Ride Report: Dodge Magnum RT AWD 5.7L Hemi V8 :)
After being in Atlanta for the last 8 weeks at another client office, I'm back in Cleveland for the week. Hertz swapped my preassigned Subaru Forrester for a brand new Dodge Magnum RT AWD with the 5.7L Hemi V8!
WOW does it move for something so big and heavy. The car weighs slightly more than my Infiniti FX45, but feels like it has much more torque. Though slightly slower than my FX, it really jumps off the line, especially if you turn off the ESP (electronic stability program). After a few hours driving this RT model, I want to go sample the SRT8 version!
I can see that it is much less focused on sport than the FX. The steering is a bit vague; suspension, much softer; lots of bodyroll and nose dive during braking. The seats aren't bolstered very well and I slide around on the corners. The interior feels very wide. Overall it feels very big, but has a cheap feeling interior. There are several plastic parts that flex a lot when you touch them. There are also several ergonomic problems, especially the cruise control stalk and radio station selection. There are no steering wheel mounted controls, but those are available options. The cup holders are not able to hold anything larger than a medium sized (22oz) drink.
The engine suppose to have a "multi displacement system" so it shuts down 4 cylinders when cruising. I can't tell if it works. There is no indicator and this model doesn't have a display showing MPG. The car does shake more than I would like at idle.