2006 Dodge Magnum Test Drive

Muscle Wagon

The Magnum SRT8 offers a unique combination of high performance and family-friendly accommodations.

Exterior

The Magnum SRT8 is the meanest, most macho-looking wagon on the road, with its chopped roof, low windows, huge wheels and aggressive front-end styling. Exterior enhancements that differentiate the SRT8 from other Magnums are subdued, and you won’t find an oversized spoiler at the rear, thankfully. Rather, it’s distinguished by a slightly lowered ride height, mammoth 20-inch aluminum wheels, revised front and rear bumpers, chrome exhaust tips, a body-color grille insert with chrome trim as well as body-color mirrors and door handles.

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Unfortunately, and this is true with all versions of the Magnum, while the SRT8’s sharply sweeping roofline cuts a distinctive and sporty profile, it also tends to hamper the Magnum’s rear-seat headroom a bit and decimates its ability to tote tall objects in its otherwise generous cargo area. One positive feature is that the tailgate is notched high up into the roof to facilitate loading and unloading items.

Our test version came painted in a Brilliant Black Crystal finish, which made the already menacing Magnum look something like a hearse from hell. Perhaps because there are so few Magnums in our area of Chicago (where Scion xBs, Mini Coopers and Honda Civics rule the roads), the SRT8 attracted attention and favorable comments whenever we pulled into a parking space. For those who prefer to go fast but appear slightly less demonic in the process, the Magnum SRT8 is also offered in Inferno Red and Bright Silver paint treatments.