If this was “Dancing with the Stars,” then the Magnum would be Stacy Keibler.  For those of you who didn’t watch this “reality show” (as though TV programmers are existentialists, or something), which pitted marginal or faded personalities against one another in a series of dancing competitions, know that Ms. Keibler, whose day job is as a wrestler with the WWE, was one of three finalists.  She was beaten by Jerry Rice, pro football player, and ultimately by Drew Lachey, best known for his work in boy-band 98 Degrees.  Ms. Keibler who is long, lean, personable, capable, and attractive was unfairly trumped by those two others, with Mr. Lachey being, say, the Chrysler 300, and Mr. Rice the Dodge Charger.  The point here is that the Magnum is deserving of far more attention than it gets (e.g., in 2005 there were 52,487 Magnums sold versus 144,068 300s and 44,804 Chargers—and this was a partial year for that car).   All three of the vehicles are based on the same platform (like the dancers, they have about the same level of capability), and while the other two have sedan body styles, the Magnum is a wagon (or “sports tourer” in today’s parlance).  For the sake of comparison, let’s just stick with the 300 and the Magnum.  While both have the same wheel base, 120 in., the length of the 300 is 196.8 in., while the Magnum scores at 197.7 in.  Notably, the EPA interior volume index for the 300 is a mere 122.2-ft3 while it is 133.1-ft3 for the Magnum.  OK.  So the Magnum doesn’t have a trunk.  Neither do SUVs.  And this is a whole lot more fun to drive than an SUV.  For one thing, it (like the others in question) can be fitted with a hemi.  That’s 340 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque.  That is a blast, especially when someone in another car sees you and thinks, “Hmm. . .a station wagon; I think I’ll leave him in a cloud of dust” and lo and behold, he’s way back there and you’re not.  Or, in the event that it is winter, given the AWD system, said person could be in a cloud of snow.

Station wagons are meant for there to be kids in the back seat.  So to make them as happy as you’ll be driving it, there is an available DVD system for rear entertainment.  If it is winter where you drive, then the heated front seats are a nice touch to your bottom.  And there’s a bevy of other options, too, like a six-disc in-dash CD player, nav system, U-Connect Bluetooth for hands-free phoning, etc.  In fact, before you know it, you can be at about $41,000.  At which point you’ll start referring to your car as a “sports tourer.”

Assessment: Give credit where credit is due.  Ms. Keibler earned the victory.  The Magnum is too often overlooked.  All is not fair.