Dodge gives new meaning to the term 'hauling'
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02-01-2005, 10:23 PM
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Dodge gives new meaning to the term 'hauling'
Web-posted Jan 30, 2005
behind the wheel
BRYAN LAVIOLETTE
Of The Oakland Press
Occasionally, a car company comes up with an idea that catches all of the others napping. Chrysler saw a market for a big, modern affordable rear-wheel drive sedan and wagon where the competition continues with overpowered front-wheel drivers. These cars - the Dodge Magnum wagon and it's sedan brother the Chrysler 300 - are reminiscent of days gone by, when Detroit iron had big V-8 engines under the hood, turning the rear wheels. Dress the car in gangster-wannabe clothes and there's little doubt how the marketplace would react.
In fact, it was amazing watching people - OK, mostly men - stare at this car. It really is something to look at. It's relatively low, with narrow windows. Up front, the Magnum's huge snout makes a distinctive first impression. The test car was dressed in the most unusual black paint. Up close, the paint shimmered with hints of blue, green and red. From a distance, it's just black. Dark tinted windows complete the sinister look of the beast. This may be the coolest-looking wagon ever built.
Dodge's 5.7-liter 340-horsepower Hemi V-8 has received a lot of attention lately - so much so that Chrysler is having trouble keeping up with demand, despite gasoline prices that continue to escalate. For the Magnum, engineers incorporated a cylinder deactivation system meant to increase fuel economy by as much as 20 percent. Don't bother trying to figure out when those cylinders go to sleep because the transition is completely seamless. Yet, plenty power is available anytime the driver mashes the throttle.
Don't want the V-8 thrust? The Magnum is also available with a 2.7-liter DOHC V-6 making 190 horsepower, as well as a terrific 3.5-literV-6 making 250 horsepower. Lower-level models have a four-speed automatic while a new five-speed automatic is in the upper-level models.
The view from the driver's seat is great, at least looking forward. The narrow windows make rearward visibility an issue. The seats are wide and comfortable; the center console has useful places to stash stuff.
One miscue is the placement of the cruise control stalk. It's just above the turn signal, so my wife and I both kept hitting it when we wanted the turn signal. And the turn signal stalk itself is mounted too low.
The rear seat has outstanding legroom, even with the front seats back in their tracks. The sleek roofline of the wagon might cut into rear headroom for taller folks.
In back, the cargo hold is a bit smaller than one might expect of such a big car. With the 60/40 split rear seats up, there's 29.6 cubic feet back there, nearly four cubes less than the smaller Subaru Legacy. That's the price you pay for that swoopy rear end.
Because front-wheel drive has become so pervasive, some drivers might be wary of going back to the bad old days of rear-wheel drive. How will the thing handle snow? But modern technology, including anti-lock brakes, traction control and stability assist, should make the debate between front- and rear-wheel drive moot. And if you're still concerned, order the optional all-wheel drive.
Making the car rear-wheel drive allowed Dodge to put the Hemi in this vehicle. Some front-wheel drive cars are now available with as much as 300 horsepower. That is probably the limit for what a car's overworked front wheels can handle.
The Magnum has a great ride, at least in part because of the four-wheel independent suspension. Getting rid of the solid rear axle might be the best update to the old-time Detroit formula that Dodge gave the Magnum. The only thing that mars the experience behind the wheel is steering that lacks feel and is easily upset by bumps in turns. It needs constant corrections.
Chrysler has resurrected the great tradition of the American sedan and even added a new chapter with a high-performance wagon. There's nothing else out there that even comes close at the price.
2005 Dodge Magnum SXT
Assembly: Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Type: Full-size five-door five-passenger wagon
Drivetrain: 2.7-liter V-6, 3.5-liter V-6, 5.7-liter Hemi V-8; four- or five-speed automatic; rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive
Curb weight: 4,125 pounds (rear-wheel drive)
Mileage:17 city, 25 highway
Information: (800) 4ADODGE, www.dodge.com
How it rated
(1-5 H's, 5 H's being best)
interior - HHHH
handling - HHH
styling - HHHHH
overall - HHHHH
Good: Incredible V-8 power driving the rear wheels
Bad: Inaccurate steering through bumpy turns, ill-placed cruise control stalk
Bottom line: Chrysler builds a car that flaunts its American roots
Source not specified.
