DRIVEN: 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8

Story by Mark Atkinson
Photos by Ed Gatner

How do you best describe the 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8? How about the station wagon from hell? The Devil’s own family hauler with room for three little devilkin and a decently-sized Cerberus? Hmm… not quite evil enough.

Have you seen this thing? Blacker than the pits of Hades, and three times as mean. I can’t count the number of times people took one glance at it and turned to stone. Well, not really – they were only so stunned by the sheer presence of the thing that they just stopped moving. Three neighbours I’d never met before suddenly became a whole lot friendlier when I pulled the SRT8 into the driveway.



The Street and Racing Technology (SRT) Group certainly did their jobs when the order for a hotted-up Dodge Magnum came down the pipeline. We’re already fans of the ‘regular’ RT, so you should already have a frame of reference to work from. Take out the already potent 5.7-litre HEMI V8, and dump in a 6.1 litre version that puts out a monstrous 425 hp @ 6000 rpm and 420 lb-ft. @ 4800 rpm. Then, lower the thing, stiffen up the suspension, up-size the anti-sway bars, fit a set of pizza-plate-sized Brembo brakes, slap on massive 20-inch five-spoke wheels with ‘real’ performance tires, drop in some Viper-inspired super-aggressive sport seats and then shake until Armageddon.

What do you get? One wickedly fast machine that goes, whoas and turns remarkably well too. It’s a muscle car that doesn’t get scared at the first sign of a twisty road, and can feel equally capable bringing home the weekly groceries.



Is it heavy? Abso-friggin’-loutely. It weighs in at 4,260 lbs., but thankfully feels much more nimble than its size and heft would suggest. On track, its behaviour is downright benign thanks to the Mercedes-Benz sourced Electronic Stability Program and those huge brakes. Oh, you can get the SRT8 majorly sideways – just check the photo above. But it’s not a hair-trigger thing – one wrong breath and you’re off.

No, the Magnum SRT8 is even happy doing the daily commute, and its surprisingly well-judged ride – you can thank that weight here – doesn’t beat you up going out for milk.

Of course, you always want to take the long way home, but that’s a whole other problem…



The Magnum is one of three LX platform cars that have undergone the SRT treatment. Like the three bears, the 300C is too subtle, while the Charger almost seems like it’s trying too hard. The Magnum version is just right.

Downsides? Well, if you have to ask about the gas mileage, stop reading right here. In this day and age of over $1-per-litre gas, anyone buying a six-litre engine who complains about gas mileage officially gets their human card revoked. Do your research. Dodge’s claims of 14 mpg city / 20 mpg hwy seem optimistic, especially given that the SRT’s V8 doesn’t come with the Multiple-Displacement System (MDS) that shuts down a bank of cylinders when cruising on the highway.



And, of course, since we live in Canada, you’ll have to find some huge snow tires and extra wheels that’ll fit over those monster brakes. Even the stock all-seasons on the regular RT’s are ‘marginal’ at best for this big rear-driver.

However, the great part is that the Magnum’s price is significantly lower than any other vehicle of its size and capabilities. The Mercedes-Benz E55 wagon, which admittedly is leagues nicer inside than the Dodge, starts at $122,000. Audi’s S6 Avant is now on ice for the time being, and BMW doesn’t make an M5 Touring (yet anyway). Nothing Japanese even fits the bill, and neither GM nor Ford offer anything comparable either.

A base Magnum SRT8 comes in at $46,520, while a fully loaded version with sunroof, side airbags, upgraded Boston Acoustic sound system, navigation system and all the bells and whistles only rings up to $54,195. A relative bargain for a little piece of hell.