Spotlight on Dodge Magnum
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Its the muscle car of the new millennium. The 2005 Dodge Magnum, a featured vehicle at this years Auto Show, puts bold styling in the spotlight and testosterone under the hood.
The legendary engine that powered Dodges muscle cars of the 1960s has been re-engineered and reborn as a modern, high-performance, fuel-efficient and durable powerplant known as the all-new 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine.
The Dodge Magnum offers the right formula of proportions, packaging and performance that sets it far apart from the competition, said Craig Love, vice president of Chryslers rear-wheel-drive product team. With its unique profile, exceptional versatility, Hemi power and rear-wheel-drive performance, there is nothing else like it in the marketplace.
Dodge Magnum is the first rear-wheel-drive car for the Dodge brand in nearly 20 years, and designers used this opportunity to create a vehicle image unlike what is currently offered in the marketplace.
With a bold hood and long tapered roof line, the look is dramatic, said Ralph Gilles, director of small, premium and family vehicle design at Chrysler. The front and rear overhangs have been minimized, which emphasizes the wheels at the corners and conveys a message of design efficiency.
Designers raised the beltline on the body, while pulling the roofline down tautly around the windows to create a new proportion of body to glass, which is usually only found on hot rods and concept vehicles. The tall bodyside is substantial and offers the driver a feeling of safety. This clean, ingot-like body is only interrupted by a set of pronounced wheel flares that contain a set of available massive 18-inch tires and wheels.
Taking a cue from the Dodge Ram truck, the prominent front grille of the Magnum features a texture of horizontal bars. The shape of the grille itself is new and signals a distinctive signature for the Dodge brand face. The headlamps are large to meet improved functional requirements, and figure prominently into the front-end design.
Dodge Magnum blends the functional attributes of a sport-utility, the character of a sport sedan and the soul of a Viper to create a unique vehicle for Dodge. The seating position is raised two-and-a-half inches from current Chrysler Group passenger cars for better command of the road. In addition, a spacious and flexible cargo area has been added, featuring an upper flat-load floor that expands the usable cargo area when the rear seats are folded forward. Additional storage is provided below this load floor for smaller items and in deep pockets on either side of the floor rearward of the wheels.
An unusually large cargo opening is created by hinging the top of the rear gate midway between the C- and D-pillar. This extreme access liftgate opens to 11.3 square-feet of flexibility, enough to accommodate a box containing a 27-inch TV.
For the ultimate in performance, the Dodge Magnum RT is equipped with a standard 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine. With 340 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 390 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm, the Dodge Magnum RT can go from 0 to 60 mph in just 6.3 seconds.
The Dodge Magnum is among the first Chrysler Group vehicles to offer advanced multi-stage airbags with an occupant classification system for the front passenger seat. This system measures the conditions for activation or deactivation based upon the weight of the occupant. (However, even with this advanced system designed to meet government requirements, the safest place for children is in the back seat.) The driver-side airbag works in conjunction with an energy-absorbing steering column to provide supplemental restraint in frontal impacts.
The new Magnum features the longest wheelbase in its class, providing exceptional interior room and functional space, including 60/40 split-folding rear seats, an upper flat-load floor with storage space below the floor and a versatile cargo management system that delivers smart storage space of 71.6 cubic feet with rear seats folded.