-Matt-
behind the wheel
BRYAN LAVIOLETTE
Of The Oakland Press
Occasionally, a car company comes up with an idea that catches all of the others napping. Chrysler saw a market for a big, modern affordable rear-wheel drive sedan and wagon where the competition continues with overpowered front-wheel drivers. These cars - the Dodge Magnum wagon and it's sedan brother the Chrysler 300 - are reminiscent of days gone by, when Detroit iron had big V-8 engines under the hood, turning the rear wheels. Dress the car in gangster-wannabe clothes and there's little doubt how the marketplace would react.
In fact, it was amazing watching people - OK, mostly men - stare at this car. It really is something to look at. It's relatively low, with narrow windows. Up front, the Magnum's huge snout makes a distinctive first impression. The test car was dressed in the most unusual black paint. Up close, the paint shimmered with hints of blue, green and red. From a distance, it's just black. Dark tinted windows complete the sinister look of the beast. This may be the coolest-looking wagon ever built.
Dodge's 5.7-liter 340-horsepower Hemi V-8 has received a lot of attention lately - so much so that Chrysler is having trouble keeping up with demand, despite gasoline prices that continue to escalate. For the Magnum, engineers incorporated a cylinder deactivation system meant to increase fuel economy by as much as 20 percent. Don't bother trying to figure out when those cylinders go to sleep because the transition is completely seamless. Yet, plenty power is available anytime the driver mashes the throttle.
Don't want the V-8 thrust? The Magnum is also available with a 2.7-liter DOHC V-6 making 190 horsepower, as well as a terrific 3.5-literV-6 making 250 horsepower. Lower-level models have a four-speed automatic while a new five-speed automatic is in the upper-level models.
The view from the driver's seat is great, at least looking forward. The narrow windows make rearward visibility an issue. The seats are wide and comfortable; the center console has useful places to stash stuff.
One miscue is the placement of the cruise control stalk. It's just above the turn signal, so my wife and I both kept hitting it when we wanted the turn signal. And the turn signal stalk itself is mounted too low.
The rear seat has outstanding legroom, even with the front seats back in their tracks. The sleek roofline of the wagon might cut into rear headroom for taller folks.
In back, the cargo hold is a bit smaller than one might expect of such a big car. With the 60/40 split rear seats up, there's 29.6 cubic feet back there, nearly four cubes less than the smaller Subaru Legacy. That's the price you pay for that swoopy rear end.
Because front-wheel drive has become so pervasive, some drivers might be wary of going back to the bad old days of rear-wheel drive. How will the thing handle snow? But modern technology, including anti-lock brakes, traction control and stability assist, should make the debate between front- and rear-wheel drive moot. And if you're still concerned, order the optional all-wheel drive.
Making the car rear-wheel drive allowed Dodge to put the Hemi in this vehicle. Some front-wheel drive cars are now available with as much as 300 horsepower. That is probably the limit for what a car's overworked front wheels can handle.
The Magnum has a great ride, at least in part because of the four-wheel independent suspension. Getting rid of the solid rear axle might be the best update to the old-time Detroit formula that Dodge gave the Magnum. The only thing that mars the experience behind the wheel is steering that lacks feel and is easily upset by bumps in turns. It needs constant corrections.
Chrysler has resurrected the great tradition of the American sedan and even added a new chapter with a high-performance wagon. There's nothing else out there that even comes close at the price.
2005 Dodge Magnum SXT
Assembly: Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Type: Full-size five-door five-passenger wagon
Drivetrain: 2.7-liter V-6, 3.5-liter V-6, 5.7-liter Hemi V-8; four- or five-speed automatic; rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive
Curb weight: 4,125 pounds (rear-wheel drive)
Mileage:17 city, 25 highway
Information: (800) 4ADODGE, www.dodge.com
How it rated
(1-5 H's, 5 H's being best)
interior - HHHH
handling - HHH
styling - HHHHH
overall - HHHHH
Good: Incredible V-8 power driving the rear wheels
Bad: Inaccurate steering through bumpy turns, ill-placed cruise control stalk
Bottom line: Chrysler builds a car that flaunts its American roots
Source not specified.
-Matt-
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02-02-2005, 02:28 AM
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RE: Dodge gives new meaning to the term 'hauling'
i never really like newspaper articles about new vehicles because you can always tell that the person writing about it doesnt really know what he or she is talking about. but at least he was talking good about it- besides the handling(which i have heard others say the magnum and 300's were good handlers but havent driven one so i dont know)