Because the front wheels are left alone to steer, it's quite easy to move this large car around curves, despite a 3048 millimetre wheelbase that is close in length to some full-size pickups. Recognizing the potential speed and mass of this vehicle, when it comes to stopping, Dodge didn't compromise either. The Magnum's four-wheel discs felt strong and immediate, without the soft feel we've encountered in its platform sharing 300C mate.
Overall, the Magnum feels really solid, something we haven't seen in a Dodge car, Viper excluded, in a number of years.
You do get other "stuff" when you check off the RT box on the options list. Fog lights, a bright grille, leather seats, steering wheel and shift knob, a six-speaker stereo, and a larger 72-litre fuel tank.
The seats are noteworthy. Supportive, with firm cushions and substantial side bolstering to hold you in tight without being too restrictive on family vacations. The black-on-white gauges have a much sportier look than what's found in the 300C. With less chrome accents throughout, otherwise, it's the same basic design as the more luxurious Chrysler. The overall interior design is simple and functional, but the quality of the materials is typical of any domestic today. Compared to a Passat, you can see, feel, and hear, where Dodge put their money (the HEMI, stupid).
Station wagon or hot-rod? Family hauler or Euro sports wagon? It's hard to pigeonhole the Magnum.
Like the Chrysler 300C, if you try to compare the Magnum to similarly priced vehicles against attributes that a car zealot appreciates (power, ride and handling), the competition comes up way short.
If you can forgo the Magnum's inferior interior build materials and inavailability of a manual transmission, from a bang-for-your-buck viewpoint, even our loaded RT press car at $43,140 smokes such pricey Euro rides such as Volvo's V70R (300-hp $60,995) or its own corporate bedfellow, the Mercedes-Benz E500 4MATIC wagon (302-hp $92,150).
Perchance the RT model seems a little "weak"? For around $10k more the Magnum SRT-8 will be coming this summer sporting a 425 horsepower, 6.1-litre HEMI. Chrysler's Street and Racing Technology (SRT) engineers claim 0-100 km/h acceleration in the low 5-second range.
Whatever 2005 Dodge Magnum you choose, the one area it differs from those hotrod Volvos is in the looks department. There's no denying this car stands out in day-to-day traffic--it ain't no Q-ship--which made driving this car all the more fun. If you're wearing a leather jacket, the urge to flip up the collar and drive with your left arm perched on the windowsill is irresistible.
- John LeBlanc is an Ottawa-based automotive critic, and publisher of straight-six.com
Overall, the Magnum feels really solid, something we haven't seen in a Dodge car, Viper excluded, in a number of years.
You do get other "stuff" when you check off the RT box on the options list. Fog lights, a bright grille, leather seats, steering wheel and shift knob, a six-speaker stereo, and a larger 72-litre fuel tank.
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| (photo : John Leblanc, straight-six.com) |
Station wagon or hot-rod? Family hauler or Euro sports wagon? It's hard to pigeonhole the Magnum.
Like the Chrysler 300C, if you try to compare the Magnum to similarly priced vehicles against attributes that a car zealot appreciates (power, ride and handling), the competition comes up way short.
If you can forgo the Magnum's inferior interior build materials and inavailability of a manual transmission, from a bang-for-your-buck viewpoint, even our loaded RT press car at $43,140 smokes such pricey Euro rides such as Volvo's V70R (300-hp $60,995) or its own corporate bedfellow, the Mercedes-Benz E500 4MATIC wagon (302-hp $92,150).
 |
| (photo : John Leblanc, straight-six.com) |
Whatever 2005 Dodge Magnum you choose, the one area it differs from those hotrod Volvos is in the looks department. There's no denying this car stands out in day-to-day traffic--it ain't no Q-ship--which made driving this car all the more fun. If you're wearing a leather jacket, the urge to flip up the collar and drive with your left arm perched on the windowsill is irresistible.
- John LeBlanc is an Ottawa-based automotive critic, and publisher of straight-six.com