2005 Dodge Magnum
[Pictures]
I got an opportunity to drive this car earlier this year. As I was taking a trip with a few friends to San Diego and up and down the coast to Laguna Beach and up to Santa Monica this proved to be a most efficient people-hauler.
Getting in the car was easy and being familiar with Mopars, I instantly felt familiar in the interior. I'm easily annoyed with too many gauges and Dodge left me with just what I needed to make sure everything is on the up and up.
On the road, handling was sadly a little wallowy, it takes away from the sporty look of the wagon. I had expected a little firmer handling. My car came with the "high performance" V6. Not a bad little engine at all with plenty of pep to cruise around despite filling the car with luggage and three more people in the back.
However, with the load the car sagged far too much for a wagon. Taking driveways was an exercise in approach-angle just to keep from ripping the plastic rocker covers off the car. I failed that by the way. One cover was lost somewhere on the 5 freeway and the other was only held on by the two remaining fasteners.
The plastic 'belly pan' was also torn during one of these manouvres. Maybe the solution would be aftermarket suspension, but on a new car that feels a little .. unnecessary.
It delivered decent mileage with about 20mpg being average. I am fairly easy on cars in that respect with no burnouts or jackrabbit starts from lights. I did expect a little more since I was mostly on the freeway and it is a low profile car. One of the larger engine choices might prove a good investment here as maybe the V6 had to struggle.
The interior was very comfortable and like I said, easy to navigate. However, the interior is identical to the new Charger and the 300's. I sense a lack of imagination at Chrysler Corporation. It's functional and nice, but maybe spruce it up a little in the different cars? This would also involve something else than the copious amounts of plastic..?
One of the major drawbacks was the view behind me. With the sloping side windows, the rear view was severly restricted. Though it makes for a great look it made the inside slightly claustrophobic.
The seats have adequate range forward and back and even up and down. In typical Chrysler fashion, the windshield washers dumped what seemed like gallons of fluid on the windshield. It cleaned up fast and efficiently.
Rear seats are harder for me to judge as I typically don't sit there. In trying them out they were fairly roomy and seem like I could spend some time there if I didn't drive. Rolling down the windows reveals that the edge is pretty high up. That could be a little annoying, but a minor point.
Pro:
A good looking wagon with plenty performance even out of the V6. Roomy and comfortable and very fun to drive.
Con:
Too much plastic on the inside, poor view out the rear and far too soft suspension.
[Pictures]
I got an opportunity to drive this car earlier this year. As I was taking a trip with a few friends to San Diego and up and down the coast to Laguna Beach and up to Santa Monica this proved to be a most efficient people-hauler.
Getting in the car was easy and being familiar with Mopars, I instantly felt familiar in the interior. I'm easily annoyed with too many gauges and Dodge left me with just what I needed to make sure everything is on the up and up.
On the road, handling was sadly a little wallowy, it takes away from the sporty look of the wagon. I had expected a little firmer handling. My car came with the "high performance" V6. Not a bad little engine at all with plenty of pep to cruise around despite filling the car with luggage and three more people in the back.
However, with the load the car sagged far too much for a wagon. Taking driveways was an exercise in approach-angle just to keep from ripping the plastic rocker covers off the car. I failed that by the way. One cover was lost somewhere on the 5 freeway and the other was only held on by the two remaining fasteners.
The plastic 'belly pan' was also torn during one of these manouvres. Maybe the solution would be aftermarket suspension, but on a new car that feels a little .. unnecessary.
It delivered decent mileage with about 20mpg being average. I am fairly easy on cars in that respect with no burnouts or jackrabbit starts from lights. I did expect a little more since I was mostly on the freeway and it is a low profile car. One of the larger engine choices might prove a good investment here as maybe the V6 had to struggle.
The interior was very comfortable and like I said, easy to navigate. However, the interior is identical to the new Charger and the 300's. I sense a lack of imagination at Chrysler Corporation. It's functional and nice, but maybe spruce it up a little in the different cars? This would also involve something else than the copious amounts of plastic..?
One of the major drawbacks was the view behind me. With the sloping side windows, the rear view was severly restricted. Though it makes for a great look it made the inside slightly claustrophobic.
The seats have adequate range forward and back and even up and down. In typical Chrysler fashion, the windshield washers dumped what seemed like gallons of fluid on the windshield. It cleaned up fast and efficiently.
Rear seats are harder for me to judge as I typically don't sit there. In trying them out they were fairly roomy and seem like I could spend some time there if I didn't drive. Rolling down the windows reveals that the edge is pretty high up. That could be a little annoying, but a minor point.
Pro:
A good looking wagon with plenty performance even out of the V6. Roomy and comfortable and very fun to drive.
Con:
Too much plastic on the inside, poor view out the rear and far too soft suspension.
[Pictures]
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