The Dodge Magnum….Ahhh the Dodge Magnum.
The Dodge Magnum never really made the waves I thought it would. When it was released in 2004 (as a 2005 model) 33-year-old me thought “For sure a badass wagon built by Americans for Americans will give those damn Germans a run for their money. And when the SRT8 version smoked its tires onto the scene (and into my heart), I thought it for sure it would be a slam dunk.
It wasn’t…to say the least.
Dismal sales paired with gas prices that seemed destined to put a foot on the moon forced Dodge to cease Magnum production on March 28, 2008…On that day a lone tear gracefully traced its way down my face.
Well, its been 10 years and I say let’s bring that ole bastard back!
Dodge’s parent FCA is in a far better place today. They’ve been churning out cars whose platform the new Magnum would share for quite some time now (Charger and Challenger) and have arguably the most muscle car engines ever shoehorned into a production vehicle. They’ve also added a decent AWD system to the mix to help in more precipitous regions.
Imagine a wagonized Charger Hellcat for a moment. Massive cargo capacity, comfy seating for 5, and enough torque to change local weather patterns all wrapped up in the cool swagger of a wagon. Get snow where you live? No worries, get the AWD version with a pretty-ok 300hp.
America needs to get over its issue with wagons being viewed as uncool…they are cool personified. Crossovers, by comparison are lame. Everyone has a crossover. You wanna be just another sheep in the herb or do you wanna show up in a wagon?!
The rest of the world gets this..why don’t we?
I’m not going to let my zero knowledge of the processes and costs involved in bringing a new car to market stop me from believing that this wouldn’t even be all that costly a proposition for Dodge. A new Magnum would basically be a Charger with its roof extended a smidge. Some new rear quarter panels and a cargo mat for the back and call it day. Boom!
OK, rant done. But seriously, I know I’d buy one and I don’t think I’m alone. Preferably in Scat Pack trim 🙂
2020 Dodge Magnum anyone?
