2,500 miles in a Dodge Magnum

[the Teuton]

...Okay, more like 200 miles for me, but still, after taking this thing for a spin in the most different of environments, from the stunning sunning of Central Florida to a backroad bashing in West Virginia and some of the 800 miles of highway in between, you tend to get a feel for the car.



So what's it like?

The model I drove was a base 3.5 liter 2008 wagon without the Autostick feature (sorry, Trep).  Weighing more than two tons, this thing is big, and with a chop-top look, it looks mean, wide, and imposing.  It's a modern lead-sled for the family man who didn't have a chance to live through a bygone era.  And like those cars of yore, it possesses a charm that few American cars have today.  But also like those cars that spanned the road when gas was cheaper than bottled water (Wait, was there bottled-water back then?), it has some quirks that may come off as either charming or annoying depending on the driver.  So let's get down to business.

Boulevarder

In the warm Florida sun, the wagon stood out among the sun bleached and pimped out cars withe its salt-covered accents, not a usual site in the Citrus State.  It wore 215/65R17 tires, but it would have looked more natural with 18, 19, 20, heck, even 21" wheels.  With such high, slab-sided doors and squarish looks, the wheels looked smallish, especially with the plastic hubcaps covering the steel rims.

With the 3.5 liter engine under hood, the car had plenty of get-up and go in city driving and an exhaust burble that could have come from a V8.  It sounded mean.  It looked mean.  But with light-weighted steering, it drove like a Mercedes-Benz:  little fuss, little compromise, and easy going.

Byways

On the highway, the ride is smooth, complacent but firm as if the suspension was meant for some kind of mix between the hardcore and highway.  It didn't know exactly what it wanted to be.  Unlike my last highway-destroying machine, the Buick LaCrosse, the Magnum's seats didn't coddle the driver for long-distance driving.  Like the rest of the car, they felt oversized and underwhelming, to be honest.  It also didn't help that they were too firm in both the front and the back.  The middle-rear seat was flat, hard, and with the driveshaft tunnel underneath, it created a relevant term that fit the the unfortunate soul who rode there:  "Bitch in the middle."

Unlike the Ford Taurus with raised seating in the front, it felt like the doorsills rode higher in the rear of the car than the front.  While that left plenty of space to look out for the passengers, it made it difficult to see all of the road from the driver's perspective.

Throwing in the fact that the transmission constantly hunted for gears during acceleration, it made the ride a bit unnerving at times, even though plenty of power was available and shifts were fairly smooth.  It just felt unconfident.

Backroads

Somehow I ended up with the computer-encoded "key" on the best part of the 1,026-mile trip back to Pittsburgh:  the boonie-back roads of US 19 in West Virginia.  While I didn't get the opportunity to eat dragon tail in North Carolina, this road almost made up for it.  For almost 20 miles, I met curve after curve.  Because I had four other people in the car, I had to keep the stability control on, but man oh man, I wanted to flog it.

I took 35 mph roads at 45, braked late intentionally, and generally beat the hell out of the wagon on the wet two-lane road.  It seemed to want more.  A lot more.  The light steering in combination with the oversized (recurring theme) steering wheel did not instill confidence, but the rest of this behemoth kept ripping through the backhills with little struggle and no shudder.  It was a beast.  The general package of the suspension with the the engine in a much smaller, lighter package would make for an excellent GT car.

Backpack



Carrying five people to a week's vacation in Florida made for an interesting experiment:  how big is the Magnum?

The hatch lifts up midway through the roof, allowing for cargo to easily go in.  Yet somehow, it didn't seem to swallow that much before the rear window became eclipsed by carry-ons and gym bags.  Fortunately, like a proper German-designed car, the rear view mirrors were huge and industrial, so it made for decent visibility. 

Likewise the interior felt very industrial with heavy rubber-feeling door cards and thick, tightly-woven cloth seats, and thick, durable-feeling plastics, even though they looked a little cheap upon first glance.  It looked like it could take a beating, but the interior also felt barren, stoic, like either a 1950s basic sedan or a German "efficiency at all costs" mobile.  Take your pick.

Hatching final thoughts

So after meeting this car in three different environments, I think I have discovered which one it likes the best.

While it's big like a highway cruiser, it just didn't gobble up the roads like the LaCrosse I drove a month back.  I couldn't feel settled with its light, twitchy steering or its ride.  On the backroads, it tackled the corners with ease, but I worry about its sheer size.  When my brother told me that he'd have to punch me if I took corners any faster, that made me feel reassured that it was, indeed, rear-wheel-drive for a reason.  But where I think this car needs to be is in the place where it can see-and-be-seen, the city.  Yeah, it's gas mileage sucked in the city, but with a set of 20" wheels, this car would look downright imposing like a 1949 Mercury.  That would make it perfect.  Oh yeah, get rid of the road salt, too.

[2o6]

Cool review. My mom wants one.

[the Teuton]

Cool review. My mom wants one.

Thanks.  If we would have had anything but a Ford Taurus outside of a sedan, I worry that we wouldn't have been able to fit all of our stuff in the car.  It was much tighter than I thought it would be, but it was still a lifesaver, sizewise.

[2o6]

Thanks.  If we would have had anything but a Ford Taurus outside of a sedan, I worry that we wouldn't have been able to fit all of our stuff in the car.  It was much tighter than I thought it would be, but it was still a lifesaver, sizewise.

For that much stuff, I would have upgraded my class size to a Minivan.



