Need Magnum AWD info!!!

[RACastanet]

"(I got the prints back, but I don't know for sure if some Nazi decided to put a copy of them on file.)"

You got back the set sent to the VA State Police. The second set went to the FBI and they do not return them... you are permanently on file in their data base even though that is illegal. As soon as you are approved for a firearm purchase or CHP, the records are supposed to be destroyed. Under the Clinton/Reno administration everything was kept so you are on record at least from your pre Bush CHP and firearm purchase.

Rich

[Bill Glasheen]

Need I say more?

I'm not the guy they should be worrying about, unless the government wants to jail sober middle-aged men who drive too fast. But Big Brother is still watching.

And I'm not going out of my way to help them watch me. It's not what is that concerns me; it's what could be.

- Bill

[Van Canna]

I have had all the practice I ever needed or wanted in finding places and people and _ in getting out of troubled areas_ in my work, before navigation Systems became available. Not perfect, nothing is, but close enough.

One way to look at modern navigation systems is as insurance, as a tool, that is there if and when needed, much like a gun.

It is also something that appeals to gadget aficionados, and something that can be very useful, and safe to have handy for your wife, daughter, or other member of the family when driving the car.

Really a no brainer, and in a few years, from what I hear, it will be standard in all cars.

Voice recognition is there for some, like Acura, and will be for more or all in the future.

Use of the system requires common sense, like using a cell phone, while driving. Cell phones cause more accidents than one can imagine.

Once you get used to have this friend in your car, you won’t be the same without it.

And you can have it, and not use it.Your call. But it makes your car worth more at trade in time/sale.

[Bill Glasheen]

Good points, Van.

I think voice is a must. Several other features I'd like to see in a GPS system are better memory and better detail in the maps. Considering I have a gigabyte chip in my camera and a portable 35 GB hard drive that I can stick in my pocket, it doesn't seem reasonable that many of the GPS systems need to have new CDs/DVDs loaded when you go to a different area. Some of the systems are really pathetic (VW Tourareg is a good example).

So as far as resale value, I think it's a consideration when the technology plateaus.

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

Bruce Hirabayashi sends me this...

All wheel drive

The all-wheel-drive system adds a front differential and a transfer case compared to the rear-wheel drive configuration. The power is divided between the front and rear differentials and is transmitted to both axles at all times. The transfer case is a planetary center differential that delivers 62 percent of the engine torque to the rear axle and 38 percent to the front.

By driving continuously through all four wheels, the all-wheel-drive system provides excellent cornering balance under all driving conditions, and better traction in snow and wet-weather conditions. Combined with all-speed traction control and stability control, performance and stability are outstanding under all traction conditions.

- Allpar

Hmm... The preference for more torque to the rear axle is a very good thing. This is similar to the BMW X5, and is done to maintain the rear-drive feel of the vehicle. It's not quite as extreme as the Infinity FX and G35x systems that are RWD until something slips. I don't like that... It's harder to recover from a skid than it is to maintain traction, and putting less torque per wheel means lower chance of losing traction in the first place.

It doesn't say anything about adjusting torque based on conditions. Most of the new systems do that. Hmm... But then this post is a bit dated.

Other things I saw on this site...

Interesting options and features

UConnect hands-free cellphone service works with BlueTooth enabled phones

Good...

Active suspension

All speed traction control
Infra-red backup alarm (nicely hidden in the rear bumper)

There's your answer for any complaints about rear view. I've had this on some rental vehicles. Very handy...especially for the stuff that the kids leave in the driveway.

Navigation system integrated into radio - but radio still has traditional knobs and buttons
Power adjust pedals and telescoping, tilting steering column
HID headlights
Driver and passenger lumbar support
Headlight washers
Rain sensing wipers

Yaaaawwwwwnnnnn...

I DO like the very, very large speaker enclosures though. Large = potential for good bass with the right speakers.

- Bill

[Van Canna]

Tonight it was a horror show driving back home in fog as thick as soup along winding roads in outer suburbia.

Visibility almost down to zero in some areas. Crawling speed, some cars off the road, an eerie, almost unrecognizable road maze. Hard to make out my own street.

