DETROIT – The Dodge Magnum SRT8 may be the most visibly menacing vehicle in the Chrysler Group’s Street and Racing Technology lineup.
That’s what SRT stands for and when the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 goes on sale, it will mark the 11th vehicle from the Chrysler Group to be beefed up under the hood. For the uninitiated, the numerical designation denotes the number of cylinders an SRT engine has. In the case of the Magnum, it’s eight.
Except for the Viper SRT10, the Magnum SRT8 is the slickest looking SRT machine of the bunch. Our test vehicle was black with darkly tinted side and rear windows which made it even more distinctive.
Unfortunately, Dodge’s brand “color” is red which really doesn’t do the Magnum SRT8 justice. Our test car earned respect just by the way it looked. It was an half inch lower than a regular Magnum, its horse collar grille was mesh-honeycombed, and its chrome-tipped dual exhausts seemed just a bit longer that those on the regular HEMI powered Magnum.
Our test vehicle had a sport-tuned suspension that was just a notch or two softer than race-track stiff. Forged aluminum 20-inch wheels were shod with massive high-performance Goodyear F1 three-season tires with asymmetrical tread. Dimensions were 245/45/20 in the front and 255/45/20 in the rear.
The car handled well and the growl from the 6.1-liter V8 was distinctive. This car changed us every time we got behind the wheel. We went form a mild mannered, laid back but alert defensive driver so someone akin to Mad Max. We didn’t bully or do anything foolish because the Magnum spoke for us.
It stepped away from traffic with the slightest of pressure on the accelerator pedal. When necessary its responsive handling got us around lesser vehicles which were just about everything out there. And heads turned everywhere we went. Yep, black should be the Magnum SRT8’s color.

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