Dodge Magnum
 

The last couple days I've been lurking at the Dodge dealer because I was curious in finding another vehicle to replace the daily driver ('98 Honda CR-V). I tested the Dakota and that was mediocre, and not what I was looking for in replacing the Honda. Then I glanced over at the inferno red Magnum....my god that thing was talking to me like no other vehicle on the lot. It looks great in my opinion and the available option of a Hemi under the hood didn't hurt either ;) . When I got inside, I noticed a pretty good layout of the dash. More sophistacated than what I could remember from my last time in a Dodge, although the plastic still seemed a bit cheap for some reason and got dirty too easily (door handle and parts of dash was grimmy. Inside was spacious compared to the Honda which is a plus and quieter too since the engine isn't struggling. The available AWD will certainly make this a good selling point with my mom, she is paranoid of driving anything less. The rear hatch opens up a fair bit (almost a foot of the roof is a part of the hatch) to make getting things in and out a lot easiar. This is where the salesman lifted the floor panel and showed me the battery underneath, which I thought was a great idea! :eek: It provided better weight distribution and appealed to me in the performance factor (muscle car era). Throughout the whole car I noticed a solid fit. The sound of the door closing with that solid "thunk" really suprised me, sounds more like a BMW or Benz.

Overall, I am really pleased with the Magnum and hopefully it will be in the driveway in the near future. Does anyone know why don't more manufacturers put the battery in the rear of the vehicle? I believe the RX-8 in not a perfect 50/50 in weight distribution (findings from a couple car mags) and is more like 51/49 or similar. Would our cars benifit from this modification? Thoughts? :confused:

um i Thought dodge had horrible buikld quality.

From what I have heard the 300C and Magnum are doing well quality wise.

As far as te battery, I have seen a number of cars at SCCA events who relocate their batteries to the trunks rear seat area. Any little bit helps.

I really like the Magnum too. My wife actually does too. Her Xterra's only got 50k on the clock, but maybe in a few years we'll go that direction. I could see her hauling around the little ba$tards in that bay boy. More than anything though I'm curious to see if the marriage of a high HP/TQ Hemi and an AWD drivetrain will stand the test of time. I don't know what else Dodge makes, if anything, has full time AWD so the jury is still out for me.

Generally speaking though...I think Daimler Chysler is really improving their model lines and has been aggresively doing so for the last 3-5 years. Time will tell, but all of the SRT models, the Crossfire, 300C, success of the PT Cruiser (even though I hate those damn things) and the overall reliability of the Hemi in their truck lines is a good sign. Chysler has always more or less had a reputation for building strong, reliable motors. The problem is that the vehicles they sit in generally weren't built to the same standards. We shall see...but I do love the Magnum! Please post some pics if/when you get it.

are you talking about the Hearse looking car? stuff a coffin in their and you've got a job on the weekends

I loved the magnum. It feels just like the 300s (which is a good thing), but somehow more athletic. I did test drive both the V-6 and V-8 models, and definitely have to say I preferred the 6's. The suspension and chassis simply cannot properly handle the mass of the Hemi engine. It makes the car feel like a truck... But, the 6's are very smooth, quiet, reasonably powerful, etc. No complaints at all in that respect. A magnum was actually my second choice of car behind the 8. Very nice vehicles.

I know I must be in a minority with regard to the whole Daimler-Chrysler styling direction, Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum, etc. To me, they represent the whole post-9/11 security-seeking psychology. Each one looks as if it's missing the roof-mounted machine gun to complete the design.

I agree, the high output 6 cylinder model seemed more reasonable than the V8. I was actually surprised by how silent the cabin was, even when under hard acceleration. I found that going over bumps and potholes was more composed and quiet than I had expected. You hear very little... almost comparable to a Toyota in noise levels.

I like their line of cars coming out but after reading the Daimer Chrsyler horror stories for service I don't know.

The Miata has the battery in the trunk. So this is nothing thats new or orginal.

Here's a post you may find interesting. My dad is now waiting for his dealer to get a SRT-8 Magnum, his name is already on the first one. :D

Edit, whoops: https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...=review+magnum

That's funny! And I agree! They look like a stylish amored car.
But with the way people drive today ,it could be a plus.

Now HERE is an armored car.

OMG! that thing is ugly! I do like the LCD screen in the rear door.

I saw a Magnum the other day that was white with gost flames down the front and side with 20" chromies on it - man it was awesome. Add in the Hemi – man now that's a muscle car!

I think the magnum's pretty cool lookin...it's intimidating in the rear view mirror, almost takes up the whole damn view

As I said, post-9/11 design philosophy. :)

I used to think they were kind of cool but they are dissapointing in person. They only look good in red and black and the wagon style just doesn't do it for me. The new charger looks to be another dissapoinment because it looks exactly the same as the wagon with an awkward rear end. Dodge is realy hit and miss (mostly miss) with exterior design. I still kind of wish my dad would buy one though.