Thank God for the Acura navigation system. Voice, led me every step of the way, into turning or going straight, giving very ample VOICE/warning alerts for upcoming turns, including footage to go, and sharp screen graphics, mapping motion direction.

A true-life saver. Best money you will ever spend. Agree on getting a sophisticated system vs. a Mickey Mouse toy.

Reason why an Acura system is best. The Mini Cooper system is not too shabby either.

In time the navigation systems will be smart enough to think, and sense your intended directions.

[Bill Glasheen]

This reminds me a bit about being in undergraduate engineering school when good calculators came out. Before then, engineers were forced to use sliderules, trig tables, and log tables. What a nightmare.... I was one of the first in the school to buy one of the hot HP calculators that did polar to rectangular coordinate conversions - a must for electrical engineering. It cost me a whole Christmas break working for it but...it was worth it.

One professor, Dr. Foster, never did take kindly to the things. He used to try to come up with tests that made it difficult to use calculators. He said he could work faster with the sliderule, and "I don't trust the darned things..." (the calculators). I remember how foolish he sounded.

It's certainly preferable to someone who likes to critique your driving... You think we get to pick how the voice sounds in the future?

By the way, I just picked this up off the Chrysler site. Shown at the North American International Auto Show...

Auburn Hills, Mich. - There is no rule that says you have to give up utility for high performance. But if there were such a rule, the all-new 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8 would break it.

“Dodge Magnum is bold, powerful, street-smart and full of life,” said Darryl Jackson, Vice President, Dodge Marketing, Chrysler Group. “With a 425-horsepower 6.1-liter HEMI® engine up front, and 71.6 square feet of cargo space in the rear, the 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8 hauls in more ways than one.

“At Dodge, the HEMI continues to resonate with our customers,” added Jackson. “The current take-rate for HEMI in the Dodge Magnum is 43 percent. The new SRT 6.1-liter HEMI quenches the thirst for even more power.”

Street and Racing Technology (SRT) engineers began with a solid foundation – the 2006 Dodge Magnum – and successfully injected SRT DNA in order to produce a vehicle that can cover a quarter mile in the high 13--second range and haul home a brand-new 27-inch TV.

“From the day it was introduced, the Dodge Magnum screamed performance,” said Dan Knott, Director, Street and Racing Technology, Chrysler Group. “Now, SRT engineering and the 6.1-liter HEMI will take Magnum to the next level.”

The 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8 offers key SRT attributes in ride and handling across a dynamic range, benchmark braking, performance-inspired interior appointments and exterior styling, as well as the raw performance of SRT’s big-bore version of the HEMI engine.

Performance numbers for the all-new 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8 include a 0-60 mph time in the low 5-second range and 60-0 mph braking in approximately 110 feet. Capable of covering a quarter-mile in the high 13-second range, the Dodge Magnum SRT8 can accomplish SRT’s signature performance test of 0-100-0 mph in the mid 16-second range.

By the way, that's a naturally-aspirated engine doing that perfrmance. They achieved 69.8 horsepower per liter of engine displacement.

- Bill

[Van Canna]

Nice wheels. It deserves a test drive for sure.

How about consumption and reliability?

[Bill Glasheen]

There's no data on that yet. However.... Two things make me keep a close eye on this.

1) Daimler Chrysler already has the standard Hemi engine in 4 different vehicles (Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum, Dodge Durango, Jeep Cherokee Limited) and there may be more (the brand new 2006 Charger??). One of the reasons I love my two vans that I have (one with 170K miles and counting) is because Nissan saw the wisdom of doing the same thing. Get one basic engine design, perfect it, and then mass produce it. This brings reliability way up. It is a maxim of engineering and medicine that the more you do something, the better and the cheaper you can do it.

Oh and to reinforce the point... This Hemi engine made Wards Automotive's "10 best" list - just like the Nissan V6 engine I like.

2) The original Hemi has Chrysler's innovative execution of multi-displacement system technology. MDS in this situation means the 8-cylinder engine goes down to 4 when you cruise. This means a 20% improvement on efficiency. Furthermore...this engine purrs like a quiet kitten when in cruise control, and growls like a lion when you punch it. It only takes 40 millisecond (0.04 seconds) to go from 4 back to 8 cylinders when you put the pedal to the metal.

