Drive it like you stole it

In the past few weeks,I have driven several midsize cars. Perhaps the best driver's car of the bunch, the Magnums I've driven have all had the 3.5L, "high-output" 250 horse V6, which was excellent. I would also argue that this car is one of the best looking cars you can get for the money. Magnums are looooooooooooong cars though, so parking and daily driving might take an adjustment for some drivers.

First, the engine is superb. The 3.5 V6 has plenty of pull off-the-line. I haven't tested the 2.7L V6 in a Magnum, and personally I wouldn't even bother with it. I have tested the Hemi V8 in the Chrysler 300, and it was fantastic, but I would opt for the 3.5 for a good mix of economy and power. Although the V6 I tested is only rated to have 10 horsepower more than the Accord V6, it feels like it's a lot more. While the Accord is sluggish off the line, and doesn't start pulling hard until the RPMs start to climb, the Magnum is the complete opposite. I have not had to rev the Magnum hard at all to get the performance I've been looking for. Spinning the wheels is easy. The five-speed automatic shifts seamlessly and without any indication of it having shifted. What a pleasure! Unfortunately, the models I've driven have not come with ESP or stability control. Only traction control was equipped,as was ABS brakes, which stop the car quickly and confidently. The steering wheel felt great in my hands, as does the auto tranny's gear-shifter. Driver, passenger and side airbags are standard with this model, should you need them.

The interior is a lot better than I would have expected from a Dodge, and a domestic for that matter. While it's not quite worthy of a Lexus badge, the Dodge is very user-friendly. Changing the radio station with a quick spin of the tuner button is painless. The air conditioning blows cold air quickly, and warming the car up on a cold day is also fast and easy. The Magnum does not have the cheap plastic feel that a lot of the domestics do these days. Although it's in a completely different class, I drove a Ford Ranger today, and the interior was just ugly!!! No comparison whatsoever. Although the temperature controls are not digital, they are easy to use and comfortable to the touch. You have to push in a special button to activate the air conditioning, which is a bit unusual, but didn't take much getting used to for me. As usual three dials control the temperature, air flow and direction of the flow. There are plenty of nooks and crannies to store sunglasses, spare change and more. It's not the biggest glove-box I've ever seen, but it's large enough to store insurance papers, cans of soda,etc.

The seats also feel comfortable. I haven't take a Magnum on a long trip(at most half an hour), but I've never felt uncomfortable in the seats. Heated seats were not on any of the models I drove. I found more than enough space to get comfortable in the rear seats. Power everything was included - the driver's seat, windows, mirrors and locks. There's also a trunk release that's easy to operate - just grip a little pad with your fingertips near the bottom of the trunk and it opens by itself. Not quite as nice as a power trunk release, but still well designed.

The trunk does not provide much storage space. For a car of this length, that is surprising, but I've found that the Chrysler Sebring can fit twice as much luggage in the back. At the most, one medium sized suitcase will fit in the Magnum's posterior. Of course, you can always fold down the rear seats if you need more room, but I imagine folding them up and down can be frustrating if you have to do that often.

I'm happy to admit that I have not personally filled up a Magnum on my dime. However,if I had I might not be singing its praises as much. The suggested numbers are 17/24 for city/highway. Unusually, the numbers are the same for the 3.5 AWD model, and slightly better(21/28) for the 2.7L V6.


My conclusion? The Magnum is without a doubt one of the few remaining reasons to buy Domestic. The engine provides plenty of power on demand, although the fuel economy could be better. The interior is very comfortable and provides more than enough room. The seats are a pleasure to sit in. The only problems inside the car are the lack of trunk space, and the blind spots, which I feel are larger than what you'd find in the average midsize. The driving position is very good, although not quite as good as that in the Ford Freestyle.