2008 Dodge Magnum Exterior Review [ 2007 ]
in Affordable Full Size Wagons
Based on analysis of 48 Magnum reviews and test drives.
Exterior - What the Auto Press Says
With only a few exceptions, reviewers think the 2008 Dodge Magnum is one gorgeous hunk of metal. Edmunds says the Dodge "turns heads like a Ferrari on fire."
Reviewers are mostly quite taken by the Magnum's retro, bad-boy looks, with many likening it to a hot rod straight out of the 1950s: "What makes the Magnum work is its subversive, hot-rod styling," says the Los Angeles Times, "which to me has a distinct rockabilly vibe. In this tribal subculture, with its goth-kitsch fascination with '50s teen rebellion, the cars are big and bad." Similarly, the Boston Globe writes, "The Magnum has the distinct look of a 1950s wagon that has been chopped and channeled by an urban car club." Kelley Blue Book feels that it's "a station wagon on steroids with an edgy retro style." A few reviewers even find it, in the word of the Forbes reviewer, "menacing." "[T]he Magnum is stealthy," says the Detroit News, "with a ground-hugging appearance reminiscent of a shark."
Among the rare naysayers are the Orlando Sentinel, which finds the Magnum's looks "slightly squashed," and Road and Track, which feels that the "front end of the Magnum is a bit too brutish for my tastes." Those objections aside, U.S. News reviewer Rick Newman sums up what may be the ultimate reason that people buy a Magnum: "Everybody seemed to like me in this car."
