regfootball

Yup. exactly. This is why Chrysler is at 50% fleet. I like the car, the way it drives. Spacious, comfy, decent value. It's just the nasty cheap and dark interior and mailslot windows is so repulsive, the bad stuff stands out more than the good. Fix a few things, give me some windows, raise the roof a bit, make it feel less like its pulling a sled behind it, and I could see having a magnum in my garage. Nah, it looks like I am thinking of a G8! it was either here or GMI i saw someone had posted some cellphone pics of a bright red G8 prototype just this week. It had the new pontiac logo in silver and the grille had been cleaned up. Now that's a sweet car. I hump the desk thinking about it. DCX is where Pontiac was during the cladding years to many people. Just....over the top boy racer tacky. The designs and interiors of most of the Chryslers have zero appeal to women, also, which may be accounting for some a lot of their downfall lately. They are putting all their eggs into one style basket. Boy racer and gangsta guys. And that market is very limitied and already looks to have been tapped out. Where is my Chinese Park Avenue?

let's put it this way. sure it's aggressive. but that red magnum looked awfully at home last night in my garage parked to my red aztek. they looked like two peas in a pod. almost like blood relatives. one was just longer and shorter than the other.

it's RALLY, spelled without the "E", thank you jeez, chrysler can't even get an original idea now.

sure, it's clean and aggressive and it's the main contributor along with darkness of death plastic to a claustrophobic interior. styling is nice, but if it detracts from the rest of the car, it's not worth it.

E class wagon styling puts me to sleep. Guess I need an 08 CTS. or G8.

the 2006 ford FWD 500 as listed on myford500.com is 3643 pounds. Dodge.com lists the RWD SXT as 3896 pounds. So ok, you're right, the weight diff isn't 500 pounds, its 250 pounds.......(over 6% of 4000) but man it sure feels like its at least 500 pounds heavier. Its a wagon, but it lacks cargo room, so that extra size does nothing. The 500's trunk is just as big. The magnum does drive better and feels more solid and roadworthy, sure. I defintely can say that. But it feels too big, and it's wheelbase is too long. They should shorten the engine bay about 6 inches and it would have no effect on the rear or front seat space. The v6 don't need the wasteful space of the hemi. Conversely, GM can shoehorn a nice v8 in the shorter G8. Then the car wouldn't feel so damn big and would react to steering inputs quicker. it was only a 4 speed because that's all the higher the manual mode went to. I could not shift up from 4 to 5 and the car did not shift itself up after 4 either. dodgefan, it had a manual mode. Manual modes with 6 speeds like on the Aura are fun because you have a lot of range of gears to work with. On 4 speed cars, you never use 1 except to get away from a light. You don't drive aggressively in top gear, so you are left with only 2 gears to shift back and forth from. On a 6 speed, you get at least 4 gears for aggressive drving around town. So the manual becomes more useful with the 6 speed. the v6 was nice, peppy, but i think the car could be even more fun with another 50 horsepower. No need for a Hemi. i gotta tell ya, like I said, I am on the fence about this car. Its maddening. It rides and drives nice. Its just got a nasty interior and is majorly claustrophobic. All the cheapness. And the boy racer styling, meh. Enough to take a fundamentally nice car and turn it into something uncompelling.

LOUD APPLAUSE- Bold American format (large rear wheel drive car), all wheel drive option, Smooth and peppy v6 engine, Good ride, handling, braking, steering and suspension, lots of passenger room, especially the back seat. wide seats shaped nicely and comfy and firm. Vaultlike chassis construction. Great car for trips. Extroverted styling.. if you want it. Hemi and SRT options. Car is unique and unmistakable. OOHS AND AAHS- mp3 input jack, excellent rear hatch design, good value for the dollar. Gauges look neat at night. Hubcaps look alright, for hubcaps. Can get the steering wheel in the right spot on your lap. GIVES ME PAUSE- Cargo hold is a lot smaller than you would like to think a car this large and portly should have. Four speed automatic with manual mode would be much more pleasing and functional if it were a 6 speed unit and had paddle shifters. Lack of steering wheel radio controls. Would like quicker steering ratio. Gauges have never been this close to the steering wheel before. Key location on dash not handy. Door lock controls on door are clumsy. Key fob looks cheap. Mp3 plug input location not handy. Gangster/macho/same flavor as a cladded Pontiac monster styling. Extroverted styling attracts cops. FATAL FLAWS- Pancake roofline allows plenty of headroom but the view out of the bathtub with its high sills is extremely claustrophobic, abysmal interior plastics, dull, dated, blocky interior shapes and design, turn signal / wiper and cruise control stalks could not be in worse layout, steering wheel is too big, bad interior build quality (including rattles from the speakers and plastic trim), morbid seat cloth, any color you want as long as you like black, is about 5% too big and weighs about 500 pounds too much. Wheelbase is about 4-6” too long. They should have shaved that amount of length from the length of the hood. Bad cupholders. Did I mention the nasty cheap interior? People will need therapy after sitting in this dark tomb for the length of their payment book. Ever sit in a garbage can? I am very on the fence about this car. I am impressed by the way it behaves itself on the road and some of it's passenger virtues. However, the package it is in has no class and little sense of civility and is really just too in your face crude. To top it off the whole car needs a diet and should be about 5% dimensionally smaller to help it feel nimbler. This is what some folks will undoubtedly like about it. DCX really ought to tone the 'Hair of the Dog' schtick down and focus on making this vehicle more appealing to those besides the burnout bunch. I've driven the SRT8 300 and Magnum and find them fun, but not something that would be appealing every day. The v6 Magnum still is not refined enough to be on the wanted list, which is sad because it has so many of the basic virtues down pat. This car is like the guy with the bad disco perm, hairy chest and gold chain. It's just too much. And it feels downright cheap. I could conceivably like a version of this car (the 300 perhaps) with less 'gangsta', less claustrophia, less weight, a sunroof to lighten the cabin, and an actual interior that doesn't incite 'yuck' comments. I bet the G8 would be what i want.

