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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  02 Stratus - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By CA94080 - August 19 - 2:00 am

  Bought the V6 2.7L 2002 Stratus SE. Love its powerful engine and acceleration. Its AT is not as smooth as my GM car. The paint job is poor. The plastic interior looks cheap. The battery is at a very odd position (not viewable under the hood). The work room under the hood is very tight, which makes many maintenance job more difficult. The headroom for the front folks is too small, regarding the size of this vehicle. It has a huge blind spot at the drive side. Have to be very careful when change lanes. Fuel economy is about 21-22 mpg for mostly highway driving. The trunk is narrow, but quite deep. Reliability: after 8000 miles, no any problem so far.

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  Fantastic - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By Brian1330 - August 19 - 2:00 am

  This is a great truck to drive. It has the power and the looks. I drove several trucks before buying the Dakota, and I couldnt beat the room. For the same price as a compact truck why not buy the midsize Dakota. You wouldnt be sorry.

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  Nice family truck..and the V8 rocks! - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By Allwirl - August 19 - 2:00 am

  I had a Chevy..many problems. Then I got a Ram Quad 1500, it was nice, but sooo tight in the garage. This (not so) little Dakota is the perfect size for a family man who doesnt tote a lot of lumber anymore. Kids love the backseat, Mom loves the size, and Daddy loves the V8! The V6 seemed sluggish, and the V8 downright hauls butt. I actually got the V8 cheaper than I could have gotten the V6...go figure. From my past experience with the Ram, I know there is quality. I had minor problems, but dealership and Dodge excell in customer service. GOTTA GETTA DODGE!!!

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  Stay away from this van! - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By pbwaters75 - August 18 - 8:00 am

  Purchased this van Dec. 2005. It was part of a previous rental fleet and had 29000 miles. We used it has a family vehicle and had it 4 years. It was great until we turned 50K. After that, all down hill. Rack and pinion had to be replaced, electrical problems, tie rod ends, burning oil, and the end-all the transmission started slipping. Went to the nearest dealer and traded. The vechicle was well maintained for the time we owned it. Its too bad that Chrysler cant put some reliability into the countrys "best selling van."

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  130,000 miles and its time to go - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By Randall - August 18 - 2:00 am

  Well, with a baby now and not enough room in the ext. cab for it its time for a quad cab. My truck has been put threw hard driving and just loves to work. What is going on with the ball joints? Replaced every 30k miles. bottoms are beefy but the tops are like a golf ball. Too bad you need to break the bottoms to replace the tops. When i nigotiate my new price, I will want a 100k mile warrentee on the ball joints. Would I recomend this truck to someone? Answer...yes

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  Great Upgrade! - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By bltkate - August 18 - 2:00 am

  I had a 2000 Dakota and loved that truck. This is a great step up on features and performance. We have done a lot of looking around at the other SUVs out there and this was still my first choice. The trade off between features and gas economy was no sacrifice compared to the other SUVs. Very stable in the curves and on rouph roads. Lots of room inside.

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  happy! - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By realbub - August 18 - 2:00 am

  Nothing but a joy

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  2002 Dodge Stratus SE Plus - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By FreddieGN - August 17 - 2:00 am

  It is not my vehicle but my brother owns a 2002 Dodge Stratus SE Plus! I love this car. Doing 60 on the highway feels more like 30! It has great fuel economy. He has it in Stone White with Dark Slate Gray Cloth. The back seat is comfortable enough for 2 adults and a 5 feet tall 12 year old. Perfect legroom in front and back!

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  Do Not Put Yourself In this position. - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Jennifer - August 16 - 11:36 pm

  I have had mine for less than 4 months and it has been serviced 13 times and have been in the shop a total of 28 days (accumulative). It made a noise when turning left, which took them forever to figure out, the windshield made a buzzing sound on the interstate, the dashboard rattled, the back vents didnt work on low. So I have had a new power steering pump, new brakes, new shocks, new rotors, a new blower switch, 2 new cal panels, a part in the dashboard, a new air conditioning belt, and 5 new tires, which made the gas mileage worse. Heres the kicker, the steering wheel vibrates as well as the driver and passenger seat vibrates and they cannot fix it. DO not buy one of these.

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  dodge still with transmission problems - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By ace - August 16 - 10:00 am

  transmission will spend more time on the floor of the shop than in the vehicle