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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  Stow n Go Sold Me! - 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Kristen E. - August 23 - 10:00 am

  Having a DGC with the stow n go feature is like having two vehicles. In less than 30 seconds my 7-passenger kid-hauler turns into a very roomy and practical cargo-van. In fact, I can pack more in this van than I could in a un-covered pick-up truck! It is designed to fit a 4x8 sheets of material! Bravo, Chrysler. The fact that this van is stylish, very roomy, comfortable and competitively priced is just icing on the cake. There are so many seating/hauling possibilities! The fuel economy is not stellar, but its better than a truck, and I find it much more useful. The tranny in mine was jerky at first, but after 2500 miles it shifts smooth as silk. The under floor storage is impressive too!!

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  Decent van to haul kids and packages - 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Pete K. - August 23 - 10:00 am

  Overall, I am pleased with the vehicle. After putting 12k on it, here are my thoughts: all city driving mpg is overstated. I average 14 mpg (12 mpg with A/C on). This is total BS as Dodge claims the car should do much better. So far, the vehicle is fine, except for several well documented issues and I experienced both of them. After 7k, front rotors had to be machined and that was taken care quickly. At 11k, front wheel bearings were replaced. The car sounded like a jet at speeds above 30 mph. Also, the rear windshield wipers were making a screeching sound. The part was ordered and replaced. At stop and go, the tranny hunts for 2 and 3 gear, mostly guessing wrong but you can manually shift.

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  a car that gets you there - 1990 Dodge Spirit
  By Alfredo - August 23 - 2:00 am

  an all around good car

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  Fun car less than poor quality - 1999 Dodge Neon
  By LaBron - August 23 - 2:00 am

  Fun driving car, great on the track, great gas mileage. Its got rattles throughout the car and its spent more time in the shop than reasonable. Blown head gasket, warped trim, a/c compressor failure, electric sunroof failure, injectors clogged even on premium gas!! Essentially, if you want fun to drive and reliablitity together you should buy something else.

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  R/T - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By dkr - August 23 - 2:00 am

  My R/T has been an excellent car! No problems to this point. Routine service except the entire exhaust was replaced due to a buzz/whine/rattle in one of the mufflers/resonators. Loads of space for my family of 3, and still good power and sportiness.

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  Solid vehicle for the $$$$ - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By mitchell lee - August 23 - 2:00 am

  We just bought this caravan sport and we are very happpy with it. A solid well rounded van with a very quiet comfortable ride. The 3.3 6cyl is exceptable but we wish we had paid a little more for the grand caravan which comes with the 3.8 liter engine and 30 more horsepower. The worst feature is the lack of dual climate control.

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  Best truck Ive owned - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By CEO - August 23 - 2:00 am

  Great ride , great fun to drive (get the 4.7L V8) Milage so-so , but as a mid size tow vehical.. the best , Take a ride in all the others , then save the best for last , this way you can drive it home !

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  I love my Dodge - 1998 Dodge Stratus
  By Christina Salem, Ore - August 22 - 2:00 am

  This was the only kind of car I wanted when my husband and I set out to buy a new family car. A couple of my friends also owned Dodge Stratuss. I enjoyed both driving thiers, and riding. I wanted something big enough, and reliable to drive my family in, without looking like a "den mother". Taking into consideration the apperance and dependability of Dodge Stratus there was no choice. I LOVE MY DODGE STRATUS.

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  Sport Convertible - 1991 Dodge Shadow
  By wheelnut - August 22 - 2:00 am

  I love my Shadbow convertible, although its old.

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  No Way! - 1996 Dodge Caravan
  By Pitts - August 22 - 2:00 am

  We purchased the caravan new in 1996 and we will NEVER buy another Dodge again. From the start we had problems with the transmission (twice rebuilt), constant brake problems, AC (twice), radiator problems and so many other smaller brake downs - I cant name them all. We even had an extended warranty, but after so many times in the shop, its our time lost and loss of confidence in this vehicle that was suppose to be dependable that we will choose to never buy Dodge again.