2005 Dodge Magnum Test Drive

Fierce Family Car

A fierce, fast and fun family car? You bet. Here's another hit for Chrysler.

Are station wagons cool?

They are if they're 2005 Dodge Magnums.

Since the original station wagons were introduced in the early 20th century as vehicles large enough to haul multiple passengers and bags from the train station -- hence the name -- they have been synonymous with large, utilitarian, if not slightly boring, cars. Before World War II most wagons were used commercially, accounting for around 1% of production. By the 1950s, however, as affluence soared and highways improved, they became the family vehicle of choice, accounting for almost 17% of the market by the end of the decade. With the Oil Crisis in the 1970s and the introduction of minivans and, later, SUVs in the 1980s, the American love affair with the station wagon seemed to be drawing to a close. Yet in the past several years the romance seems to be rekindling.

Today there are two sporty Mazdas, the Mazda3 and Mazda6, that come as wagons. Ford, which owns a controlling stake in Mazda, has used that Japanese carmaker's platform to make several new cars, one of which, the Freestyle, is essentially a tall wagon. General Motors has the Chevy Malibu Maxx, a muscular wagonoid very similar in form to that Mazda6 family hauler. Volvo has the very capable V50 (also a relative of that Mazda line thanks to Ford's ownership of Volvo), and even Jaguar will bring an X-Type wagon to upscale suburban garages next year. Naturally, we cannot forget Volkswagen's (Passat, Jetta), Subaru's (Legacy, Impreza) and Audi's (A3, A4, A6) wagons.

Not to mention BMW, Mercedes and Saab.

HIGHS: Killer looks; excellent handling; stomping V-8. LOWS: Uninspired interior.

But by Big Three standards, the number of wagons sold in this country hasn't exactly been scorching lately. To get a snapshot, figure about 5,000 units per year per brand for BMW, Mercedes and Saab, and more like 25,000 to 30,000 units per year for Volvo, which has a much bigger percentage of its portfolio and reputation in wagons.

That's just fine by the likes of Saab, Mercedes, BMW, and Volvo; their wagons are quite traditional and the owners of these cars like it that way. These customers will even pay a premium for these vehicles because not only are they scarcer, but they seem more soccer-mommish than, say, a Hummer H2.

But in terms of big sales numbers, no carmaker can really claim them for their wagon models. To a carmaker like DaimlerChrysler or Ford, even the entire volume of cars Volkswagen puts out in this country is scant. Through September of this year, combined U.S. sales of Volkswagen's entire car (not SUV) portfolio, not including a few hundred Lamborghinis but including VW, Audi and Bentley, are about 234,000 cars. In that same period Honda has sold almost 300,000 Accords. That's one model, and that's the kind of volume Detroit is after.

So again, if you're Detroit and not Subaru or Volvo or VW and you want to sell much more than 100,000 wagons per model per year, you have to break new ground and take some chances. And you have to do something radical -- you have to make men not only accept the idea of owning a wagon, but actually want to own one.

DaimlerChrysler's Dodge has created that kind of demand. The Magnum is a wagon that's got about as much or more cargo room as any Volvo, VW or Mercedes, but chases down 60 mph in about 5.5 seconds (when you order the $29,995 R/T model with its 340 horsepower V-8). Yep, that's a whole lotta stomp under the hood, a bunch of utility in back, and by the way, what seals the deal isn't just the affordable price, but the look of a vehicle that's from the wrong side of the tracks and means tire-scorching business. Any member of NASCAR's tribe of fans could drive this thing and not fear his cojones being called into question, which is a lot more than you can say of any number of so-called "softroader" SUVs on the market.

More important, such a buyer could happily share said Magnum with his wife, a situation that wouldn't be true (at least if we're talking this particular "psychographic") if said spouse were shuttling around town in a Subaru Legacy wagon. Admittedly, said buyers are probably much too shallow or they're, dare we say, suckers, if they are allowing such factors to be the primary motivators of which car they feel comfortable driving. But who are we kidding? Cars are ALL ABOUT IMAGE. They are 2,500-pound to 5,000-pound billboards designed to signal all sorts of stuff to everyone who sees us driving them. And the Magnum? Well, it says "Badass" to everyone who sees you at the wheel. And that's precisely why Dodge has already had to ramp up production in order to keep up with demand. Right then. How does it drive? And how useful is it, actually?