Dodge Magnum

I went to my local Dodge dealership to check out and test drive the new Dodge Magnum. The Magnum looks much better and meaner in person than pictures. It has the retro style that reminds you of the cars the gangsters drove in the early 20th century. The slim windows give it that distinct feel and look. I really do like the exterior styling of the Magnum with its 17" standard wheels.
The one at the dealership is the SXT model which falls between the basic model SE and the HEMI model RT. The starting MRSP for the SXT is $25,995. The particular one I was checking out had the leather package and the optional G-package that bumped up the price to almost $29,000. The G-Package adds the following:

When the sales representative first opened the hatch, I immediately noticed the spacious cargo room which both the Lexus SportCross and BMW 3-Series Wagons lack. However, I did also notice the cheap looking plastic material sourrounding the cargo area. Under the cargo false door sat the spare tire and battery. The spare tire is one of those compact wheels that is also known as the "donut". I was quite disappointed that Dodge chose not to include a full size spare under the cargo area especially the Magnum could easily accomodate and fit a full size spare in it.
Then I opened the passenger rear door. The rear seating area looked very spacious; and indeed it was when I sat down in it. There was plenty of leg room. But, again, I noticed the cheap material used in the interior. Even the leather looked cheap. Be that as it may, the seat was quite comfortable and cup holders for rear passengers were integrated in the folding arm rest. Additionally, there were two rear vents for the air conditioning which is a nice addition and quite uncommon for station wagons.
Let's move to the front. I first checked out the front passenger side. This particular model only had power seating for the driver. The front passenger is left with levers to adjust the seat. The glove compartment is quite small while the storage under the front passenger arm rest is quite large. There was also an extra power socket within the arm rest storage compartment. The dash was huge due to the low profiled front windshield. The control units had a simple clean laid out but, again, appeared cheap looking. This particular model's interior had gray seating with the rest of the interior in black with silver and aluminium accents.
Then I proceeded to the driver side. The driver's seat has 8-way power adjustment control. The steering wheel was just a bit too big in my opinion but felt solid and thick. It was also a Tilt/Telescope Steering Column. The instrument cluster panel's background was white with black lettering. It looked very stylish and clean. I also liked the look of the automatic shifting column. To my disappointment, it did not include a tiptronic / manualmatic / e-shift mode.
Finally, we cranked up its 250 horsepower engine and took it for a spin. The ride was quiet and comfortable. The suspension was a bit loose / bouncy which is a common characteristic of American cars. Although the car had 250 horsepowers spinning the rear wheels, it certainly did not feel like it. I was very disappointed that the car felt underpowered. When I punched the pedals from dead stop or rolling stop or passing someone at 50 mph, my body never got pinned back to the seat.
The steering was loose and not as responsive as I had hoped. The test drive on the twisties felt a bit dangerous and out of control. The car feels heavy and not sticking to the road. It feels more like driving a SUV than a sports wagon. The car is also very wide taking up almost the full width of the road. It is also very hard to see from the driver's point of view due to the low profiled windows which created many blind spots.
With an almost $29,000 sticker price, I expect and demand much more in both interior quality and performance than what the Magnum offers. In the price range between the SXT and RT ($35,000+) models, it is competing with the brands of Lexus and BMW. Dodge really needs to build its interior with better materials instead of using cheap looking platics and leather. The model I tested feels more like a $23,000 car than a $29,000 vehicle. Personally, I think basic model Honda Accord has better interior quality than the Dodge Magnum.
Overall, the Magnum's exterior styling is aggressive and quite attractive to me. Dodge is certainly taking the right steps going towards this direction of making cars that look like performance machines. Sadly, the performance look of the Magnum is not backed by a responsive steering control and throttle. More importantly, if Dodge plans to compete with Lexus, BMW, and Subarus at the given price range, it needs to drastically improve its interior quality. People who are willing to spend almost $30,000 for vehicle certainly expect much more than what the Dodge Magnum Offers.

Dodge Magnum's Official Site