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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  A great little car! - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Veggie - July 28 - 1:23 pm

  This is a very stylish car on both the exterior and interior. It is small and easy to park, but carries tons of stuff. I love that it both rides up high like and SUV and handles really well like a sports car. Im 62", and I have plenty of head room and look good driving this car. I have owned only imports up until now - if America keeps coming out with cars like this I will never need to go back.

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  A Fun, Sporty Large Sedan - 1993 Dodge Intrepid
  By Whisky7 - July 28 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned this car for 4 years now, and no problems at all the last 2. When I bought the car, my mechanic (not a dealer) said "nice car, but buy the warranty" Was he ever right! In the first two years replaced the AC, 2 water pumps, alternator, starter, and battery (all covered under warranty). Other than that, just change the oil every 3000, the plugs every year, gas it up and GO!

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  AWESOME! - 1999 Dodge Stratus
  By coo coo - July 28 - 2:00 am

  I REALLY LIKE THAT DODGE STRATUS IT IS A VERY NICE LOOKING CAR THAT IS VERY EASY TO DRIVE... IT WAS MY FIRST CAR... AND I LOVED IT!

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  Since I bought this nothing but problems - 2012 Dodge Durango
  By Hobbob - July 27 - 3:57 pm

  When I first got this I was so excited it was so nice I could not say that now. I have already fixed 6/9 recalls on this big poop of a vehicle some where repeats because the fix they had available didn’t fix the problem after all or caused more problems. Computer had at least 3 updates at $20 a piece. Some are simple recalls others are break failure accerator fire hazards etc. During one of the times it was at the dealer they took over a week to fix and no replacement vehicle offered. I finally went in to demand I have my car back since they didn’t seem to be doing anything and I was getting the run around every day was oh it will be ready tomorrow or later today. They informed me that the mechanic went home and had taken my keys with him. Went back a few hours later they had the keys but misplaced the truck waited 30mins for them to finally inform me that I could not have my car back because the power steering was not working and I would have to pay to fix it since it was like that when I dropped it off. Mind you it was not and I was on the phone with the managers or whatever several times since he kept informing me on when it would be done and increasing cost with updates etc. eventually they said it was their fault that they had unplugged it while it was in service and of course it wasn’t like that when I dropped it off. Okay You may be thinking that’s a problem with the dealership no worries. A day after receiving my car back I got a notice of yet another recall. Currently not even 6 months after receiving my car back I have two more recalls. My key will not read half the time it has a brand new battery and just today I am having acceleration problems. This is a 2012 car that’s 5 years old and already have 11 recalls 3 updates and cannot use my car at this moment as it is unsafe to drive. One of the current recalls is the alternator which may catch fire or cause it to stall out etc but they have no fix for this issue so I need to continue checking back with them Incase they figure it out. So if you decide you want a truck to only work part time to spend money on fixing problems left and right I would highly recommend this. If however you want reliable transportation that won’t catch fire, breaks, fail or have acceleration problems I would recommend anything even a tricycle before this. In addition small parts keep popping off like covers for screws etc which is annoying every time you vaccuum your car you have to continue popping them back in. Lift gate won’t stay up anymore and easy exit not longer works. I am not per say a dodge hater I am just tired of being screwed by this truck so much money wasted in purchasing since this is my first dodge I probably will not be buying another however my husband does have a ram 1500 we purchased after purchasing mine that is working fine. Other details are I average 10 mpg in city, back row is non existent as it is small and hard to get in and out of with back row up space is really limited. Car seats are a squeeze to fit expecally when rear facing not impossible though just not all seats will fit. Blind spots are not so bad until you have a car seat blocking the way. Ac seems to be running good both front and back. Remote start no longer works.

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  I love my Avenger - 1998 Dodge Avenger
  By action - July 27 - 2:00 am

  I have had my Avenger for 2 years now, and love it. Its sporty and has pep!

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  What a piece of junk!!! - 1998 Dodge Caravan
  By pwkam - July 27 - 2:00 am

  Engine block leaking oil right after the warrenty expire. I change oil every 4000 miles and have a good maintenance record. I sold it to the carmax because I am worry about tranmission problem will show up.

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  This Is a Great Van! - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By Phillip Merlino - July 27 - 2:00 am

  This Car In many ways is better than The Oddesy. One reason It has A quieter Interior Because Of not having the Fold Down Third row seat which Makes a sound hole with the opening. The 3.8 Liter V6 Makes Excellent Power Which realy Comes in handy when Climbing grades. The vehicle also climbs grades Wonderfully! I purchased The EX Model With Leather Both Power Sliding Doors And A power Liftgate For an excellent Price of $26,500 This car is a great Buy for the money and is very reliable. P.S I wanted to say Thankyou TO chrysler For building such A good Quality Vehicle.

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  Off Road - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By AWL - July 27 - 2:00 am

  I was in an accident which totaled my previous Durango but I bought another one because of hoe well I was protected from major injuries.

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  Made in Mexico - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Rasko - July 26 - 4:50 am

  My Journey has less than 2000 miles and it already has been to the dealership to get serviced for a broken left visor, my drivers side of the dashboard makes noise and my MPG is 12, my rear bumper on the drivers side is not even like the passenger side. This car is a true lemon please dont buy it, is my first American and my last one.

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  Overall, an Excellent Pickup - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By Maxwell House - July 26 - 2:00 am

  I purchased my Dakota in November of 1998, and will be selling it just short of 70,000 miles. I do so not because Ive been disappointed with the pickup, but because returning to college makes it necessary. Ive averaged just short of 16mpg, at 15.9, with a short list of modifications. They of course helped with the power, also, so, theyre a great investment. Intake, headers, new exhaust. Do it, youll like the results.