At first, the Magnum was a large two-door coupe, but the car was rather fast discontinued by Dodge. A successor only came in 2004 but instead of being a coupe this was a four-door station wagon. This huge departure from the original was quite successful at first, but it was discontinued after just four years due to the fact people started to prefer crossovers over wagons. Well, it now seems that a successor might be released with the 2017 Dodge Magnum. Still just a rumor so far, it seems that this new model might be once again using the same platform as the Chrysler 300.
Changes, Price & Release date
The US market still prefers crossovers over wagons, but this should not be a problem for Dodge. The new platform on which the car will be built on is going to be much lighter, cheaper to make as well as more adjustable. All of these are likely going to make the Magnum a rather appealing choice for many. On top of that, the price will go down by quite a bit. Many of us expect the car to get under $20,000 and considering it will be larger than a compact crossover, which usually retails around $20,000, it should be a steal. Compared to few other vehicles in the segment, it should offer quite a great deal and long list of features at an incredible price. This will allow it to attract more buyers but have in mind that these are only rumors at this moment.
Our only concern about the future 2017 Dodge Magnum is that it hasn’t been officially announced just yet. It might also not be called a Dodge at all. This is because Dodge wants to be the high-performance car manufacturer in the US FCA Group and the Magnum might not cut it. However, the new front wheel drive modular platform it will be based on should also allow for an all-wheel drive model. In fact, our best guess would go on the fact that the car will be front wheel drive only for the most basic model. This would save quite a bit for those looking to get an all-wheel drive car, and it should be one of the successful projects for Dodge.
Drive-train of 2017 Dodge Magnum
If Dodge goes with the front wheel drive platform, then it means that a high-performance Hellcat version is out of the question. However, this is not to say that the upcoming Magnum has to be slow. In fact, we expect only turbocharged engines for this generation of cars. These should allow the US brand to compete easily with the likes of BMW and Mercedes, at least in the performance department, without too many issues. The only front wheel drive model is expected to receive a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four offering around 220 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque.
The all-wheel drive models, on the other hand, are all expected to receive a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6. This would not be the same as the 2.9-liter Ferrari in the Alfa, don’t hope to see 500+ hp in new Magnum. Instead, it would be a bespoke engine good for anything between 300 and 450 horsepower, more than enough to allow an all-wheel drive Magnum to get to 60 MPH in less than 5 seconds and to display great performances.
Design
Also, unlike many other American-made cars, the handling for the rumored 2017 Dodge Magnum should be well above the average. This is because its platform might be shared with the Alfa Giulia, one of the best handling cars ever made. The design, on the other hand, is a completely different story. In order to appeal to the US market, the upcoming Magnum is going to feature an aggressive design, most likely influenced by the 2004 model. However, at the front, we expect Dodge’s new corporate design scheme. In the back, on the other hand, the design is not going to be as dull as that of the previous model. Instead, we could get something more alike to a hot-hatchback which should also allow them to sell the car in Europe.
Here is video of the latest Magnum model before discontinuation:
