Step aside girly cars- Dodge's race-ready wagon is out for blood.

Want a race-car that snorts like Ron Fellows' Cadillac? Need the size and safety of a family wagon? Now, thanks to Dodge, you can have both.

Their Magnum effectively put station wagons back on the map with blocky American styling, a comfortable interior and selection of engine and drivetrain configurations.

A family hauler with attitude.

Topping the model lineup is the factory-tuned Magnum SRT8 from Dodge's Street and Racing Technology (SRT) team. Their job is to bump performance on selected models to extremes of street-legal limits, while creating matching style updates to reflect the additional power visually.

The upgrades
The SRT8 Magnum is lowered and carries a more aggressive looking front bumper that incorporates fog-lamps and brake-ducting. These ducts direct fresh air onto a set of red Brembo brake calipers that peek out from behind twenty-inch wheels. Each is the size of a halved fifty-gallon barrel, and they wear Eagle F1 Supercar tires for gut-wrenching grip.

SRT8 rides on performance-enhanced suspension that helps it defy its size. Lift-off oversteer is easy to employ in tight bends, and the Magnum safely understeers at its limit, making it predictable and safe to drive hard. It drives the proper wheels too- the rear ones. This helps make it feel balanced and poised at all times. It corners unbelievably well for a rear-wheel-drive bungalow, and seems to forget how heavy it is when asked to stop or steer.

Mechanical mayhem for seriously twisted power
It's much the same story when you ask it to get moving too, because with a 6.1 litre HEMI V8 belting out 425 horsepower, this thing is seriously, brutally quick. Power handled by a 5-speed automatic transmission with manual mode called AutoStick. It's more a toy than a tool, and an extra gear would have been welcomed in certain situations.

On the track
On a racing circuit where many SRT8 owners push their machines to their limits, the Magnum impresses. The power positively annihilates lesser cars on straight stretches, while the fade-resistant brakes brush off speed quickly- allowing drivers to spend more time on the throttle. Plenty of warning is provided if you're pushing your luck laterally, and the ESP can be turned down, but not off. It generally stays out of your fun while making sure you stay out of the rhubarb.

The Magnum SRT8 feels at home on the racetrack.

Veteran Racing driver and Ian Law Racing School instructor Candace Calder tried the car out and was overtaken by the performance.

"This car is unbelievably good" she said. "The back-end comes out just right, it's very precise and forgiving, and really sticky. It corners like a GTI! In one word- awesome. And the throaty sound!! "

Instructor Dave Stokes, also impressed, summarized "you know, this really is quite good on the track for its size."

In an arena dominated by the most athletic contenders from Japan and Germany, the loud-mouthed American heavyweight had managed to bring childish grins to the faces of two seasoned racing instructors.

Massive disc brakes help control this highly powered vehicle.

A driver's car?
Despite the grip and capabilities of this semi-domesticated gorilla, a slow-to-react manual-mode combined with vague brakes and steering fail to truly pull all the performance hardware together at the fingertips where it counts. Additionally, the brakes in the tester began heating up and fading sooner than expected- although stopping power remained absurd while they were cool.

A track test of a 300C SRT8 a few months back saw the identical brakes work strong and hard every time- so pass this one off to an overdue brake-fluid change. Other than hot brakes and a few clumsy gearshifts, the SRT8 Magnum performed flawlessly all day long, though nearly 7 hours of hard driving.

Mileage?
Of course, it likes gas- a lot. Get into the throttle, and it will combust as much as 40 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres on the track- though it's worth every penny in terms of thrills, spills and pure power. This thing has more balls than a McDonalds playland- and it knows how to use them.

Drive gently on the highway around 110 kmh with the cruise control keeping your license in check, and it puts away about 13L / 100km of premium. Killer sound effects are always just a quick jab of the throttle away.

You will easily fit about anything in the trunk.

On the road
There's a dual-duty being served here- and for all the track ready violence, the SRT8 is a very easy car to drive gently. The automatic transmission will keep the monstrous engine at low revs where you'd be hard-pressed to hear it. Inside are features like a premium stereo system, heated seats, a sunroof, and automatic climate control.

Despite the stiff ride, overall comfort is decent.

If you don't want to drive around blasting sixties music from the tailpipes, the SRT8 is happy to just simmer down and play nice. The ride is a touch stiff, but comfortable overall, and the interior isn't short on room or comfort- even for a family weekend getaway.

Fully loaded, the SRT8 Magnum carries an MSRP of around $55,000. That's not bad for a Viper wagon.


Face-peeling power, tremendous grip, crushing brakes
Family friendly and spacious
Comfortable highway ride
Killer looks and sounds

Obscene fuel consumption when pushed
Fussy navigation system
Autostick mode could be quicker



Doesn't come with a built-in traffic lawyer