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What’s New About The Dodge Magnum RT
By Performance Guru | August 16, 2009
The new Magnum is a great looking automobile which will get your neighbors talking as you rumble around the block. The unique styling of the Magnum will also attract gawkers in the shape of 18-22 year old fellows pointing for their friends to “check that out”. And a few people will approach you as you are filling up the gas tank to ask, “Does it actually have a Hemi?”, with only an obscure idea that it somehow makes the auto better.
The Magnum is offered with many different engine sizes (either a 6-cylinder or 8-cylinder) with your selection of h.p. output of 190, 250, 340 and 425. The price of the vehicle also corresponds with the engine size starting at $30,345 to the pricey STR-8 model for $37,320. A giant part of the mystique around this automobile is the Hemi engine. The Hemi is short for hemispherical combustion chamber, which creates better fuel burning and allows larger valves for better airflow. Fundamentally , it produces more power than an engine with its displacement would usually produce. ( there also are also drawbacks to the Hemi, explaining why it isn’t the only engine that Chrysler produces).
The interior of the car looks much dearer than you’d expect for the price of the Magnum. Since Mercedes bought Chrysler, the Dodge automobiles I have sampled have had a sharp improvement in interior quality. While on the road, the car is really solid and the seats are comfy even on long highway runs.
As much as I like the looks, after driving it some time I have to ask the design concept that the Magnum offers. It’s a station wagon built to transport a large amount of people and lots of stuff. But mating this with a tough engine with the taught racing-like suspension is uncomfortable for both. It is like having a Corvette tow a little trailer, and you are in the trailer and the Corvette driver is fifteen years-old, pushing the vehicle to its limits. (Only an actual Corvette has a far more cushty suspension than the Magnum). Even driving on smooth roads, the steering is very darty and tough to control. And with a huge vehicle, all that weaving and road feedback is exaggerated for the passengers and everything you’ve stored in the back.
I like having a navigation system, but figuring out ways to use it with the wheel controls made me often refer to the user’s manual. Regardless of the high horsepower And low-end torque I played with when beginning from a full stop, the RT model I drove averaged twenty Miles per gallon on the higway.
What I presume to be the target market for this car, those 18-22 year old men that I mentioned, will often love this car. And as much as I like driving sports automobiles, the darty steering and pointy suspension make it too uncomfortable without any impressive payoff. The 0-60 sprint is fun for a little while, but I’d pass on buying a Magnum as a daily driving vehicle.
For more reviews about sports cars, visit thesupercars.org and while you are at it, you might also want to have a look at Dodge Sprinter for sale.
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