I am going to be getting rid of my Mustang and getting a new car that is more kid friendly....I'm wanting to get my Mom car before me and my husband have a kid. I have driven a Charger but the Dodge lot that we deal with has been out of Magnums for a few months now. How does it handle in comparison to the Charger?? I am looking at the R/T model by the way...no more V6's....

Any insight is appreciated!

 

I have never driven the Charger so I can't tell ya the difference.
I think that the Magnum itself handles very well for a 2 ton beast.

And you can't argue that it is'nt one of the most unique and beautiful looking cars on the road today (IMHO).

 

Shamrock69,
They are both built on the same platform and both weigh about the same, so I would imagine they handle the same. The Charger is 2" longer than the Magnum... (due to the point of the nose on the front) I only drove a base model Charger, so the comparision was no fair, the Magnum RT handled way better than the base Charger, but that is a no brainer... I would post this question in the Charger Section and see if you get a better response.

 

Hello Shamrock,

I have had both, trading in an 05 Magnum sxt on 07 Charger rt/rt. I had the Magnum for a little over a year and a half and put 70,000 miles on the odometer. I've had the Charger 2 months. The Magnum does allow for a lot more items to be haulled around. Ice chests and gun cases (we shoot alot) boxes and bags don't get in the way of closing a trunk. On the down side any loose items can be heard rattling around in the back. The Charger is also a quieter ride, I think this has to do more with the trunk as well. Rear vision is actually better for backing in the Magnum unless you have stuff stacked above you rear window veiw. As far as ride they are comparable, I was initially going to trade the Mag sxt on a Mag rt but they didn't have one in the road and track package. I did look at a Mag srt8 but the srt doesn't have the lifetime warrantee and I put a lot of highway miles on our vehicles so the extra few mpg add up. One thing I absolutly hated about the magnum was the plastic rocker panels. I tore them off twice just driving down a farmhouse driveway with slight bumps in the road. Clearance sucks. The Charger has a different set up than the magnum and a line deeper in on the unibody that will hit before tearing off the rocker panel. that is one of the main reasons I went with the Charger over the Magnum. I have a rocked driveway and we are contantly traversing farm roads and unpaved fields while at shoots. The magnum had a softer ride but that's comparing the sxt to r and t package. I do like having a trunk again, we traded a durango for the magnum and it is nice having thinks out of sight. You would thinkthe vision from the rear seat would be the same but you have a lot more line of sight when riding in the back seat of the Charger. Interiors are identicle. It may be due to the different seats.

Anything else you'd like to know?


Garry

 

I work about 45 mins from my house...so after the running around we do on my days off I put around 2000 miles a month on my car....How is the magnum after its got a few thousand miles on it?? I know our 2500 still runs like a new one at 52000 miles!
How does it handle in the corners?? I know the Charger is EXCELLENT!!! Much better than my Mustang. There have been quite a few people tell me the rear vision is horrible in the Charger...but no one has commented on the Magnum...thanks for that info!! Since I'm short every bit of help I can get backing out of parking spaces is AWESOME!! So is the main difference between the charger and the magnum that the magnum is a bit longer in the "trunk" area??? Because that is what I need! This is going to be my "mom" car and I gotta have enough room to haul a stroller!! I am definately getting the R/T model! I drove the Charger R/T because the dealer here was out of Magnums....they don't sell many here at all! How does the back of the mangum open up?? I am wanting to know how easy it would be for me to be fumbling things around and get the hatch open... And anything else you know about the magnum that would be a plus for someone with a kid.

 

Shamrock,

Not really longer in the trunk area, just more open space. The hatch lifts up and open, and is higher to put in items. It handles great on curves but the road and track packages makes a difference as far as roll.
Easy to open the back hatch.my wife is 5'4" and didn't have any problems.It ran great up to 60,000 or so I run 80-90 mph 3000 miles a month, I thought the V6 was getting weak, however it could've been hemi fever. I had it serviced regularly and never had it in the shop for anything other than service.

Garry

 

The hatch is very easy to open, my six year old daughter can open it withno problem and the bumper is low enough to reach the back of the seats with no problem. The tiny side windows can make backing out of parking spots interesting, but not imposible. Hope this helps.

 

Speaking as a grandparent, we've never had a problem putting a large stroller in the back of our '05 Magnum RT. And child seats fit without a problem.

 

Not only does the rear deck open easily, but it closes w/equally little effort. Which is a big plus when you have little ones. If I need to get anything out of the trunk in the wifes Chevy HHR I need to do it before I tak my son out of his car seat, because the damn thing almost never closes right on the first try. The Maggie's hatch closes smoothly every time with no need to slam the lid. And If you are having trouble finding a new Magnum then search Autotrader.com, most people don't realise it's just as useful when trying to find a new car. If you go to Dodge.com they also have a useful setup for searching local inventory. Don't e afraid to buy used either. I got my certified '06 R/T with 10k mi for only $20k...there are great deals to be had if you look.

 

I bought my 05 RTused as well with 13,000 km's on it and have never regretted it. I tried driving a Charger and it just didn't feel right(eventhough the interior is the same, I just couldn't put my finger on it) and I also drove a 3.5 V6 Magnum and once you drive the Hemi you don't want to go back. The V6 is peppy but it doesn't have the feel of the big V8 and with the MDS the fuel economy is comparable(and it just sounds awesome).
Bothvehicles are nice looking but with kids the Magnum would be the better bet with a little more room than a trunk.

So it all comes down to your preference......cool sedan or sweet wagon