So... We shall see. All they did with this new engine is bore the cylinders out a bit, increase the compression some, and reinforce some of the key parts. Otherwise it's just like the standard Hemi.

I am so very tempted here...

- Bill

[Van Canna]

It sure is tempting.

But for me, it has to pass the "behind the wheel" test.

If I don't "feel one" with the Machine_ I want no part of it.

I did not get this feeling when I test drove the Chrysler 300 Hemi.

[Bruce Hirabayashi]

I am so very tempted here...

If I may interject a note here as a person who has spent (misspent?) many years in the OEM auto supplier business:

As a general rule of thumb, try to avoid buying any completely new car in the first 6 months of production, and if you can hold off, avoid the first year all together. These cars are put together for the first time from thousands of highly engineered parts from hundreds of suppliers and sub-suppliers using untested processes. So the first couple months of cars put out by an OEM such as DaimlerChrysler are essentially "beta" releases. The OEM learns on the job how to build a new model, and they get better at it as they go.

The CAD/CAM models tell us that the cars will work, but inevitably once real customers start driving the the cars, problems always appear, and the OEMs & Suppliers have to scramble to make design changes to parts and systems to make the car work to spec / customer satisfaction. It's not uncommon in the first 6 months that a supplier is asked to make 2-3 significant running changes to a key part so a system actually works. Multiply that by a few hundred suppliers and subsuppliers, and you get the picture.

Moreover, Dodge/Chrysler is known thruout the industry has having excellent and innovative designs but worse than average execution / quality. So the above argument applies doubly to a Dodge Magnum.

You might argue that a warranty would cover all of that, and to a certain extent you would be correct. However, you need to think about the opportunity cost of your time when the car is being fixed; the general annoyance about myriad squeaks, rattles and glitches; and there may be some later corrected design flaws that don't show up until 5 years down the road, after the warranty has expired.

Keep in mind that only a very low percentage of running changes to cars are made public; OEMs simply fix things as they go, and unless it's a big safety issue, simpy keep mum about the change.

I know all of the above pales compared the the emotional high of being the first person in the area to tool around in a brand new Dodge Magnum, Ford Mustang, Audi TT, or the like.

So ... Caveat Emptor, then forge ahead and buy it anyway. After all, if you can't get the toy you want by the time you are 50, how much longer must you wait?

Have fun,

Bruce

[Bill Glasheen]

This is not everyone's cup of tea, Van.

Why the "claustrophobia" that you get? It's based on market research. When trying to reintroduce the sedan back to an SUV-loving public, they tried to figure out what it was that people liked about the stupid things. It turns out that most of it is the (false) illusion of safety they get from being up high like that.

The solution, they figured, was to drop the person back down to a safe center of gravity while surrounding them with steel.

The raised belt-line and low glass-to-body ratio were designed to provide a sense of stability and protection. Surprisingly, visibility is not especially impaired, except in the rear corners, which carry forward the 300M's problems.

{snip}

The spaciousness of the Chrysler 300C is enhanced by the more upright windshield pillars and overall profile of the new exterior design, resulting in a seating position that is two-and-a-half inches higher than the current 300M. This design enhances a command-of-the-road feel and aids easy ingress/egress. It may help to attract some potential SUV buyers, as well - and we suspect that's who the basic design proportions are geared to.

- allpar.com

From elsewhere...

The Dodge Magnum combines Hemi power, rear wheel drive, and a sturdy frame to create a vehicle with plenty of interior space, sports-car acceleration and handling, and real towing ability. Dodge calls it a "sports tourer," claiming it's a brand new segment, but we see a new interpretation of the BMW X-5 - in short, a car-based SUV, admittedly one with a truck engine. As far as American cars go, it's a rare combination of V8, rear drive, and hatchback design.

{snip}

The low glass-to-body ratio gives Dodge Magnum SRT-8 a protective appearance.

But there's more than just the feel of safety while being on the road with all these SUVs and their asses way up in the air. These new sedans were designed to recapture the old American sedan tradition. That is... a person actually can feel {gasp} comfortable in the back.

Before now, folks like me who wanted to cart kids to school or half the son's basketball team to games needed to drive a stupid, dangerous SUV, or resort to being neutered in a family van. These pieces of trash take all the fun out of driving, and the SUVs in particular give a very false sense of security. No amount of high-tech gadgetry can keep these things from flipping and killing both the occupants and those around them. Meanwhile, the sedans all lost their identity to the 1970s oil crunch.

