A HEMI-powered blast down memory lane
I don't remember much of my early childhood days. Maybe my brain isn't big enough, but it seems every time I learn something new, I forget something else. The other day when I finally learned how to program the VCR to record a TV show, I forgot how to use the microwave.
I'm exaggerating. A little.
One of the rare things I recall when I was about 4 years old, was this mammoth lime green station wagon with fake wood stickers on its flanks. It was a 1972 Dodge Monaco Wagon. Forget about aerodynamics (except maybe for the power headlight covers, oooh), forget about fuel efficiency, forget about handling, and forget about ergonomics. It was huge, had a huge interior, and had huge seats. But above all, it had a choice of huge engines. 360-, 400- or 440-inch carbureted V8s to be exact. The gas crisis of 1973-1974 pretty much spoiled the market for these mammoths. The full-size wagon disappeared from Chrysler's inventory in 1978. Front-wheel drive was the new thing in the early eighties. In 1983, Chrysler launched the minivan, which ultimately strangled the wagon market for years in North America.
Back then, manufacturers proudly flaunted their station wagons. But since the '80s, they tend to avoid this nomenclature. Owning a wagon is supposedly not a very good status symbol. Curiously, the same thing is happening to minivans these days.
Fast forward to 2005. Chrysler is now known as DaimlerChrysler after its buyout, er, merge with Mercedes-Benz. It now has plenty of available parts for developing rear-wheel drive cars, and does. Since the fall of 2004, North America has bowed down at the return of the mighty Chrysler rear-wheel drivers--The Chrysler 300, The Dodge Magnum and, more recently, the Dodge Charger. The launch this type of vehicle is rather odd in this era of greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy. And the most peculiar of the three has got to be the Magnum. Who buys full-size wagons in 2005?
Well, a few, as it turns out. You now see 300s roaming around pretty much everywhere--and let's face it, how can that car go unnoticed? A 300 coming up behind you is just about as subtle as a fat gangster in a trench coat running towards you shooting a Tommy gun. The Magnum's schnoz is a little less aggressive, but you'll spot it less frequently, because it is a wagon after all, and you gotta watch that status symbol meter. Come on, does the Magnum look like a Soccer Mom special? I think not.
Whatever you think of the Magnum, it's fairly huge, has a huge interior
and huge seats. Hey--just like my dad's '72 Monaco. Here's another similarity: a big honkin' V8 engine.
So by sharing parts between three similar models, DaimlerChrysler has kept manufacturing costs down. It's ironic to see that the company returned to profitability by reintroducing rear-wheel drive to its lineup. However, the vehicle in this review happens to be all-wheel drive, another component stolen out of the Benz tool shed.
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| 1972 Dodge Monaco Wagon (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada) |
I'm exaggerating. A little.
One of the rare things I recall when I was about 4 years old, was this mammoth lime green station wagon with fake wood stickers on its flanks. It was a 1972 Dodge Monaco Wagon. Forget about aerodynamics (except maybe for the power headlight covers, oooh), forget about fuel efficiency, forget about handling, and forget about ergonomics. It was huge, had a huge interior, and had huge seats. But above all, it had a choice of huge engines. 360-, 400- or 440-inch carbureted V8s to be exact. The gas crisis of 1973-1974 pretty much spoiled the market for these mammoths. The full-size wagon disappeared from Chrysler's inventory in 1978. Front-wheel drive was the new thing in the early eighties. In 1983, Chrysler launched the minivan, which ultimately strangled the wagon market for years in North America.
Back then, manufacturers proudly flaunted their station wagons. But since the '80s, they tend to avoid this nomenclature. Owning a wagon is supposedly not a very good status symbol. Curiously, the same thing is happening to minivans these days.
 |
| 2005 Dodge Magnum RT AWD (Photo: Michel Deslauriers, Auto123) |
Well, a few, as it turns out. You now see 300s roaming around pretty much everywhere--and let's face it, how can that car go unnoticed? A 300 coming up behind you is just about as subtle as a fat gangster in a trench coat running towards you shooting a Tommy gun. The Magnum's schnoz is a little less aggressive, but you'll spot it less frequently, because it is a wagon after all, and you gotta watch that status symbol meter. Come on, does the Magnum look like a Soccer Mom special? I think not.
Whatever you think of the Magnum, it's fairly huge, has a huge interior
 |
| 2005 Dodge Magnum RT AWD (Photo: Michel Deslauriers, Auto123) |
So by sharing parts between three similar models, DaimlerChrysler has kept manufacturing costs down. It's ironic to see that the company returned to profitability by reintroducing rear-wheel drive to its lineup. However, the vehicle in this review happens to be all-wheel drive, another component stolen out of the Benz tool shed.