The headliner is the SRT8 with a 6.1-liter V8 Hemi that puts out 425 horsepower and 425 pound-feet of torque to propel the Magnum to 60 mph in about five seconds.That's quick.It's especially quick for a big American station wagon.The Magnum SRT8 can reportedly accelerate from 0 to 100 and back to 0 in less than 17 seconds.

However, it's not necessary to go to the SRT8 to enjoy the Magnum experience.The Magnum experience begins with the 3.5-liter V6, about 10 grand cheaper than the SRT8.Or kick up a notch with the R/T and its Hemi, a rumbling 340-hp 5.7-liter V8.The least-expensive Magnum is the SE with a 2.7-liter V6 that gets 21/28 miles per gallon and retails for less than $24,000.

While these cars are not miserly, there is some attention given to fuel economy.The R/T boasts technology that shuts down four of the Hemi's eight cylinders when the car is just cruising, delivering up to 30 miles per gallon during those moments.Put in everyday terms, if you used it to commute on the freeway at a steady 60 mph, you could average 25 miles per gallon.Or you could stand on the gas and take off.

The all-wheel-drive models are designed to offer excellent cornering balance under all driving conditions and improved traction in snow and wet-weather conditions.

The Dodge Magnum was launched as an all-new product line for the 2005 model year and expanded for 2006 with the SRT8.For 2007, the Magnum is largely carryover, but with changes to option packages.All models benefit from the addition of a palette of new exterior colors, standard privacy glass, an automatic oil change alert, and low-risk deployment air bags.DVD-based navigation with GPS is widely available.A new Road/Track Performance Group is available for rear-wheel drive R/Ts that includes 20-inch wheels, improved intake and exhaust for an additional 10 horsepower, a performance suspension, and comfort and convenience items.

The SE ($22,945) uses Chrysler's proven 2.7-liter aluminum V6 mated to a four-speed automatic transmission and rated to tow 1000 pounds.Standard equipment includes premium cloth interior, air conditioning, cruise control, power windows and locks with remote entry, a 60/40 split rear seat with center armrest, AM/FM/CD sound system, tilt-telescoping steering column, rack-and-pinion steering, 17-inch wheels and disc brakes.

The SXT ($26,855) comes with a 3.5-liter single overhead cam V6 and a five-speed automatic with AutoStick.SXTs are available with all-wheel drive ($29,285).The SXT comes with ABS with Brake Assist, all-speed traction control and electronic stability control, aluminum wheels, tinted glass, cargo cover, and an eight-way power driver's seat.For 2007, the Convenience Group III ($375) bundles automatic headlamps, one touch express up and down front windows and dual-zone climate control.Also available on the SXT this year is a GPS navigation system ($1,895).

The R/T ($31,040) gets the 5.7-liter V8 Hemi and a five-speed automatic transmission with AutoStick.The R/T is also available with all-wheel drive ($33,040).The R/T features a leather interior, bigger and beefier brakes, a 19-gallon gas tank, 18-inch polished aluminum wheels, dual exhausts, foglights, and a Boston Acoustics premium six-speaker sound system with a 288-watt digital amplifier.An updated Road/Track Performance Group tweaks the V8 for an additional 10 horsepower, adds 20-inch wheels and performance suspension ($3,350).

The SRT8 ($37,670) features the 6.1-liter V8 Hemi and a five-speed AutoStick automatic.Manual air conditioning is standard on the SRT8, as are power-adjustable, sport-bolstered front seats; cruise control; power locks, windows and mirrors; power adjustable pedals; ESP; antilock brakes with Brake Assist; and 20x9-inch forged aluminum wheels with Goodyear F1 high-performance tires.The uniquely tuned, load-leveling, tauter and firmer suspension lowers the SRT8's ride height by half an inch.Brakes are vented disc front and rear.

