The Dodge Magnum is one of the most underrated cars of our time. Base loosely on the Mercedes E-Class, it was a rear-wheel drive, V8 wagon that was legitimately reliable, legitimately practical, and legitimately beautiful. And yet, history has completely forgotten about it, and I think part of that has to do with three nasty letters that spoiled the entire DaimlerChrysler merger: MCM.
When I did my internship at Chrysler back in 2012, those three letters still echoed through the halls of the Chrysler Technical Center in Auburn Hills, often sending engineering veterans into bouts of heavy sobbing and weeping, many having to either go home early or recover via hugs from fellow enginerds.
It stands for Material Cost Management, and it was a philosophy that squeezed suppliers and forced the company to pinch pennies in the worst way possible: Saving on Class A surfaces.
Class A surfaces are parts of a car that a customer sees and touches. Generally, Class A surfaces are considered sacred, and not the place to try to save money, as trying to do so will affect how the general public perceives the vehicle. DaimlerChrysler didn’t care, and in the early 2000s pushed its team to reduce cost pretty much everywhere, leading some Chrysler employees to refer to MCM as “Make Customers Mad.”
Twenty years later, MCM is still doing that, as I reviewed a 2005 Dodge Magnum — a rear-wheel drive, 5.7-liter Hemi powered wagon with a great powertrain, tons of space, and even more style — and find myself pretty happy but also pretty mad. The Magnum is a vehicle that, in the annals of auto history, should shine bright, and yet it doesn’t. Thanks a lot, “Merger Of Equals.”
I was excited to get behind the wheel of this machine recently traded into Galpin Honda. I had always loved the Magnum; it even had a poster of the SRT-8 version on my wall when I was a kid. So when I saw that the trade-in was an RT trim, equipped with the 5.7-liter V8, I was pumped. I was marginally less pumped when I saw what shape this one was in, with faded paint, yellowed headlights, cracked exterior rubber trim, and an interior that was already trash when it was new and is a lot worse 20 years later.
And when I say “trash,” I’m not trying to be mean; I’m being literal. When Car & Driver reviewed a Dodge Magnum back in 2006, one of its writers said:
I think garbage cans are made out of the same plastic as the Magnum’s interior.
Like I said: trash. And what happens when you leave trash out in the SoCal heat for decades? Nothing good. Check out the dashboard vents just popping out:
When I turned the key, the motor fired up quickly; I hit the road, and right away remarked how nice I found the ride quality. That long wheelbase and those soft springs give the Magnum a cushy ride. Mating that ride with a powerful, grunty motor, a competent and reliable Mercedes-sourced A580 transmission, and those sleek wagon looks just gives the Magnum a chill, cruiser vibe that I love.
Never mind that my Magnum’s AC didn’t work, and that the entire front suspension was making horrible clunking noises and clearly needed new bushings/struts. What mattered, to me at least, was that powertrain, and it felt divine. Even after all these years, that HEMI and that A580 five-speed auto are a true match made in heaven. The shifts were perfect, the engine was powerful and growly — I loved it.
But it’s not just that Hemi that makes the Dodge Magnum such an epic machine, it’s the ridiculous amount of room inside:
There were other quality issues like the gas filler hose disconnecting from the body, and just a generally terrible overall exterior condition. But if I’m being honest, I still love the Dodge Magnum. I love the way it looks (awesome), the way it rides (smooth as silk), the way it sounds (burbly), and the amount of stuff it fits (it’ll fit a whole general store).
It came from an era in which many automotive interiors were horrible, but unfortunately, DaimlerChrysler was among the worst offenders. And thus, one of the coolest cars Chrysler ever built will never get the credit it deserves. The V8, rear-wheel drive wagon with a stout transmission and sharp good looks can be purchased these for only a five grand. The car deserved so much better.
The Magnum’s siblings, the 300, Charger, and Challenger, went on to live long, prosperous lives, with nice interiors and more powerful motors. But the Dodge Magnum’s life ended too soon in 2008, a final model-year that brought a rare, single model year-only design:
Sadly, that 2008, even with its HEMI heart of gold, had a Fisher Price interior.
Only managed to get seat time in an ‘05 SXT with the big six, AWD, and Mercedes 5-speed auto. From an external viewpoint, it was a handsome ride. From a driving perspective it was smooth, predictable, and even peppy. I imagine the HEMI made a large difference in pure pull, but the 3.5’s 250 HP and 250 lbs torque were a nice combo. The downfall was the interior. To call it cheap is to malign cheap. Don’t know if the 300’s interior pieces could’ve been made to fit, but if so, it would’ve transformed the car’s reputation. Every time I see one, which is getting rarer, I think about what might have been.
David, is there any way to upgrade the interior with aftermarket parts?
Since Chrysler is effectively gone, it seems the MCM parasite lives on with Mercedes-Benz as its current host.
The problem with the enthusiast wagon fetish is it leads to valorizing turds like this.
And I love big RWD V8 powered things! Just not this one.
In 2007 or so I rented a new Chrysler 300. At the time I actually owned a ’00 300M. I liked the ride and handling of the new car but was appalled by the cheapness of the interior compared to my 300M. Saw much the same comparing my 1999 WJ to years newer Grand Cherokees. They threw away everything that actually made these cars good.
I never lusted after Magnum’s because the Commodore wagon existed and could be had with a manual and LS combination. Thereby making it perfect.
(The Commodore also looked much better inside and out)
Since the Magnum was classified as a “light truck” and the CAFE standards changed in 2008, could that be why it was killed off?
So… You buy it?
I’ll never understand why they made the 300C Touring sister car a ROW-special. It seemed like a no-brainer to me to sell it on the USDM with its marginally nicer interior and slightly more upscale looks to appeal to the Boomers who liked wagons but wanted the concept of ‘luxury’. Did they really think it would cannibalize Magnum sales that much? The Charger and 300 themselves were essentially rivals already.
https://i.imgur.com/Pv8DueM.png
I never knew about the 08 facelift. That looks so much better for some reason. More tight and clean than the other generations.
Chrysler making a 300, Charger and Challenger for so long but never bringing the Magnum back in any capacity was a tragedy