. Real road hwy experience: if you drive the speed limit and use cruise control, you can get into the high 20s in gas mileage!

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  Best SUV under $40,000 - 2011 Dodge Nitro
  By rockinroller - September 11 - 3:57 pm

  The Nitros appearance creates a response much like the Dodge Ram pickup when it first came out: You either LOVE it or HATE it. I happened to embrace the rugged square "jaw" of the Nitro and having had some driving experience with the original 2007 RT version which featured a very energetic 4.0 liter engine (vs. the horribly anemic 3.7 liter thats found in the Jeep), I was pleasantly impressed. This rugged yet refined truck-like SUV conquers most snowy roads that Ive experienced in Michigan, plus affords a reasonable cost to drive based on 20mpg in mixed city/freeway driving. Lots of storage and creature comforts too. Could have used more than 2 cup holders in front though.

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  cant fix the shakes - 2010 Dodge Journey
  By nemrac - September 10 - 3:22 pm

  bought 8/2010-Nov 2010 trouble light going on and off-dealer said no codes on computer-drive it. Light on and off more frequent-then stayed on and vehicle shaking- had to pull over-couldnt find problem so dealer drove-decided it was engine-replaced valves,seals, on right-3 days later started all over again- dealer couldnt find problem-drove with computer on-reprogrammed powertrain module - fine til this week light on shaking violently going down highway(had car 1 yr 2 weeks!) dealer/Chrysler said its the other side of the engine-parts BO till Mid Oct!! on a 1 yr old vehicle! Also turned rotors on back this spring and front rotor/ pads in 7/11. Will be in shop total 2 months since Nov!

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  Teriffic Value - Perfect Family Vehicle - 2011 Dodge Journey
  By brekdown29 - September 10 - 1:08 am

  Unless you want a minivan this is the best alternative. The positive difference in build quality between the 2010 and 2011 models is stark. It has a powerful and smooth engine and a decent transmission. Ride is extremely smooth and quiet so obviously the suspension and build engineering was done right. It drives and feels like a more expensive car than it is. Keeping fingers crossed that we dont encounter any of the battery/starter issues but at least were informed. Thanks for the info.

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  What is Dodge trying to do to me? - 2004 Dodge Caravan
  By williamsgrl22 - September 9 - 10:29 am

  Considering my Caravan has a little over 430,000 miles on it, I would say overall this model is worth the money. I purchased this vehicle from a family member about a year ago. At that time it had about 400,000 miles on it but had everything except the engine and transmission replaced in it. It was very well maintained and 90% of the miles were highway miles. I was told by the previous owner, whom bought the van brand new, that the brakes have never been up to par, the headlights are terrible, and the entire front end had been replaced (no accidents...just wear and tear).

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  Best new generation muscle car - 2009 Dodge Challenger
  By gmtruckman - September 8 - 7:30 pm

  Fantastic in every way. I have the track pack option with the 6 speed and larger rear differential. I ordered the car from dodge in 2008 and have had it for three years with only two tiny issues which are not even the fault of the vehicle. The keyless entry button had a short and the rt logo had the paint peel off on the grill. Otherwise awesome on gas for a v8and very comfortable...even room for cars seats for the kids. The shift linkage on the tremec is sloppy but I put in the hurst linkage and makes it good.