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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  AVENGER HEAT - 2011 Dodge Avenger
  By budley1 - July 26 - 8:10 pm

  I had one of the first road runners in Seattle. This car is just as fun as that was. I average 24mpg and have a heavy foot. After 3 months there is little I would change.

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  PLEASE DO NOT PURCHASE THIS VEHICLE - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By strat1163 - July 26 - 1:48 pm

  Purchased a 2009 Journey new in June 2009. Since this time I have had never ending problems with this vehicle, and I am NOT exaggerating. Here is a list of what was wrong with it: 6/2009: Air conditioning stopped working and needed system replaced. 9/09: developed a water leak causing mold in interior and rusty seat frames. 10/9 Both vanity mirrors broke. 1/10 water leak returned and at this point car smelled like a musty wet dog. Dealer "fixed" again 6/10: Transmission went and needed replaced. 3/11 Both exterior mirror paint was peeling: were painted. Both exhaust tips were rusting badly and exhaust was replaced. But dealer installed new exhaust with bent tips. cont.....

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  Great Vehicle! - 2011 Dodge Journey
  By brian178 - July 25 - 3:59 pm

  I cannot honestly find anything not to like about my 2011 Dodge Journey R/T. Styling is great. Even though its a CUV, it retains much of the muscle appeal of the Charger/Challenger. The interior is very well thought out. Touch screen works flawlessly and very fast. Tons of storage space. Third row is small, but when folded down there is ample space for gear while still maintaining room for 4 adults to fit comfortably. I have found the engine/transmission to be quick and quiet. Its no V-8 Hemi but it will move with some giddy-up when pushed. Ive had it up to over 100mph with two bikes on the roof, two passengers, the back full of gear, and it didnt hesitate getting there either.

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  2011 Charger W/Rallye Apperance Group - 2011 Dodge Charger
  By joshhumphrey - July 24 - 3:22 pm

  This car is awesome. I fell in love immediately it has everything you could want. The 20 wheels in the Rallye package will get you car noticed. Has a powerful v6 3.6 engine thats more than satisfying. Handling is great along with little road noise. The inside is very comfortable, but the back seats seem to have a little less space than previous years. The touch Screen is great along with the audio. A nice 4 door with style!

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  Poor Head Restraint Design blocks rear window - 2011 Dodge Journey
  By joel72 - July 24 - 12:36 pm

  After delivery of the Journey, I began noticing poor design issues that affected comfort and efficient use of interior space. However, my main concern was focused on a "safety" issue. The very large second row Head Restraints prevented a driver from having a good and safe view of traffic from the rear window. After a week or so, I removed these Head Restraints... and driving immediately became much easier and less stressful. It was now easier to see other cars in heavy traffic. It was easier when backing up. However, people in the second row would not have head protection. I eventually noticed that similar vehicle designed by other manufactures were designed with a much lower Head Restraint... like the RAVA-4 for example. An automotive shop here in Charlotte said they could reduce the size of the 10" head restraints to 4"... so they would be similar to those in the other vehicles. The price for both would be $500. This absolutely had to be done. Because this is an important "safety issue", Chrysler Customer Service was contacted for reimbursement of the Head Restraint alteration. Basically, they told me that I need to contact the Dealer (Keffer Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep)... and then "Keffer" would tell me that "Chrysler" should do this. This went back and forth a number of times. Eventually Chrysler Customer Service said that neither the manufacturer nor the dealer can have any part in this alteration for legal liability reasons. Yet at the same time both Chrysler and Keffer agreed that what I was asking for made a lot of good sense. And at the same time similar vehicles from other manufactures, such as the RAVA-4, had head restraints similar to what I needed for my Journey. All this was very frustrating, insensitive, illogical... and very wrong to a loyal Chrysler customer. To get the 2011 Dodge Journey, I traded in my 1994 Plymouth Grand Voyager which I had kept in great condition. In many ways, it was a very enjoyable, useful and comfortable car. I expected the Dodge Journey to be at least as satisfying. This has not been my experience... and Chrysler does not seem to care much about efficient design, comfort, safety... or satisfying customers anymore. I am sorry I bought the Journey. I would not recommend this vehicle to anyone.

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  awesome - 1994 Dodge Viper
  By gcpocd - July 24 - 11:27 am

  my 94 viper rt10 is a true show car.everywhere i go people react like they cannot believe this car is on the road.I cant go anywhere with out some body yelling out or following me.taking pictures or cam corder . I love the attention the car brings.i have had many different sports cars this by far is the most attention grabber to date.

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  The Beast - 2011 Dodge Challenger
  By ramdeer98 - July 16 - 11:15 pm

  I have owned my 2011 Challenger SRT8 392 Hemi for a month now and I am TOTALLY pleased. The performance is great, push you back in the seat type, FAST FAST FAST!! Comfortable as all and handles fantastic. I have the gray w/black stripes, every where I go I am getting compliments! Boy did they get it right this time!!! I have taken down a couple of Mustangs and Camaros! Next weekend going to race track and get the true times. When planting the pedal down the sound and feel makes me feel like I am a teenager again... haha I can not say anything bad about it except for the gas guzzler tax. I am glad I waited a year for the 2011. Turn off the radio, open the windows and sunroof to listen!!

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  So Far So Good - 2011 Dodge Durango
  By the_lab_rat - July 15 - 6:45 pm

  A joy to drive. Great acceleration for a 5K Lb SUV. Still under the initial 1K mile first service and the MPG has been just about double that of my 99 Dakota 4X4 standard cab with the 318. Very little push in the corners, and less body roll than I had prepared myself for. (test drove a crew as there were no R/Ts available at the time of purchase). Only 2 options that I ordered were Trailer&Tow and Entry Level NAV.

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  Think Twice - 2011 Dodge Journey
  By hayesrbeam - July 14 - 3:25 pm

  refrigerated compartment does not do work, very compact, you can touch the passanger side door from the driver seat! not good if you are planning on using the third row on a regular basis. seats are hard to move. No storage when third seat is up. NO pick up when the A/C is on. The floor shifter is easily moved out of gear, yes, while driving I accidentally moved it into reverse! When I called Dodge to check on a possible recall I pretty much got told I was on my own. As a side note, the entire car is plastic, everything and the seats are extremely hard to clean, get the leather! If you looking to downsize to save gas money, this is not the car for you. Horrible gas mileage.

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  2011 Dodge Journey - Starting Problems - 2011 Dodge Journey
  By bobs1969 - July 13 - 11:29 pm

  One day after I purchased my 2011 Dodge Journey Crew in April 2011 it failed to start while sitting in my driveway overnight. It has now been towed to the dealer three times with the same problem and the same result. Something is draining the battery but we cant find it and Chrysler doesnt have any solutions because they are not aware of the problem. I now feel we can no longer trust the reliability of our new car. It could leave us stranded anywhere at any-time. If the power fails & systems shut down while driving at highway speeds, could a power failure of this type cause an accident? So far I rate my car as Dangerous & Unreliable.