Chrysler managed to design an engine that would cart these sedans of old quickly and efficiently

It's the high-performance, large sedan thing, Van. You either love it or you don't, It's very much Americanna - like that 1950-era car (Delta 88 ) that you posed elsewhere. The big differences are more safety, and better efficiency.

If you are like me and had only vans and SUVs as alternatives, you would totally get it. If you have that appreciation for the large, Bentley-looking sedan (as did Snoop Dog), you would get it. If you lost your virginity in the comfortably spacious back seat of an older-generation car, you would get it. (Oops... )

Kick back, buy some bling-bling, put on your shades, go find some fuzzy dice, and give it another try, Van. Let Jimmy show you what it's all about.

You can still come back to the Mini and enjoy it for what IT is.

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

Bruce

All points well taken. Been there, done that.

I was one of the first to buy the balls-to-the-wall, Suzuki GS750, which was the fastest production quarter miler of its era. I had to make some of my own custom design changes to fix some bugs, but it was worth it.

I also owned the Plymoth Sundance - the first "inexpensive" vehicle (a Chrysler product) to have airbags.

I am not going to purchase the first for several reasons. But understand that we are looking at generation 2 of an enormously popular engine that is being mass-produced big time. One thing that finally turned me off to the V10 TDI Touareg is because they are only putting that engine in that one vehicle, and they're making maybe 100 a year for U.S. consumption. Meanwhile, my extremely reliable Mercury Villagers have the V6 Nissan engine that goes in everything from the Quest to the Fx35 to the 300Z. THAT is what I have been looking for, Bruce. These are the engines that are worth having.

There is such a demand for these things, and my van is young enough, that I'm going to kick back and let the Snoop Dogs of the world buy the problem engines. When the production schedule ramps up, I'll order my own. From the factory. With what I want on it.

I can be patient here.

Also remember that this thing is built on stock parts. The Magnum base has essentially a Mercedes E-class chassis and transmission. There are only a few tweaks here and there. Again...it's smart to go with what is mass produced and used in many places. And the Mercedes transmission is much better than any piece of trash that Chrysler makes. I know... My Sundance died at 120K miles from a transmission failure. Meanwhile, Mercedes are known to turn the speedometer over many times before needing to address transmission issues.

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

This speaks to me...

Frankly, the Dodge Magnum is the bargain of the LX series. The 300 got most of the attention and most of the advertising, but the Magnum's price is more attractive, especially if you like the Teutonic-spartan interior.

Overall, the Magnum is an interesting creature. It's not nearly as ornate as the 300 and 300C, but it has the same drivetrains and similar (albeit a bit firmer) suspension tuning. It's not a traditional wagon, but neither is it an SUV, not even a "cute-ute." The Hemi power comes with far better gas mileage than most other cars with over 300 horsepower, not to mention V8 SUVs, though fairly low compared with the average V6-powered wagon. The overall feel is solid and, from a handling perspective, smaller than the Magnum actually is.

We hope many prospective SUV buyers look at the Magnum instead. It has the fundamental big-SUV attributes of V8 and rear drive, with optional all wheel drive; it's demon fast, yet, compared wtih just about any SUV larger than a Liberty, fairly thrifty on fuel; and it's less annoying to other drivers with its lower stance, yet the body exudes coolness. We'd much rather have the Magnum R/T than a Cadillac Escalade costing twice as much - and, (don't tell anyone!), we enjoyed it rather more than the last $75,000 luxury car in the driveway. So test drive one - if you can find one on a dealer's lot that hasn't been sold yet.

- allpar.com

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

Interesting article here for my buddy Van, who doesn't identify with the Dodge/Chrysler new vehicle appeal.

To each his own, for sure. But at least you'll understand what the other side sees.

- Bill

Chrysler gets hip-hop shout-out: 50 Cent wants a Charger

By Brett Clanton, The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — It turns out Snoop Dogg isn't the only hip-hop artist who wants to see a new Chrysler in his garage.


Dodge introduced the new Charger last week.

