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2005 Dodge Magnum Full-Size Station Wagon
A wagon by any other name ... No matter what you call it, the Dodge Magnum rocks
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New Car Review Of The 2005 Dodge Magnum Full-Size Station Wagon
Base MSRP Range: $22,020-$32,070
Base Invoice Range: $20,488-$29,533
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MSRP As Tested: $29,995
Versions: SE, SXT, RT.
Vehicle Category: Full-Size Station Wagon
Engine Location: Front Engine
Drive Wheels: Rear-Wheel Drive, All-Wheel Drive.
Standard Engine: 2.7-liter, Dual Overhead Cam, 24-valves, V-6, 190 â€' horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 190 lb-ft torque at 4,000 rpm.
Transmission: Four-speed automatic
Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 21/28.
Optional Engine: 3.5-liter , Single overhead cam, 24 valves, V-6, 250-horsepower at 6400 rpm, 250 lb-ft torque at 3800 rpm.
Transmission: Four-speed automatic, Five- speed automatic.
Fuel Economy (city/hwy): Four-speed 19/27, Five-speed 17/24.
Optional Engine: 5.7-liter , Overhead valve, 32 valves, V-8, 340-horsepower at 5000 rpm, 390 lb-ft torque at 4000 rpm.
Transmission: Five-speed automatic
Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 17/25.
Standard Safety Features: SE: Driver and passenger airbags, 4-wheel disc brakes. SXT & RT: Driver and passenger airbags, Four-wheel antilock brakes, Brake assist, Antiskid.
Competition: Chevrolet SSR, Chrysler 300, Ford Freestyle.
The new Dodge Magnum is a great station wagon with only one problem: Dodge won't call it a station wagon.
Instead, the marketing geniuses in Detroit demand we call it an Active Hybrid Sport Crossover Utility Something-or-Other Vehicle, but they're not fooling anybody. It's still a station wagon, and a darn good one at that.
Whatever you call it, the Magnum neatly bridges the gap between sedan and SUV by offering the best attributes of both. It drives like a big, comfortable family sedan, complete with four doors and seats that are easy to slide into. At the same time, it offers tough-guy styling, a roomy cabin and huge cargo capacity -- all the features that made SUVs so popular in the past decade.
It's a brilliant combination.
For some, the Magnum is all about styling. It's nearly impossible to ignore the wagon's sleek, futuristic lines and truck-like nose -- an obvious Dodge Ram rip-off. It has a squatty, muscular, athletic look that seems to be influenced by American street rods, giving it the self confidence and spunky personality that so many of today's cars lack.
Although some potential buyers may hate the flamboyant look, Dodge deserves credit for bringing a love-it-or-hate-it design to market without letting focus groups and committees sap all the style out of it. That took some guts.
If the aggressive styling doesn't thrill you, Dodge has one more trick that might: an optional 5.7-liter, 340-horsepower Hemi V8.
The Hemi is one of the best engines on the market today, not only for its way-cool, musclecar name. It's powerful enough to feel like a Boeing jet taking off every time the light turns green, but it's also relatively smooth and quiet -- certainly more refined than other V8s offered in Dodge trucks of recent vintage.
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