Dodge Magnum SE - like putting a moped engine into a Harley

This is a company car, and I didn't have a choice to upgrade the engine. I received the standard SE version with a decent option package (power seat, privacy glass, upgraded sound system, power windows, traction control), and I also opted to pay for the $500 roofrack and rear organizer.

First, the Magnum is a rear-wheel drive sports wagon and designed as such. Nobody should look at it unless they're expecting that "sports wagon" means it will feel quite different from a family wagon or minivan. That'd be comparing apples to oranges.

POWER AND PERFORMANCE
The 2.7 liter engine provides merely adequate performance from a stop and at speed, and I'd recommend one of the larger engines. Its specifications noted elsewhere say that it has an 11 second 0-60mph time. Considering that most of today's minivans are quicker, that's a shameful statistic for what is billed as a sports wagon. That said, the Magnum never had a problem keeping up with traffic, cruising at 80mph across the desert highway, or accelerating enough to pass reasonably. It's just not FUN, given the absence of overwhelming power (and also due to knowing that the Magnum owners have Hemi engines get to smile all day long). On the highway, I average 23mpg. Around town in traffic is 17mpg.

INTERIOR SEATING POSITION AND COMFORT
The legroom is excellent for front and back passengers. The rear seat legroom is the best I've seen, thanks to the long wheelbase. It's so spacious that my daughter pretends to call the front-seat passengers, like she'd need a telephone to reach us. The headroom is very good (I'm 6'2"). The telescoping steering wheel is extremely helpful and complements the power driver's seat to find an ideal driving position relative to the fixed position pedals on this model.

ON THE ROAD
The ride is smooth and excellent, likely due to the Mercedes-designed chassis coupled with this heavy car. Cornering feels very solid-- not at all feeling like it's a 4000 pound vehicle. Emergency handling is very good.

SNOW AND RAIN
The traction control is amazing. We took this up to the mountains for some family snow play and drove right into a blizzard. I put chains on the rear tires (required on this road). I drove gently and carefully, and with the traction control on the rear wheels, I kept up with the 4x4 trucks moving up the mountain. This was on roads with several inches of snow, not yet plowed. I've owned a 4x4 SUV before, and with chains on the rear combined with traction control, the Magnum felt just as sure-footed on the snow. I was blown away. Similarly, handling in rain felt very safe.

CARGO AREA
Rear cargo space is very limited, unless folding the rear seats. The sloping roof, the low profile, and the wheel wells all combine to restrict the cargo area too much. The car can handle a trip to the grocery store, or perhaps three suitcases, but that's the limit. We've needed to use the optional roof rack during family trips. One great feature of the cargo area is the lift-back. It has a hinge that is far into the roofline, so it opens up and forward. I'm impressed with that particular design element, as it really eliminates any possibility of hitting one's head on it. Putting down the rear seats really opens up the cargo area with around 6 feet of depth. With the rear seats down, this has swallowed up quite a bit of supplies from Home Depot, including 8-foot moulding stretching from the front passenger's area back to the tailgate. Impressive!

STYLE
I really like the look of this car. It's unique, it's aggressive, and it's sporty. Interestingly, most people think all Magnums come with Hemi engines, so I sense that people assume my "badness" factor is 40% higher than it should be.

VISIBILITY
For lack of a better description, from the driver's seat, it feels like this car has a tiny little butt way back there, in which there is a little window (i.e., probably like many sports cars). Rear visibility is challenged. The driver needs to learn to use the side mirrors, in addition to glancing out the rear.

OVERALL FINISH
The exterior was flawless. The interior plastic feels very cheap. The dash display feels like that 1980s GM style of recessed dials without much thought for integrating with the rest of the cabin. That's really disappointing. The seat fabric is nice, however. From the get-go, our dashboard has had an annoying, tiny little squeak that it emits over rough pavement or bumps. The dealer hasn't been able to resolve it.

CONCLUSION
This is a smooth-riding, comfortable car that is big enough for the family without sacrificing the last bit of parental independence and individualism. The 3.5 liter engine should be the minimum, rather than the base 2.7.