The perfect tonic for that mid-life crisis!

I stalked this car out since it's debut in early 2005, even the early spy photos told me that Chrysler had a nice semi-hot rod on their hands. I finally had the opportunity to get my very own a couple of months ago. I picked up a nice 2006, pre-owned by a Chrysler headquarters exec, at a dealer auction.

I'm the very happy owner of a 2006 Black R/T Hemi with nearly every option.

Drivability...very very nice. Smooth and relatively quiet ride. Very little road and no wind noise in the cabin. The seats (leather trimmed) feel stable and sit well. Ok, If I'd mention one little picky thing here, I'd like a bit more "lift" at the front edge of the seat, but that might just be the way I like to sit in a car.

All the cockpit knobs, bells, and whistles seem to be well thought out in placement and are easily at hand when they need to be, and yet out of the way when you're not reaching for them. My one little itty-bitty note here is the cruise control switch. Once one gets "used to it" it's very easy to operate, but at night when I've forgotten which way to push for "coast"...a lit up little icon might be a nice touch.

Passenger seating in the back is phenominal in this style of automobile. Leg room for all but the longest of my NBA'esque pals. Nice placement of the cup-holders...even a neat little flip out DVD screen for the back seat.

Rear cargo area...sufficient, not enormous, but hey...you didn't buy a cargo van right? I like the little extra touches like the cargo nets and flip up flooring that reveals a nice covered area for that less than pristine load. I'm a local fire chief and actually use this vehicle as my response unit...having a secure place for my gear without worrying about my carpet is a great thing.

The HEMI...? oh yeah, it's got a HEMI. Now, I'm not a hot-rodder by any stretch. I've owned some nice cars, back in "the day"..."69 MachI with a 428 Cobra Jet, '70 Charger, '67 Mustang with a 289...but of late it's been mostly the mini-van thing. This is not a mini-van!

I really appreciate the response of this motor. When you want to pass...or even if you don't...push the pedal and it will please you...very much. Of all the varied cars and trucks I've driven this most reminds me of my Cobra Jet. Now don't get all shook up, I know, it's NOT that type of response but what I mean is I get the feeling from this engine that I can keep pushing, and it will keep giving. It's a nice responsive, testostrone laden ride.

Trany..adequate for a passenger car...smooth shifts. The only drawback is the built in lag when switching from reverse to a drive gear. It seems to take an excessive amount of time when you're sticking with your rear out in traffic...surely that's something that can be corrected on a program update?

Now..quality issues.

Ok, to be honet...the designers could have spent another buck or two on the interior design. There is a huge span of cheapish looking Chrysler plastic on that dash panel. The limited, two-toned look should be easy to upgrade in coming years if this car stays on the market. The only other thing is a nagging blowing of cold air when I've been on the highway for 30 minutes or so. I haven't got that figured out yet, but it's going back to the dealer next week to get that taken care of.

Bottom line? I'm a 47 year old man with a nice little hot rod that I can recall my younger days in without going over board. I'd love to hear a bit more rumble pushing out from that dual exhaust, tempted to try a nice Dynomax system on it just to give her the voice she demands.

I'd give the 2006 Magnum R/T a nice 9.6 out of 10!