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Dodge Magnum is a car we enjoy driving, especially the SRT8, though we like all the different models. All that horsepower, all that torque, lots of room, predictable handling, and a comfortable ride make for a fine family car.
The five-speed automatic transmission upshifts smoothly, though sometimes a bit prematurely (probably as a concession to fuel economy). Gear engagement often lacks the crispness we believe should be the norm in a car with the SRT8's credentials.
Power in the SE with its 2.7-liter V6 is barely adequate for a car weighing close to two tons, and the four-speed automatic that comes with it is basic by today's standards of five-speed automatics.
The SXT is a big step up, with some 40 percent more horsepower and 30 percent more torque on tap, plus a five-speed automatic, in a car weighing barely 50 pounds more than the base SE. The SXT's 3.5-liter V6 makes 250 horsepower. In these days of high horsepower V8s and strong V6s, that number might have lost its meaning, but 250 horsepower is a lot, and it's especially effective with the 250 pound-feet of torque this engine offers. The SXT is more fully featured for the money, too, including sharper wheels and tires more befitting the car's abilities. It's rated to tow 2000 pounds and gets an EPA-estimated City/Highway 17/24 mpg. The five-speed automatic comes with the AutoStick feature allowing the driver to select gears manually.
The R/T is our favorite with its 5.7-liter V8 Hemi that puts out 340 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque. Even with all that power and torque, the acceleration isn't neck-snapping. The R/T has a tall final drive ratio of 2.82 in the rear-wheel-drive version and 3.07 with all-wheel drive; those ratios are good for gas mileage and quiet running, but they temper acceleration. Still, the Magnum R/T is capable of a 0-60 mph run in around 6.3 seconds. Put your foot to the floor and the R/T gets under way without a jolt, but builds speed quickly and keeps supplying the punch. The five-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly, and the AutoStick feature can be used for more spirited driving.
The R/T engine's Multi-Displacement System, or MDS, cuts out half of the eight cylinders whenever horsepower is not needed. At a steady 60 mph or less on a flat highway, it only uses four cylinders and gets about 30 miles per gallon. With a response time of 0.04 seconds, we couldn't feel when it went from a V4 back to a V8 when we hit the throttle to speed back up again. For 2008, Dodge adds a Fuel Saver Mode display that lets you know when the car is running on four cylinders. The R/T is EPA-rated at 15/23 mpg. Although technically capable of towing 3800 pounds with the optional tow package, Dodge does not recommend using the R/T as a tow vehicle.
The R/T could benefit from tires with more grip. It comes with Continental Touring all-season tires, P225/60R18, which were the likely cause of the Electronic Stability Program's occasional intrusion into our hard but not overboard driving. As the tires lost their limited bite, the ESP feathered the throttle. With stickier tires, it's unlikely that intrusion would occur. Performance enthusiasts might want to opt for the 20-inch wheels and high-performance rubber. They may not last as long or work as well in the winter, but they will improve handling. Another option would be to get high-performance 18-inch tires with more grip, thereby avoiding the harder ride quality of the short-sidewall 20-inch tires.
The brakes are fully up to the task. The vented front rotors measure 13.6 inches in diameter, an inch larger than the SE and SXT, and the vented rear rotors are 12.6 inches across; additionally, the front brakes use dual piston calipers. Couple that mechanical strength with ABS with Brake Assist, which balances the braking between front and rear and the Magnum makes worry-free stops. On twisty mountain roads we repeatedly hammered the brakes into downhill curves, and the pedal never showed any sign of stress or brake fade, an impressive feat given the Magnum's weight.
The SRT8 is the high-performance model. It attempts to address the tire dilemma, with standard three-season Goodyear F1 Supercar stickies. While these tires and a performance-tuned suspension extend the Magnum's adhesion limits, they still don't transform a car weighing more than two tons into an exemplar in the handling department. Regardless of the amount of rubber touching the road, there's no getting around the Magnum's mass, and it plows when driven hard into corners. The SRT8's ride is markedly stiffer than in the R/T, and the lowered suspension much more talkative over anything less than glass-smooth pavement. The ride is bumpy, but not harsh, on bumpy neighborhood streets, and the front spoiler drags like a Corvette's on the sharp transitions between some side streets and the main road.
All that said, the SRT8 6.1-liter Hemi V8 provides impressive power. The 6.1-liter Hemi pumps out 425 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque through a performance-tuned version of the five-speed AutoStick automatic. Fuel economy is an EPA-estimated 14/20 mpg, but the Magnum isn't tagged with a Gas Guzzler Tax.
Anything more than a temperate foot on the gas pedal can readily produce rear wheel spin from the SRT8, even with the ESP active. Turn off the electronic stability program, and it's back to the days of adolescent, muscle car hi-jinks. The specs say that the SRT8's engine is electronically limited to 6600 rpm, but the tachometer indicates a 6250 rpm redline, and foot-to-the-floor upshifts generally occur between 6000 and redline. The engine feels comfortable at high revs, as it should, seeing as how the 425 horsepower peaks at 6400 rpm.
Thankfully, stopping does not hark back to those yesteryears when wide-eyed, two-foot braking was all too common. The SRT8 comes with beefed up brakes. The front vented discs grow to 14.2 inches, the rears to 13.8 inches, and four-piston, aluminum, Brembo calipers do the clamping all around. We drove the SRT8 several hundred miles in every situation, from about-town shuttling to racer roads loaded with hairpins to blasts down half-mile straights, and we never had reason to doubt the SRT8's ability to stop, and right now.
The Magnum feels mighty big in crowdedparking lots. Rear park assist or a rearview camera would be a blessing for this long car, but neither is offered. When parallel parking, care must be taken to avoid scuffing the SRT8's 20-inch wheels, as there's insufficient rubber extending beyond the rims to protect them from even the slightest brush against a curb. Modern alloy wheels scratch easily and damaging one is always a depressing event. next page