New Charger, Power Wagon for Dodge

The sharply styled Magnum is reinventing an old American standard -- the station wagon -- and may be the first new vehicle to offer a performance and styling alternative to the SUV. That will be especially true when Dodge adds an all-wheel-drive version to the lineup in 2005. A sedan version should arrive in 2006 with the classic name Charger. The Magnum is one of Bankrate's 10 most exciting cars of 2005. Read our full road test.

The Caravan minivan gets fold-flat rear seats for 2005.

On the pickup side, Dodge brings back the Power Wagon name and attaches it to a large 4x4 version of the Ram, which is optioned with all manner of off-road attachments for a sticker price of more than $36,000.

The midsize pickup, the Dakota, is all-new for 2005, and gets more styling cues from the larger Ram. There's a new front suspension and power rack-and-pinion steering that makes this truck drive more like a car. Standard power comes from a 3.7-liter V6 rated at 210 horsepower. For 2005, there are two V8s on the option list. The base 4.7-liter engine makes 230 horsepower. A high-output version of the same engine makes 250 horsepower.

-- Posted: Feb. 15, 2005