Road test: 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8


Nobody’s ever going to mistake the new SRT8 version of Dodge’s Magnum station wagon for a “chick car.” I mean, I’m not trying to deliberately pick a fight with those of a female persuasion with a penchant for performance cars, but 6.1 litres of tire-squealing Hemi V8, 20-inch Goodyear rubber wide enough to float a pontoon boat and brakes the size of manhole covers are typically the things that male dreams are made of. Throw in distinctively ungainly wagon styling and you have a car more likely to attract testosterone than estrogen.

Ungainly the Magnum SRT8 may look to the casual observer, but it’s the kind of quirky styling that appeals to those eccentric — or mad — enough to want a full-sized wagon that gulps almost-a-dollar-a-litre premium gas at the rate of 17.5 litres every 100 kilometres.

Those looking for a reason not to own a Magnum SRT8 need look no further than the gas pump. The 17.5 L/100 km I averaged was close to the 16.5 L/100 km Natural Resources Canada rates it for city use, but I couldn’t come close to matching the 10.9 our government testers claim is possible on the highway. The Magnum is as hungry as those gargantuan SUVs that are raising environmentalists’ ire, though not as overt in its gluttony.

Nonetheless, I can’t imagine Chrysler having trouble moving the Dodge SRT8. After all, where else are you going to get a station wagon capable of hauling five adults — and a whopping amount of their luggage — that also boasts 425 horsepower, smokes its 255/45ZR20 rear tires at about half throttle or makes vroom noises that transport you back to the heydays of American muscle, 50 cents-a-gallon gasoline and Detroit’s hegemony of all things automotive?

Or a car that can be compared with the best from AMG, Mercedes’ tuning house, yet only costs $46,050? Let’s not forget, after all, that there’s more than a hint of the Mercedes in this Dodge. Its platform, like that of the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger, are based on the E-Class Benz. Ditto for the suspension and the five-speed automatic transmission.

In fact, the Magnum SRT8 also drives a little like an AMG product. Though it’s the product of Chrysler’s Street and Racing Technology (hence the SRT appellation), the Magnum’s firm suspension, massive grip and ever so slightly ponderous feeling are pure AMG.

Toss the SRT8 into a corner and it will generate Corvette-like grip. Why shouldn’t it? It has almost as much rubber hitting the road. Nor is there much more roll, the all-independent suspension having been worked over for a much firmer ride and taut handling.

Nonetheless, you’ll never mistake the Magnum, even in SRT guise, for anything other than a large car. Just like the last Mercedes AMG E55 I drove, there’s a sense of momentum to the Magnum, one that lets you know the car isn’t fond of last-second changes in direction. This is a car at home on long, fast, sweeping corners; tight, Alpine-like ess turns are not its forte.

Peeling rubber sure is, though. Along with the claimed 425 hp, the big 6.1L V8 claims 420 pound-feet of torque and, though those rear Goodyear Eagle RS-As are 255 millimetres wide, they can’t keep up with the Hemi’s grunt. Switch off the ESP (another Mercedes addition) traction nanny and, even when you’re trying to be sensitive to the environment, maintaining traction is a struggle. Dodge claims the SRT8 can accelerate to 100 kilometres an hour in just over five seconds. Even though that figure is commendable for a station wagon that weighs a portly 1,932 kilograms, it seems a tad conservative.

Thankfully, the SRT8 has brakes that can tame the Magnum’s combination of speed and weight. Up front, the huge 360-mm rotors are squeezed by high-quality — and shiny red — Brembo four-piston calipers. The rear sees another set of Brembos gripping only slightly smaller 350-mm discs. Unlike so many full-sized American muscle cars, the Magnum SRT8 has enough brakes.

Where the Magnum doesn’t emulate an AMG is in the cabin. Oh, there are a few parts, such as the ungainly cruise control lever, that are sourced from Mercedes, but apart from the deeply bolstered, suede-and-leather front bucket seats, the SRT8 is obviously built to a price. Those wondering why the 300C SRT8 sedan costs $5,000 more than the Magnum obviously haven’t spent time inside both cars. Where the Chrysler product is downright opulent, the Dodge is workmanlike. Plastic is the Magnum interior’s overriding material, Spartan the motif. If you’re looking for hedonism, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

I suppose I should mention that as a wagon, and a large one at that, the Magnum has a decent 27.2 cubic feet of cargo space with all the seats in place and a minivan-like 71.6 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. I really should have cared, but I was too busy smoking rubber, screaming around off-ramps and just generally acting like a testosterone-laden teenager to notice.



POWER: 425 hp @ 6,200 rpm; 420 lb-ft of torque @ 4,800 rpm

TRANSMISSION: Five-speed automatic

BRAKES: Four-wheel disc with ABS

PRICE: BASE/AS TESTED $46,050/$47,335

FUEL ECONOMY L/100 KM: 16.5 city, 10.9 hwy.

STANDARD FEATURES: Heavy-duty radiator, transmission oil cooler, dual air bags, six-disc CD changer, AM/FM audio system with six Boston Acoustics speakers, power-adjustable pedals, tilt-and-telescopic adjustable steering wheel, eight-way power front seats