Chart-topping rapper 50 Cent made clear last week he's impatient to get a 2006 Dodge Charger, a four-door update of the classic muscle car that debuted at the Detroit auto show last week and goes on sale this spring.

"I need to know what I gotta do to get that Dodge Charger first. I need that," the rapper told Myles Kovacs, publisher of auto customizing magazine Dub, in a telephone message made available to The Detroit News.

While some brands have been reluctant to receive the blessing of profanity-spewing hip-hop artists, DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group wants to broaden the appeal of its older-skewing Dodge and Chrysler brands.

Boldly styled vehicles such as the Chrysler 300 sedan and Dodge Magnum wagon made Chrysler the darling of the hip-hop world last year, providing ideal canvasses for oversize wheels and decked-out interiors that have become calling cards for rappers, pro athletes and — perhaps most importantly for Chrysler — the legions of fans who want to emulate them.


Getty Images
50 Cent

Chrysler is wasting no time getting 50 Cent what he needs, as it did last summer when platinum-selling rapper Snoop Dogg asked Chrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche for a Chrysler 300 sedan, a move that paid off in reams of publicity. The story of Snoop's affinity for the 300 was reprinted in dozens of newspapers and magazines, and the rapper featured a handful of Chrysler 300 sedans in a music video.

At this year's Detroit auto show, Ford, Toyota and General Motors all are showcasing vehicles with street-racing accessories, fat wheel rims and special front grilles, underscoring the new attention they're giving to buyers who like to personalize vehicles and tune into TV shows such as MTV's Pimp My Ride.

Americans spent a record $39 billion on customizing their vehicles in 2003, up almost 8% from 2002, according to the Specialty Equipment Market Association.

Rappers such as Snoop Dogg and Twista, both of whom added about $30,000 in extras to new Chrysler 300s last year, have helped fuel the accessories boom.

They also have given Chrysler "street cred" with a new set of buyers such as Chris Teague, a 36-year-old computer systems specialist from Waldorf, Md., who was checking out a tricked-out Dodge Magnum at the Detroit auto show on Monday. "This definitely gives me some ideas," he said.

Chrysler has been savvy about how they have approached the hip-hop community, letting the artists find them rather than chasing after endorsements, said Dub magazine's Kovacs.

"That's worth more money than any advertising you could do in the marketplace," he said.

But they've also launched vehicles whose design inspires car buyers who are tired of seeing Honda Accord look-alikes, he said. "It's all about being aspirational and cool," he said, "and Chrysler has found a way to tap into that."

Rarely in recent months has Chrysler missed an opportunity to mention that new models like the 300 are popular with everyone from senior citizens to Snoop Dogg. In accepting Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year Award in November, Zetsche even tried to imitate the language-bending rapper in describing the distinctive sedan with the low roofline and huge front grille. "As Snoop would say, 'It's the shizzle,'" Zetsche said.

Snoop Dogg left a phone message for Zetsche last summer, asking, "What I gotta do to get that brand new 300 up outta you?"

Chrysler responded by selling the rapper a 300, which he quickly spruced up with suede seats and scissor doors. The company allowed him to use several of the sedans for a music video from his new album. Rapper Nelly also has included a Dodge Magnum in a video, and NBA star Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets has posed on the cover of Dub with his outfitted Magnum.

Now Chrysler hopes 50 Cent will give the new Charger a push out of the gate. 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, grew up on the streets of Queens, New York, and promotes himself as an inveterate gangster. He has been shot nine times, including once in the face, and raps about hardscrabble street themes. He was once hailed by Detroit native Eminem as his favorite rapper, an endorsement that helped him to become one of the biggest figures in hip-hop music.

The 2006 Dodge Charger is an all-new passenger sedan that has the same rear-wheel-drive underbody as the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum and revives the name of a two-door fastback perhaps best known as the getaway car on TV's The Dukes of Hazzard. Chrysler will begin building the sedan in Brampton, Ontario, this spring.

Zetsche was already getting mileage out of 50 Cent's request at last Friday night's charity preview event for the 2005 North American International Auto Show. Surrounded on stage by models from Gear magazine, Zetsche bragged that 50 Cent bought a new Chrysler 300 last year and now is ready for the Charger.

"That's two 50 Cent purchases," Zetsche said. "Now, we're up to a buck."