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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  I Love this truck - 2004 Dodge Durango
  By chipollajewelers - October 26 - 10:00 am

  This is the smoothest riding truck you will ever drive. Feels like you are floating. Excellent cargo space, drivers seat is high up so you can see everything. Love the new design (Which I did not like at first, you grow to love it quick). Strong V8 engine. Fuel effeciency seems a little low. Its a beast of a truck.

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  Fun but expensive! - 1991 Dodge Stealth
  By Firehawk5th - October 26 - 2:00 am

  If you love performance then this is the car, if in good shape and all service intervals have been taken care of. I own a 1991 Twin Turbo. It is probably the best handling car I have ever owned. I have owned many sports cars. The sound of the turbos is awesome. The car will fly! But these cars are expensvie to maintain also. Parts are priced high and usually simple things require a lot of labor at dealers or your local mechanic. Just follow the intervals to the "T" and you will ok. But this is an awesome machine and will get you in trouble!

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  I love my Neon! - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By sharona - October 26 - 2:00 am

  I,too, had the head gasket problem but the dealership gave me a real cheap price to replace it because they admitted the older Neons had this problem. Had a couple of other minor problems (erg valve and the coil pack) but they were covered under warranty. I have 104,000 miles on her now and she still runs great! Good acceleration, hugs corners, great fuel mileage, heat the would make the devil hot, great a/c. great radio/speakers and she always starts! Good cold weather car!

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  Dodge Intrepid ES is the best vehicle - 1998 Dodge Intrepid
  By Rachel - October 26 - 2:00 am

  I have owned a intrepid for 1 year. They are great winter cars, very reliable no major problems. Brakes may go out more than they should. 3.2L 24valve engine is very peppy.Autostick on ES models is a cool toy. Very sporty. The best vehicle to buy if you want a large sedan.

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  Cant go wrong with this one - 2001 Dodge Neon
  By SpyderWeiss - October 26 - 2:00 am

  I love my neon, ive had it for 10 months now. Great ride, plenty of power. More than any car in its class, including civic, echo, corolla, metro, well, you get the idea. Engine makes great noise, gotta love that american power. Only thing i regret about buying it is now dodge is coming out with their srt 4 version, so it looks like ill be selling it asap to upgrade :)

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  The Mustang GT of Trucks - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By J. Ferreira - October 26 - 2:00 am

  A kick ass truck with the right amount of power and torque. Mileage isnt that bad. If youre worried about gas mileage then buy a scooter!

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  Magnum Joyride - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By daPig - October 25 - 11:30 pm

  Performance exceptional - especially the mileage. For a Hemi, 22 highway! The 4- cylinder feature does the trick! Gets the stares too, you can tell folks appreciate the lines & design. Lovin it so far (+/-6,000 miles down).

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  2016 charger sxt rally - 2016 Dodge Charger
  By david gardner - October 25 - 6:24 am

  Ive only had the car for a month, so far Im really liking it. havent had any [problems with it. fun to drive and kind of sporty for a sedan. Katy Chrysler Dodge jeep gave me a good deal. I am happy with my purchase so far!

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  Cool car. Fun to drive - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Chuck - October 25 - 4:33 am

  I Like everything about this car. The only thing I dislike is the day time running lights. It is a option that someone must of ordered .

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  Good, basic transportation - 1991 Dodge Spirit
  By PaulD - October 25 - 2:00 am

  We bought the car as a demo car, back a long time ago. 10 years later, the car still runs great. Its not perfect, weve had a few things go wrong over the years. But what do you expect for an inexpensive basic car? The number of things to go wrong has been I think below average for a car with 200,000 miles on it.