So a couple of the boys from Automobile were heading out in the 2007 Dodge Magnum fitted with the for-law-enforcement-only police package yesterday at the Chrysler Proving Grounds. Recognizing an opportunity for a ride we've usually only seen after a night of binge drinking, we asked if they minded a ride-along as they played a bit of Cops n' Robbers on the ride performance track. Also, they almost let Wert play with the siren — almost. Have fun with the video, and then click the jump to read a bit more about Dodge's po-po power wagon.
Performance
The standard edition of the Dodge Magnum police package is a 3.5-liter High Output V-6 engine with 250 horsepower and 250 lb-ft. of torque. But this was a press day, so there was nothing standard on this ride — it had the 5.7L HEMI V8 with 340 horsepower when running at 5,000 rpm and 390 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. The wagon's 18" wheels handled the non-simulated road sections of the course smoothly, and handled beautifully in the turns. Although it really took a beating from the different road sections of the course — it handled them much better than the video above makes it out. Heck, even in the back seat, sans seat belt — we felt pretty darn safe.
The Back Seat's With Us, Leather
One of the interesting items we noticed while riding in the back seat — the rear bench isn't plastic, it's leather. That's got to be pretty hard to clean if you've just picked up a drunk frat-boy at a bar and he pukes up in the back seat. But, at least the floor is plastic/rubber, so that should be pretty easy to hose down.
The Sirens Make Pretty Noises
That they do. Although they did get pretty annoying after a while, we still found ourselves wanting to take it home and install it on my car — but no matter how hard we pulled, we couldn't get the independently switched white and LED red dome lamp off the top of the car. Oh well.
Help, Let Me Out!
Like a child, we needed to be let out of the back seat of the police package Magnum — but it was well worth it. We'd gladly take it off of Dodge's hands the next time they go out of town. Or just let us know when you'll be replacing the Auburn Hills fleet — we'll gladly buy it off of eBay.
Dodge in Hot Pursuit of Police Car Market with HEMI-powered 2006 Dodge Charger/Magnum [DaimlerChrysler]
Related:
Dodge Charger Police Cruiser on the Job [internal]