2005 Dodge Magnum Review

It seems every auto writer is covering their latest offerings in the snow. Maybe not everyone, but I now sympathize with Robert Farago as he tested the new Acura RL in a fair amount of the white stuff. The day the new Magnum AWD was dropped off Chicago got hit with about 36 hours of continuous snowfall. These pictures aren't even close to the worst of it. If this had been a regular RWD Magnum I would've been taking the bus home instead of hitting unplowed side streets.

After battling heavily snow-covered streets on my short commute home I felt safe behind the wheel of this AWD tank. The Magnum is one big friggin? vehicle and it feels like it. You can tell it weighs 4159 lbs. and with the 6-cylinder engine, no Hemi this time, the car isn?t roaring you along. However, I haven?t felt at a loss for power at any time so far.

A true test of the AWD wasn?t just the ease of getting out of a slightly snowed-in parking space, it came when I hit the grocery store parking lot. Don?t tell the folks at Dodge but I drove around the far side of the parking lot where it was completely empty and had a fresh few inches of snow. Then I took a sharp turn at a seemingly safe speed and felt the huge rear end start to swing out as expected. And then?it went straight. The almost immediate correction in those circumstances for something this big was astonishing. For those north of the Mason-Dixon this big sucker can now be called almost practical.

The sticker price of our tester is right at $30,000 and has leather seats, heated and powered (driver?s side) up front, sunroof, adjustable pedals and of course the AWD. There?s a ton of room in the back cargo area and I really like the layout with cubbies big enough for grocery bags. I also dig the color scheme inside. Dodge calls it ?Dark Slate Gray/Light Graystone? but it?s basically black and a mix between cream and grey. I?ll get better pictures of the colors tomorrow. At least I know I?ll be safe on the ride to Detroit come Sunday morning at 4 a.m.