2006 Dodge Magnum Review

Specifications

The Easy Life

Dont get me wrong, this is no cutesy little city car thats a cinch to park in cramped downtown parallel parking spots. This 2006 Dodge Magnum is a wagon. An unashamed, unabashedly proud wagon. If you cant fit everything you bought at Ikea for that bedroom reno in back, you need to go back to wagon-packing school. If you cant fit your family of five with room to lounge, then you might want to consider training them to be an offensive line for the Steelers.

Now theres more to this car than just being big, but that was the overwhelming initial impression it made on me. Huge, even. And while its big in exterior dimensions, at close to 17 feet long, and with that over 71.6 cubic feet of storage capacity available, its even bigger in presence, with even the base model I was driving stretching from the massive vertical grille straight past its broad shoulders back to the rear bumper and lower front valance. The Magnum sports the most intimidating grille in the industry, short of an International highway truck bearing down on you (or maybe a Hummer, but then again, neither of those is within same tax bracket or even area code).

The rest of the car seems to follow naturally from the overbearing grille: big headlights, sleek, narrowing windows (for proper effect make sure to order the tinted windows - pricey at $300, but I just cant picture it with clear glass), a high metal-to-glass ratio, a tapering roofline and canted rear windshield that all screams badass as it flies by you. Considering this vehicle was a base model with base steel wheels, I was very impressed with the fact that Dodge fits it with beefy 17-inch all season tires, and the wheel covers are some of the nicest Ive ever seen, playing off the pattern of the steel rim to provide a bit of unexpected flair for even the basic-needs shoppers among us.

Another item that Magnum shoppers across the board will enjoy is the trick rear liftgate, which cuts into the roof about a foot or so, so that when it opens the rear edge never reaches out beyond the vertical plane of the bumper. Very clever because it means you can stand in tight quarters within parking lots and not worry about it smacking you in the crotch - funny for others, maybe, but not for you. Of course, of you lean in, in wonder, you might still take it on the chin, so dont get too curious.

The interior accommodations are generous, and as I mentioned before, it is all about basic needs. Granted, those basics are presented with just enough edginess to avoid being too boring or too cheap. The CD and radio buttons are large and easy to read and the HVAC controls have the classic three-knob layout. The shifter has a satin-finish appliqué on the lever, while the base is trimmed in chrome to liven things up. Two solid cup holders and a deep, roomy bin under the armrest provide the necessary storage options.

The steering wheel is big and grippy with its own metallic appliqués, and the gauges are large and easy to read, backed in white (they glow bluish-green at night) with black letters for a simple but stylish appearance. The plastics quality was no great shakes and there was the odd misaligned bit of plastic, but nothing that would affect convenience or cause much annoyance.

It doesnt really hold a candle to something like Audis A4 Avant in terms of interior design, fit and finish, but it easily holds its own from an exterior styling point of view, and it appeals to such a broadly disparate crowd that it seems silly for me to bring up the Audi.

So why would I bring it up? These are, in my opinion, the two best-looking wagons available just about anywhere, and to be able get into the Magnum at a fraction of the cost of an Avant means wagon madness for the masses.

The seats are your basic armchair expanse of padded foam with 8-way power adjustability (an optional Convenience Group feature), and they thankfully included an adjustable lumbar support, which comes even without the seat upgrade. Im not a very big guy, so I kind of felt lost wobbling around in them during some of my more spirited maneuvers, but I have to say, the Magnum SE is not meant for much in the way of spirited driving.

And that is where this Magnum, at least in base trim, fell short. In the objective category of bang-for-buck ratio, it came back at a somewhat anemic, “I could feel every pound of that wagon I was draggin” measurement on the Yarkony scale of wahoo (taking into account the inverse proportion of haulage capacity to parallel parkability). Its a slug.

Of course, Im being a little harsh on a car thats true aim is to provide the means of relaxed and accommodating transportation to the guitar-and-amp-haulin and ladder-toting-on-a-budget community. But harsh is often funny, and Ill stop at nothing to be funny so Ill just carry on being a mean-spirited grouch.

Its 2.7L V6 churns out 190-horsepower and 190 lb-ft of torque, delivered through a four-speed automatic transmission. Slam that in a Neon or a PT Cruiser and youve got something to really play with, but when you pack almost two tonnes (okay, its not really that close to two metric tonnes, but its still heavy) of metal onto the back of it youve got a camel with one large, unwieldy hump.

Dont get me wrong, you can get this beast moving. It will steadily climb to freeway speeds and beyond, and it even has a bit of jump off the line, but there is little feeling of control or power available at a dip of the foot, so you have to be willing to accept whatever traffic situation you might get ensnared in, and learn to like it.

The Magnum SEs mission is easygoing comfort for you and your 71.6 cubic feet of cargo, and on that it delivers in spades. The long wheelbase and comfort-tuned suspension allowed it to traverse my citys jittery, potholed streets with ease and grace, and at typical city-going speeds, its steering is easy and maneuverable, at the expense of feeling dialed in for any quick side-to-side transitions.

Back to that 71.6 cubic feet of cargo space, if I was a contractor, instead of getting that Safari van or E-150, I would probably get the basic Magnum, plaster my logo all over the side, drop the back seats, pack all my tools and equipment inside and go cruising around town from job to job with one of the coolest mobile billboards money can buy. Its got that great expanse of sheet metal between the wheel wells and under the slim windows for a honking big graphic to advertise your business. Now if only I were a contractor.

When you really start to push the car to its limits, it pitches and heaves (the high-profile tires dont help, thats for sure), then slingshots you out of corners like a shuttle from Armageddon resulting in a disconcerting but adventurous feeling. Of course, my tester backed me up with the optional Electronic Stability Control package, which includes the automakers Vehicle Stability Control System,  electronic Brake Assistance, four-wheel antilock brakes, and all-speed traction control for $1,025 - money well spent.

Speaking of safety, Dodge equips every Magnum with multistage airbags that include an occupant classification system to detect the whereabouts of passengers before they discharge, as well as three-point seat belts at all three positions in the rear, child seat anchors, and mine came with the optional front and rear curtain airbags, a worthwhile option for $390, and a necessity if you carry more than 2×4s and sheets of plywood in the back.

Where does that leave us? Final analysis deems this car a great needs-based purchase. And if you need a rush of adrenaline every time you leave a set of stoplights, Dodge has the upgrades to make it happen, in the form of the 340-hp Magnum R/T or even better, the 425-hp SRT-8. With the base Magnum SE, cargo capacity and sheer space are unmatched, and the driving experience is comfortable and settled, so if you need to haul a lot of stuff around with you and cant afford the expense of the HEMI (and the gas bill it will continue to kick you back with), the Magnum SE is the ticket.