Options include dual-zone automatic climate control; a power passenger seat; heated front seats; electronic vehicle information center; electrochromic rearview mirror; air filtration; self-sealing (but not run-flat) tires; hands-free cell phone capability; power adjustable pedals; GPS navigation system with integrated six-disc CD/MP3 player; rear seat, DVD entertainment system; Sirius Satellite Radio; sunroof; roof rack; cargo cover and net; and load-leveling shocks.One of the several paint colors, Inferno Red, costs extra ($225).

Safety features on all models include advanced multistage dual front airbags and the LATCH child seat anchor system.Side-curtain airbags designed to improve head protection for front- and rear-seat occupants are optional ($390).ABS with Brake Assist, traction control, and Chrysler's Electronic Stability Program are optional ($1025).

However, it's not called a station wagon, at least not officially.The EPA classifies it as a sport utility.Dodge calls it a sport tourer.Some call it a sport wagon.That's what it is in our book: a sporty wagon, a cross between muscle car and station wagon, a hot rod hauler for grown-ups who haven't grown up, or haven't needed to, but eminently civilized, of course.

The grille is clearly from the Dodge Ram truck family, but it's smaller, softer and classier.The headlamp units are a nice integrated wedge shape.We like them better than those on the Chrysler 300, a Magnum sibling, which try harder to be retro.The air dam/bumper cover wraps up under the headlamps and grille, and looks impressively beefy and functional.The SRT8 gets a mesh grille insert surrounded by a blockier fascia with a more aggressive air dam and enlarged, brake-cooling ducts.

From the side, the Magnum looks like it could be rolled onto the floor of a custom rod show.The wheel cutouts are profound, especially imposing with the 18-inch, 10-spoke wheels on the R/T and borderline brutish with the SRT8's 20-inchers and ultra-low profile rubber.A big visual effect is created by the tinted glass and roofline sloping back and pinching the rear window.This serves an innovative purpose.The one-piece liftgate is hinged about two feet up into the roof, providing a vast and liberating opening to the cargo area.It requires less ducking to reach things in there, and will be easier on lower backs of all ages.

The SRT8's roof-mounted wake diffuser is deeper, and its rear bumper mirrors the front's blockiness, with cutouts for the two, oversize, chrome exhaust tips.

We also climbed in the back seat and crawled around a bit.There was room to do so, only 10 percent less than in the front seat, according to the SAE volume index.In people terms, the rear seat's measurements come within an inch of the front's except in legroom, where the rear seat gives up just over an inch and a half to the front.The 60/40 split rear seat seats three people, but a wide, center armrest with cupholders drops down to make it more comfortable for two.There's plenty of head clearance despite the roofline, which poses no rear visibility problem for the driver.Even so, the chopped-top proportions left us feeling a touch claustrophobic in the back seats.

The driver should have no problem finding a comfortable position.The steering wheel offers both tilt and telescope adjustments and the pedals are power adjustable.Adjustable pedals can help people of small stature (petite women, for example) position themselves farther away from the airbag-equipped steering wheel, lessening the chance of airbag-related injuries.

Fabric covers the seats in the SE and SXT.Leather comes standard in the R/T and the SRT8 and is optional in the SXT.We found the regular seats generally supportive.The SRT8's deep-dish sport seats were especially effective in keeping our backside in place during aggressive motoring.However, all of the seats were somewhat short in thigh support.

The four-spoke steering wheel is sharp, with buttons for cruise and sound control.We really like the Magnum's gauges, handsome and all business, white background with black numbers and stainless trim rings.We dislike the Mercedes-Benz column stalks with the turn indicator lever drooping down around 7 o'clock and the wimpy cruise control stick perched up at 11 o'clock.(We dislike these controls just as much on Mercedes cars.) It's too easy to turn on the cruise control when you meant to signal a lane change.

The center stack is clean and tidy in black, with switches that were easy to click and knobs where knobs should be for the climate control and radio.The navigation system's screen displaces the stereo faceplate, with controls for both functions arrayed around the perimeter.

The console compartment is decent sized, with two levels, the upper stamped with recesses for holding sundry items, and contains practical coin holders.There's also a sunglasses holder within the driver's reach.And speaking of specialized holders, the optional cargo organizer keeps grocery bags from topping over and incorporates a nook designed for holding a one-gallon milk jug.