I know you're up for proven technology but the W body will be 23 years old in 2010. Some of the posters here are inferring that they are fine with extending the W body for chevy etc. and that 6 year product cycles are ok. No effing way in today's market does 6 year product cycles with a MCE after year three years cut it. Products are perceived as dated after about 3 to 3 1/2 years. Customers lose interest in new products after about 2 years. GM is so toast. No one will be taking them seriously ever again if this is all true. At lease if they brought the Saudi Lumina over, the Holden Caprice, the Chinese Park Avenue, etc. we would have some sort of hope. the Corsa even too.

yet they are piling up on Saturn lots.

you must work in the oil business or defense contracting or outsourcing.

I predict at least a 50% increase. Ford will actually advertise the car for one. The engine change fixes the biggest functional complaint. The new front chassis and all the sound deadener will fix the other big complaint. The styling changes help enough also. They kept the price attractive and added lots of standard content. AWD will remain a popular option. AWD has a high take rate around here on the 500. Ford should actually fleet a few of these to get some folks driving them. Response at the auto show was positive. Folks never had an idea what the 500 was but the rebadged taurus was getting lots of compliments. Based on my Edge test drive, I can say the engine is sweet. Ford really needs to be getting test mules out to the press right now and get some buzz going. Only thing that may throw a wrench into this is if the Edge steals more sales from taurus then we thought.

BOISE is so YOU.!

NO!!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!! ok, I guess you're right.

yup. the taurus for 08 with the new engine should get some sales back.

the 2.7 exists because of Europe. Just like the 2.8 in the CTS. I got a Magnum SXT loaner for tonight and tomorrow (3.5v6 4 spd) so I am noting all the comments here and will compare notes. i started a similar thread. I agree with a lot of what Bob is saying. Especially the 'Gotham City' part and the whole idea of its kinda neat but i sure as heck wouldn't buy one. It's a period piece, big time. I should have more clear ideas tomorrow. There is just too much amiss with these RWD chryslers. I enjoyed driving the Edge and Acadia more than I did the magnum.

Well, my CV axle boot was torn on my 500 (not sure why) but they scheduled the service but didn't have the part. So, I got a loaner for a day. Enterprise dude picked me up in a Mazda6 but I made sure to do anything in my power to not get that steaming pile of turd hot carl to take home. So I asked and got the Magnum. I could have got a Grand Prix (should have) and the damn Kia Sedona got back in the lot just as I signed the papers Anyways, I'll try and sum it up tomorrow after I turn it in. It's a 4 speed v6. I'm gonna read Bob's 300 review too and see if there are any similarities. One thing I can say with certainly is that the interior is ABYSMAL. Terrible. God awful bad. More later. Aside from the disastrous interior, it's kind of a fun car. A heavy portly slug of a car, but kinda fun nonetheless. Nothing I would buy, because the interior is so brutally bad.

well sorry, i don't agree with you. next please.

GM, tripping all over themselves, taking forever to make a simple sandwich. this is getting so laughable it's not even funny. if they are using the $$$ to rush the volt to production, ok, but this just reeks of typical really bad management.

i think i tried a fake vagina once too, she had legs and arms attached to her and her name was Cheri and she was kind of bitchy on top of it all. she liked to pick at her teeth too

reminds me of an old MENTORS song....one line in it... "chicks with d1cks" maybe those are the kind that may raise an eyebrow?

well, that's fair to say I guess. it's just that you gotta market to the fans and non-fans both. But i see your angst.

the Lancer is a nice companion to the Mazda 3. Together, those 2 represent better options than the really ugly civic and the dorky corolla. With the gas prices, lancer hits the market at exactly the right time, and its Evo cred and semi sporty attitude should mean good sales. Between Lancer and Outlander is where they revive their sales. I would much rather see Mits remain and grow again instead of having to deal with Hyundai, Kia, Suzuki seeing success here.

CORRECTED FOR ACCURACY.

sedona, sorento, in the $h!ter.

the ones who felt they needed the fengshui of the infiniti showroom