Dodge Research & Reviews

Overview & Reviews

Average Score

4.18/5 Average
11,324 Total Reviews
Make Overview:

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:

Showing 9961 through 9970 of 11,324.00
  • Wish they still made them - 1993 Dodge Shadow
    By -

    I bought a 93 shadow new for $9200. I now have 141,000 miles and the only repairs have been a horn, one set of brakes (at 120,000) one set of plugs, 3 sets of tires. DODGE please stop making the piece of crap neon, and make this car again. I wish I could hop in my time machine a buy a few more of these new.

  • When will they fix my A/C - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
    By -

    Red 96 Intrepid with a 3.5L V6. Fun to drive but has its problem areas. Started with batteries dying, traced to bad POS battery cable. Been in the shop 4 times (or more, lost track)for A/C. Water pump went out early at about 47k miles. Door seals have a lot of wind noise at highway speed. Front suspension had to be redone at about 85k. Just over 100k miles and the steering sounds like its about to go out. Paint faded too early in my opinion. Sealed beam headlights werent as sealed as name implied, consensation inside and have to drive with fog lights on at night to see.

  • Wouldnt get another one - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
    By -

    Overall, our 08 Grand Caravan SXT is a good vehicle but I wouldnt get another one. As one reviewer said, this car EATS BRAKES. Replaced the fronts at approx. 20K miles and the rears at 25K miles. I didnt replace my rear brakes on my 02 Mustang until 90K miles. Rear brakes do 10% of the stopping work. No reason for rear brakes to be replaced so early. Absurd. Chrysler did reimburse me $93 for the brakes (I spent $200 for all 4 brakes). Had a few trips to the dealership because the A/C didnt blow cold air and the radiator cap was leaking (both recalls). As far as fuel economy, we averaged 23 MPG on a trip to Boston. Most of the driving is city driving and we get 17MPG.

  • Great cruiser - 1992 Dodge Stealth
    By -

    I bought this car a month ago with 80k miles on it. I loved the looks of this car with the air vents on the side and the sleek body. The interior is just as great with probably in my opinion the most gagdets of most any other sportscar. The performance is outstanding and the twin turbos will get you into some trouble because they will respond effortlessly to your every command. The car is so stable at high speeds that you dont realize how fast youre going until you look at the speedo. The gear ratios are pretty low and you will find yourself cruising along in 5th at a 100MPH with the engine humming at a tad bit above the 3k RPM mark.

  • Awesome Car - 1994 Dodge Shadow
    By -

    Fun, power, reliable, economic... everything and more. Has enough power to be fun, handels Extremely well, little maintance, and at 109k miles... the only problem was the a/c went out, due to incompentant service that the previous owner had taken too...

  • 95 No go - 1995 Dodge Neon
    By -

    Significant reoccurring electrical problems due to poor design of electrical harness. overheating because of head gasket problems. The electrical problems have been the most frustrating because they are difficult to impossible to track down. 96s made in Mexico have the harness problems that is recallable. Same problem exists in 95 but dealership is unwilling to acknowledge or repair under recall. Same dealership has had a lemon plymouth van parked in front of their shop for over 2 years.

  • My experience with my Grand Caravan SE - 1997 Dodge Caravan
    By -

    Ive been very pleased with this vehicle. Never regretted. I have over 100,000 miles right now and didnt have any major problem. The only one I got was the AC compressor that had to be replaced recently.

  • My Dodge Avenger - 1996 Dodge Avenger
    By -

    Ive loved my 96 Avenger. It has not given me any mechanical problems with one exception. In the first 30,000 miles the engine leaked oil. My Dealer was great and it turned out to be a wrinkel in the head gasket which was corrected under warranty. With regular oil changes and upkeep, the car has performed well for its price range. I wish they were still making that model.

  • Best small pickup on the market - 1992 Dodge Dakota
    By -

    I have owned 2 1992 Dodge Dakotas both sports and both short box. Regret loosing both of them. First one was a V-6 that I lost to a roll over accedent and the second was a V-8 that I traded in (Stupid!!!!) The V-6 was decent on gas and the V-8 what can I say. You dont buy a V-8 with worrys about MPG

  • Switched from a Chevy - 1998 Dodge Durango
    By -

    Overall great truck but I feel like Im married to the gas pump. Love the sturdiness - doesnt feel like a tin can. Great for towing my boat and camper. Suprised that I got better gas mileage in the mountains than I do in the flatlands of Florida. I didnt realize how sturdy this truck was until a VW Rabbit rear-ended me at 45 m.p.h. while I was at a dead stop. My bumper was smashed but the Rabbit was totalled. I decided the poor gas mileage was worth the price of having a truck that stood up in an accident. Now I wouldnt trade it!

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