If I were a good Catholic, as opposed to a not-so-good Episcopalian, it would be time to step into the confessional booth and relate my most recent transgressions, involving lust and gluttony and disturbing the peace, where I would likely be instructed to go forth and say a dozen “Hail, Ralph Naders!” and sin no more.
No guarantees. The Dodge Magnum R/T is still in the parking lot.
From the outside, I’ve never been the biggest fan of the Magnum’s slightly squashed styling. The car is essentially a station-wagon version of the Dodge Charger, which is an Everyman’s version of the Chrysler 300. All three share basic underpinnings, and all three benefited from input from the then-parent company, Mercedes-Benz. Sitting in the driver’s seat of the Magnum R/T, the only real Mercedes piece I can identify is the annoying cruise-control stalk poking out from behind the steering wheel, but on the road, I can feel some German influence.
It’s from beneath the hood, though, that this Magnum reaches out. There are four engines offered — a 2.7-liter V-6, a 3.5-liter V-6, a 5.7-liter V-8, and a 6.1-liter V-8. Performance junkies will be surprised and disappointed that my favorite of the four is not the 6.1-liter, 425-horsepower Hemi, but the 5.7-liter, 340-horsepower version that’s in this car. It makes all the right noises, is ideally matched to the five-speed automatic transmission, and has all the power I want. It’s also more than $6,000 cheaper than the ultra-fast Magnum SRT8, but unfortunately, it still isn’t cheap.
It does not hurt that this test car has a $2,950 performance package that adds upgraded brakes, steering and suspension, plus larger tires and wheels (20-inchers, instead of 18’s) and several other, lesser features. Base price is $31,390, but shipping and options, including a navigation system, swells that to $38,060.
One feature that is especially nice is the “variable displacement” in the engine: At steady cruising, the onboard computer can shut down fuel to four of the eight cylinders. You never know they are gone; hit the accelerator, and they awaken immediately. This ups fuel mileage by 11 percent, Dodge says: The EPA rates the R/T at 17 mpg city, 25 mpg highway.
Despite the stiff suspension, the R/T’s ride is an ideal compromise between comfort and responsiveness. The steering is nicely weighted, the seats comfortable — on balance, this is the most satisfying of the Magnum/Charger/300 trio I’ve driven.
I’m still not crazy about the styling. But from behind the wheel, it looks just fine.
