By Tim Plouff

While most Americans detest public transportation, we use a wide assortment of pickup trucks, minivans, sedans and personal cars to commute to work and school, run errands, plus recreate and vacation. We want reliability and need versatility yet many drivers also request a hint of individuality just so we can keep up with “The Jones” even though we don’t really want to look like them.

Here is where the manufacturer’s image marketing shapes many of our buying decisions.

Our parents drove station wagons, vehicles that accomplished much of the same tasks that we now demand from SUVs, crossover wagons and sport wagons. The station wagon of our youth was a workhorse, not at all unlike the expectations for today’s family wagons.

Dodge has taken the concept to a radical extreme; the functionality of a five-passenger wagon body mixed with a healthy dose of sporty performance. On one hand, the Dodge Magnum is a throwback to the wagons of our past; it’s big inside and out, it has rear-wheel drive (or full-time AWD) and it’s powerful, especially when equipped with the Hemi V-8 engine.

On the other hand, the Magnum is assembled with a lot of parts from the Mercedes side of the business, offers the aforementioned AWD plus an aggressive, modern hot-rod look that shouts 21st century. Add a chassis that would put any of our parent’s cars to shame and the Magnum has the goods to make quite an impression.

Cinching the connection between past and present was the repeated observations of viewers approximating my parent’s generation. These drivers said that the Magnum looked “classy.” Hmm…

No matter what generation you hail from, the Magnum’s styling makes an unforgettable statement. Dodge’s trademark cross-hairs grille is boldly displayed on the front of the high belt-line body, the same dramatic look that has made the Chrysler 300 such a hit. The small, narrow windows and low roofline suggest some custom metal work rather than factory production, giving the car a certain confidence. Add large 18-inch alloy wheels wearing low-profile rubber and you have a radical wagon for a new generation of drivers.

Admittedly, Dodge has gone out on a limb with this design. Sales of the former Intrepid front-drive sedans was tepid at best, leaving Chrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche with the choice of continuing on a cloudy path or taking a whole new direction. The bold body concept had been bouncing around inside Chrysler’s studios for a couple of years, lacking only a suitable chassis to make it all work. Zetsche’s Mercedes background enabled him to tap into the parent company’s rear-drive and all-wheel-drive E-class platform, so he took the plunge and authorized the new full-size cars that are now known as the Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum and the upcoming Dodge Charger.

The Magnum rides on a long 120-inch wheelbase and a wide 63-inch track, giving the car uncommon stability. Relaxed, yet stable, the Magnum delivers a big-car ride without the handling shortcomings often associated with this type of chassis setup. Some bumps incite a clip-clop suspension noise, but overall, the independent suspension is up to the task of smoothing our fragmented tarmac.

Press the wagon into an elevated pace and surprise, surprise, the chassis seems even more capable. The steering feels more responsive, the suspension hugs the road better, and the five-speed transmission holds its shift points longer to keep the engine steam up to the level of the action. This is all good, especially the added verve that the 3.5-liter V-6 seems to deliver. With less weight to pull around than the Pacifica, the V-6 powered Magnum moves with more enthusiasm.

Of course, the hot-ticket for Magnum performance is the Hemi-powered version; 340-hp will do that for you. Dodge predicts that 40 percent of Magnum buyers will opt for the more powerful V-8 despite escalating fuel prices. Dodge’s ad campaign for the Magnum and its optional V-8 engine has reinforced the power of the medium as many observers just had to ask, “Has it got a Hemi in it?”

The Magnum’s dramatic exterior styling is contrasted by some pluses and minuses inside.

Seating space is spacious all around. There is elbow, hip, head and legroom for full-size guys in the back and the front, just like the old days. The rear seatbacks fold to triple your available cargo room, a hold accessed through an L-shaped hatchback door that is attached 20 inches forward of the back of the wagon’s rear end.

The exterior styling compromises your view out this end of the car, and in many other directions. Traffic lights disappear overhead, poles and signs hide behind the large rear roof pillars, and small cars shrink from view immediately to the rear. For me, the dash lights produced an annoying glare at night that made tired eyes strain. At the lowest light setting, the instruments behind the steering wheel still cast a glow into the cabin that proved to be a distraction.

Controls are logically placed, except for the stalk that operated the cruise controls. One of the pieces from the Mercedes parts bin, this lever is positioned too close to the spot where we typically flick the turn signal control, which is now two to three inches lower on the left side of the column. Otherwise, the column tilts and telescopes, and combined with power pedals, gives drivers a chance to find their best seating position behind the wheel.

The stereo has simple, effective knobs (thank you very much) plus is available with Sirius Satellite Radio, the best entertainment out on the road.

Like a Subaru on steroids, the large Magnum AWD handled several days of heavy rain with aplomb. Forty percent of the car’s power is directed to the front wheels all of the time, making standing water and slippery mud a non-issue. The car retains a rear-drive handling bias and feels supremely confident in any driving situation. AWD is available with this V-6 motor or the Hemi V-8.

Will the Magnum and its RWD brethren have lasting traction in the on-going sales race? The new cars are receiving a lot of media attention but 12 months from now when the latest “fad car” hits the streets, will Chrysler’s gamble still be paying dividends? Dodge has been eclipsed by Toyota for the number three spot in overall sales in America so a lot is riding on the prolonged success of these full-size cars. There isn’t a lot of excitement in the rest of Dodge’s car lineup so there is a lot of pressure here to perform for a long time.

The Magnum’s roomy interior should make this platform attractive once again to livery companies (taxi cabs) and law enforcement agencies. With rear- or all-wheel drive and Hemi V-8 power, the Magnum just might be the perfect police vehicle. It certainly has the aggressive styling to fit the bill.

Before the Magnum, you had to visit an import-branded store to get sporty performance in a station wagon. Now, the hottest setup is at your Dodge dealer, a domestic product, just like it used to be.