Could you have gotten a Pacifica?

[the Teuton]

For that much stuff, I would have upgraded my class size to a Minivan.



Could you have gotten a Pacifica?

The student government shafted our funding so the biggest thing we could get was a full-size car.  They're going to hear about it Tuesday night at the meeting.

[Justin]

I've had these as rentals a few times now, plus the Chrysler 300, and I do like the suspension and engine a lot. The rest of the car, unfortunately, I did not like. Lord, the interior is bad.

[TheIntrepid]

Dollar rents Pacificas cheap.

[Soup DeVille]

Just a FYI, Absopure began selling bottled water in single-use sizes in 1967.

I think the machine that made the bottles is still sitting in the back of he factory I'm posting this from.

[Laconian]

What'd I tell you, that transmission tunnel is a killer.

[Eye of the Tiger]

That thing got a Hemi?

[Rupert]

OMG! 35 mph roads at 45 mph?! How did you survive?

[the Teuton]

OMG! 35 mph roads at 45 mph?! How did you survive?

If I could've taken them faster, I would have.

[crv16]

I rented one a couple years ago -- here's my review from back then:

http://www.carspin.net/forums/index.php?topic=3943.0


  -----------------------


I recently put 1,000 miles on a rental 2006 Dodge Magnum (base) down in Florida.  I've always admired this series of cars, and was predisposed to liking it.  After driving it for a while, I was severely disappointed.

First, the plusses:

- Quiet
- Well put together - no rattles or squeaks

Now the minuses:

- Ergonomic nightmare.  With your hands on the wheel at 10 and 2 o'clock, you cannot reach the turn signals.  They are down far too low.  The turn signal stalk also had way too much "travel", meaning you had to push the stalk a good inch or so before it "clicked" to stay in position.  Worse was the cruise control stalk, situated behind the turn signal stalk.  Unlike the turn signal stalk, where you can slide your hand down a bit on the wheel to access, you must completely remove your hand from the wheel to reach the CC stalk.  The radio/hvac controls are well laid out, but situated too low.  They should be higher up on the center stack. 

The driving position was very wierd too.  It felt like I was driving a school bus.  The wheel seemed to be way too high.  When I adjusted it down to what I felt was a more comfortable position, it completely obscured the gauges.

- Power steering "dead zone".  This car reminded me of my old Ford van with a worn out steering box.  I could move the wheel about 1 or 2 inches in either direction before any "resistance" from the power steering was felt.  It didn't prove to be much of an issue until I was driving under windy conditions where the car felt dangerous to drive.  It was a handful to keep within the lines.

- Performance.  The base 190hp 2.7L engine is a dog.  My little Civic would beat this one at a stoplight duel.  It might have been helped a bit by adding a 5 speed auto trans.

- Economy.  I drove over 90% highway and achieved 22-23 mpg.  Pretty far below it's 28 mpg rating.

- Ride.  Big, old American car feel with rebounding over bumps.


Bugs:

- Distorted windshield.  Looking thru the windshield was like wearing somebody else's glasses.  I can't believe this made it thru DC quality control.

- Turn signal operation.  When I change lanes, I would press the turn signal down or up, but not so far as to make it "stick".  About 25% of the times I did this and released the turn signal stalk, the signal would remain on.  I would have to push it down completely, then manually release it in order to fix it.

[AltinD]

I never been in a Magnum but since it is basically a Charger with a boot, it doesn't matter. We rendeted one and drove (my brother actually), from Milton (ON) to Ottawa and back the next day. We were 5 people in the car and neither the middle, nor the side rear seats were confortable for the 4 hours or so trip. My brother who drives a Civic, wasn't impressed at all with the driving.

Yeah, yeah it looks mean and staff, but still crap.

[nickdrinkwater]

Nice writeup.

It looked a whole lot better (aesthetically) before the minor change.

How does this car compare in price to the Taurus/Maxima etc?

[Secret Chimp]

Wow, you took 35 mph roads at 45? You are an OUTLAW.






:P

I know it's been said but good grief.


So when am I racing against the Boobaru?

[the Teuton]

Wow, you took 35 mph roads at 45? You are an OUTLAW.






:P

I know it's been said but good grief.


So when am I racing against the Boobaru?

I'm not sure anymore.  With this trip, I had no time to get any of my work done on the car.  I might not even be able to get onto the track, much less anything else at this point.

Oh yeah, I think the Subie Doobie can fit more in it than the Magnum.  That's a little embarrassing.

[the Teuton]

Nice writeup.

It looked a whole lot better (aesthetically) before the minor change.

How does this car compare in price to the Taurus/Maxima etc?

Thanks.  It's about par with a Taurus and a fair amount cheaper than the Maxima until you start heading into Hemi territory.

[SVT666]

Considering you had a car full of wrestlers and all their shit, 23 mpg doesn't seem too bad.

[the Teuton]

Considering you had a car full of wrestlers and all their shit, 23 mpg doesn't seem too bad.

I have to figure out the final mpg numbers with the gas receipts sitting on my desk sometime soon, but I think we averaged something like that.

[Ron From Regina]

My Brother in law just bought a Magnum SRT-8, and gets around 20 mpg on the highway with the car empty.

To say that car goes, is an understatement.

[the Teuton]

My Brother in law just bought a Magnum SRT-8, and gets around 20 mpg on the highway with the car empty.

To say that car goes, is an understatement.

We overtook one of those in Florida just to get raped at the next stoplight.