From 11 to 18 January 2006, I rented a Dodge Magnum SE with a 2.7 liter 6 cylinder engine from Dollar Rent a Car in Phoenix, AZ. I drove the Magnum 1363 miles and averaged just under 25 miles per gallon using regular. Most of the driving was on the highways of Northeastern Arizona's Indian reservations at the highest speeds possible. There were four full sized adults with their luggage in the car. Overall it was a good ride with only a few faults. The price of this car should be less than $24,000 according to Internet guides.

My first impression of the Magnum was it was quite spacious inside regardless of its very low profile. The seats were very comfortable both front and rear. The interior finish of this car, the lowest priced Magnum, looks cheap but it is functional. There are sufficient pockets in the doors and cup holders to satisfy almost anyone. Multiple outlets are available to power extra electronic equipment but the outlet in the center console between the front seats did not work.

There is one big drawback to the low profile of the Magnum and that is a huge blind spot to the driver's left rear. If you turn your head to look back, as all good drivers do before pulling into the left lane, all you will see is the huge door pillar that extends into the cabin for a few inches behind the front seat. This blind spot got me into trouble a couple of times but thankfully I had no accidents.

The small engine of the Magnum I rented did not allow for neck snapping acceleration, especially considering the load it was hauling. Nevertheless, the acceleration was brisk and merging onto the Interstates was never a problem. Maintaining speed while climbing hills at times was a problem as the car shifted down and the motor struggled in the higher rev zones. Most of the time the tach held steady at about 2,500 rpm while cruising at 70 miles per hour. I had to add a quart of oil after driving about 700 miles across the reservations because the engine was working so hard on the hills. I would pay for a larger engine if I were to buy this car.

The cruise control on the Magnum is on a small wand just above the turn signal wand. After a while one should be able to learn not to turn on the turn signals or windshield wipers while trying to set the cruise control but it was awkward and made no ergonomic sense to put the cruise control where it was always in the way of the turn signal. The cruise control shifted down to retard speeds on mountain descents which I would prefer it not do.

The gauge lay out was very nice if you did not care to look at the fuel gauge or temperature gage while driving. The fuel and temperature gauges are set so as to be hidden if you drive with your hands in the 10 and 2 positions on the steering wheel. The rest of the dash controls and gauges were in the right places. The cheap sound system was easy to use. There was a CD player but no tape deck in this sound system.

The trunk area of this Magnum was quite nice. There are big receptacles at each side behind the rear wheel wells to store two gallon jugs of water or other needed items. The trunk space has a folding floor that allows one to make a smooth surface from the tail gate to the front seats. When the floor is folded up behind the rear seats, four maximum sized carry-on suitcases fit nicely in the well. Below the well is an emergency sized spare tire and the battery. It surprised me to find the battery in the rear of the car because one would think that Dodge engineers could have found space under the hood for the battery. Perhaps they thought it would better balance the car when only the driver was traveling.

The trunk lid or tail gate in station wagon terms was unusual in that it opened from about one third of the way up the roof over the rear seats. This allowed plenty of room to stand up under the tail gate when stowing baggage. Anyone shorter than six foot will have to make a long stretch to close the gate by reaching for its trailing edge. I found it easier to close the tail gate by standing to one side and pushing down on the gate.

The doors lock automatically at 15 miles per hour. Unfortunately they do not unlock automatically and if you forget to manually unlock them when you get out of the driver's seat, you will be fumbling for your key fob to get something out of the back seat or returning to the driver's door to unlock the rest of the doors. The rear doors have child proof locks but these looks were not the cause of this problem. Maybe it was just a problem for this particular car but it was annoying. Back seat passengers had to manually pull up the lock stems in their doors to open the doors if the driver forgets to unlock the doors.


The car handled quite nicely for a big American car. The ride was soft but stable on high speed curves. Side winds had no effect on the handling. Bumps and holes on the highways were absorbed without problem. Small speed bumps in fast food parking lots caused us to bottom out twice at 5 miles per hour.