- station wagon
- Cape Coral, FL
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- autoshopper.com
2005 dodge magnum review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. The term 'crossover vehicle' has been thrown around a lot the last couple years, meant to apply to those suvs that are leaning in the direction of cars and/or minivans. But the tag is too vague to mean much. Suddenly, with the new dodge magnum, it fits. This is the car that has the capability to wean the country off of suvs. Its bold hot-rod lines might scare people away, but its utility can't be denied. It's a full-size american car with spacious cargo capacity and available all-wheel drive. And it's engineered for safety. It's got image and utility. If that isn't what people want when they buy an suv, what do they want? plus, it gets better gas mileage than full-size suvs. The magnum comes standard with a 190-horsepower double-overhead-cam v6 that gets 21-28 miles per gallon, at a stunning base price of $22,495 including destination. In fact, it excels in all those areas. lineupthree dodge magnum models are available. The se 21,870) is nicely equipped for its price. Standard equipment includes premium cloth interior, air conditioning, power windows and locks with remote entry, a 60/40 split rear seat with center armrest, am/fm/cd sound system, tilt-telescoping steering column, solar control window glass, rack-and-pinion steering, 17-inch wheels and disc brakes. Equipment-wise, the sxt most notably adds the magic combination of abs with brake assist, all-speed traction control and electronic stability. It uses a five-speed automatic transmission with autostick, designed by mercedes and built in the u. The r/t adds to the sxt features a leather interior, bigger and beefier brakes, 18-inch polished aluminum wheels, dual exhausts, foglights, and a boston acoustics premium six-speaker sound system with a 288-watt digital amplifier. optional equipment includes a power passenger seat, heated front seats, dual zone automatic climate control, electronic vehicle information center, electrochromic rearview mirror, front and rear air curtains, air filtration, self-sealing tires, hands-free cellphone capability, power adjustable pedals, gps navigation system with integrated six-disc cd/mp3 player, sirius satellite radio, sunroof and load-leveling shocks. walkaroundthe styling of the magnum is so distinctive that a picture will say far more than words can. It's a long, low, beefy station wagon on a wide track with big bold grille and a chopped top. It would be an understatement to say the magnum has presence. And that's what it is: a crossover between sports car and station wagon. More accurately, the dodge magnum is a crossover between muscle car and station wagon. The headlamp units are a nice integrated wedge shape. We like them better than those on the new chrysler 300, the magnum's sister car, which try harder to be retro. The air dam/bumper cover wraps up under the headlamps and grille, and looks impressively beefy and functional. from the side, the magnum looks like it could be rolled onto the floor of a hot rod show. The wheel cutouts are profound, and especially imposing with the 18-inch 10-spoke wheels on the rt. But a bigger visual effect is created by the tinted glass and roofline sloping back and pinching the rear window. This serves an innovative purpose. The one-piece liftgate is hinged about two feet up into the roof, providing a vast and liberating opening to the cargo area. Dodge lists the cargo capacity as 27. 2 cubic feet with the rear seats up and 71. 6 cubic feet with them down, while the epa interior volume indicates 133. 1 cubic feet. We did and the cargo area looks wider, flatter, longer and easier to access than most suvs. There was room to do so, only 10 percent less than in the front seat, according to the sae volume index. The 60/40 split rear seat holds three, but a wide armrest with cupholders drops down to make it more comfortable for two. The center stack was clean and tidy in black, with buttons that were easy to click and knobs where knobs should be, for the climate control and radio. The console compartment is decent sized, and contains practical coinholders. There's also a sunglasses holder within the driver's reach. And speaking of specialized holders, the cargo area includes a nook designed for holding a one-gallon milk jug, and grocery bags. but mostly the magnum feels great from the driver's seat, which is firm and comfortable. With a similar long hood, and identical wheelbase, for some reason, from behind the wheel the magnum doesn't feel as big as the chrysler 300. driving impressionthe dodge magnum was a car we didn't want to stop driving. All that horsepower, all that torque, great tight handling, solid comfortable ride, very enjoyable instrument panel and steering wheel and seats. the five-speed automatic transmission, designed by mercedes, upshifted sharply and smoothly, but even in the autostick mode it sometimes upshifted before we wanted it to. The engine felt easily underworked at that speed. Numbers and charts notwithstanding, this is an engine that feels like it wants to rev. Although by the same token, the 340 horsepower peaks at just 5000 rpm, so revving past 5500 would seem to be unnecessary. It was just so much fun. We should add that we were testing a pre-production magnum, and it's possible that showroom models may be programmed to shift at 5800, not 5500. even with all that power and torque, the acceleration isn't neck-snapping; the magnum has a very tall final drive ratio of 2. 82, which is great for gas mileage and quiet running, but tempers acceleration. There were times it felt like it had 340 horsepower, and times it didn't. There were more times that it didn't feel like it had 390 pound-feet of torque, which might be because the torque peaks at a relatively high level, 4000 rpm. With torque peaking at 4000 and horsepower peaking at 5000, there's a relatively small area of maximum happy performance for such a big engine. We're not complaining, merely lamenting what could be. And no doubt will, with aftermarket tuners. they'll also find grippier tires for the magnum. As the tires lost their limited bite, the esp cut the throttle on us. With grippier tires it's unlikely that intrusion would occur. This car warrants sport or high-performance tires, though they may not last as long or work as well in the winter. we also felt the front wheels bouncing at times, which was the only blemish on an otherwise grea. Cloth Interior✔ AM/FM✔ Power Windows✔ Climate Control✔ MP3 Player✔ Navigation System✔ Sunroof/Moonroof✔ Air Conditioning✔ Aluminum Wheels
Cape Coral, FLCape Coral, FL at autoshopper.com