The Magnum takes an innovative approach to placement of the entertainment system's video screen.In lieu of suspending it from the ceiling or planting it in the backside of the front seat head restraints, Dodge pivots the Magnum's up out of the front center console.This positions it for viewing between the front seats at just above knee level.We're not sure what this will do for passengers susceptible to motion sickness, but it does preserve the driver's view out the back window.Speaking of things in the way, don't pop for the upgraded sound system that parks a monster subwoofer in the cargo area right behind the rear seat if your Ma.

The five-speed automatic transmission upshifts smoothly.Even in AutoStick mode, however, it sometimes upshifted before we wanted it to.Gear engagement often lacked the crispness we believe should be the norm in a car with the SRT8's credentials.The shift lever moves through a slotted gate, with AutoStick actions managed with sideways movements at the bottom end of the gate.

Power in the SE with its 2.7-liter V6 is barely adequate for a car weighing close to two tons, and the base, four-speed automatic is basic.

The SXT is better, with some 30 percent more horsepower and torque on tap, plus a five-speed automatic, in a car weighing barely 50 pounds more than the base SE.The SXT's 3.5-liter V6 makes 250 horsepower and, in these days of high horsepower V8s, that number might have lost its meaning, but 250 horsepower is a lot, and it's especially effective with the 250 pound-feet of torque this engine offers.The SXT is more fully featured for the money, too, including sharper wheels and tires more befitting the car's abilities.It's rated to tow 2000 pounds and gets an EPA-estimated City/Highway 19/27 mpg.The SXT uses a five-speed automatic with AutoStick for manual gear selection.

The R/T is our favorite with its 5.7-liter V8 Hemi, although even with all that power and torque, the acceleration isn't neck-snapping; the R/T has a tall final drive ratio of 2.82 in the rear-wheel-drive version and 3.07 with all-wheel drive, which may be great for gas mileage and quiet running, but tempers acceleration.There were times it felt like it had 340 horsepower, and times it didn't.There were more times that it didn't feel like it had 390 pound-feet of torque, which might be because the torque peaks at a relatively high level, 4000 rpm.With horsepower peaking at 5000 rpm, that's a relatively narrow stretch of maximum happy performance for such a big engine.

The R/T engine's Multi-Displacement System, or MDS, cuts out half of the eight cylinders whenever horsepower is not needed.At a steady 60 miles per hour or less on a flat highway, it only uses four cylinders and gets about 30 miles per gallon.With a response time of 0.04 seconds, we couldn't feel when it went from a V4 back to a V8 when we hit the throttle to speed back up again.The R/T is rated by the EPA at 17/25 mpg.Although technically capable of towing 3800 pounds with the optional tow package, Dodge does not recommend using the R/T as a tow vehicle.The R/T uses a five-speed automatic transmission with AutoStick.

The R/T longs for grippier tires.It comes with Continental Touring all-season tires, P225/60R18, which were the likely cause of the Electronic Stability Program's occasional intrusion into our hard but not overboard driving.As the tires lost their limited bite, the ESP feathered the throttle.With stickier tires, it's unlikely that intrusion would occur.A good idea is to add the 20-inch wheels available this year with their high-performance rubber, even though they may not last as long or work as well in the winter.We also felt the front wheels bouncing at times, which was the only blemish on an otherwise great ride, tested in a variety of road conditions.

The brakes are fully up to the task.The front vented rotors measure 13.6 inches, an inch larger than the SE and SXT, and the rear vented rotors are 12.6; additionally, the front brakes use dual piston calipers.Couple that mechanical strength with ABS with Brake Assist, which balances the braking between front and rear and, no worries, you're going to get stopped when you need to.On twisty mountain roads we repeatedly hammered the brakes into downhill curves, and the pedal never once showed any sign of stress or distress, or brake fade.

NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Tom Lankard filed this report from Northern California.