Alerting all to its “racing technology,” this Dodge Magnum has an “RT” appended to its name. It’s too bad there’s no “Y” there for extra-Y chromosome. This full-size Dodge tends to have things – especially guy things – in excess.

Forget for a moment the Dodge’s HEMI V8 engine and 18-inch wheels – all that any doubter need do is look at the car. Beginning with a crosshair grille big enough to seem like the bug inhaler on a Durango truck, the rear-drive Magnum’s got the 1970s styling to suggest it’ll haul fanny right along with freight. See the low stance, rising beltline, and chopped greenhouse of hotrod history. Note the tapering roofline and prominent wheel arches. A candy-apple paint job wouldn’t be out of place here. Nor would showgirls on a revolving platform. In fact, the Magnum looks like it might’ve been the dream-car centerpiece of some “Cars – the Star Warriors” extravaganza of 1977.The very sight of the thing seems to appall women while appealing to guys like your intrepid reporter.

Actually, “intrepid” might be just the wrong adjective to use here, as this Magnum replaced the Dodge Intrepid. It is therefore as a Magnum reporter we relate that not all these cars are the $29,000 RT. Lesser trim levels are SE and SXT – the former motivated by a 2.7-liter V6 and employing four-wheel disc brakes, air-conditioning, a CD player, a telescoping steering wheel, cruise control, full power accessories, and keyless entry. To these, stability control, and a powered driver seat are available as SE options. The SXT offers most of these items as standard equipment while trading up to a larger, 3.5-liter V6. In addition to its aforementioned 18-inch wheels and 345-horsepower eight, the reigning RT boasts dual exhausts and an upgraded 288-watt Boston Acoustics sound system. Safety features like side-curtain airbags, adjustable pedals, and self-sealing tires are optional on all trims. An MP3-compatible in-dash CD changer is also available, while a navigation system and dual zone automatic climate control are exclusive to the RT.

Then there’s that “racing technology” appellation. This is less likely a reference to the 3.5-liter eight’s ability to deactivate four cylinders while the wagon is idling and cruising than it is to a muscle-car-like rear-drive configuration and Mercedes-designed five-link independent rear suspension – even though the last two features attend the entire Magnum lineup. The suspension works with an electronic stability system to promote control on both wet and dry surfaces. Really slippery roads will have to contend with an all wheel-drive Magnum due out this fall.

The test car was brawny enough to live down the confectionary look of its “Cool Vanilla” clear coat job. It enjoyed all the benefits pursuant to its status as an RT – including leather-trimmed interior, antilock brakes, and a five-speed automatic transmission equipped with a manual shift gate. The Magnum was magnanimous in its cargo room, although the wagon’s rear lift-over was relatively high and the back seats didn’t fold flat.

Back up front, the RT’s driver overlooked a smartly razored dash replete with large, easily read gauges. Inclined toward him was the lee side of a gun-slit windshield that Dodge raked to accommodate the greenhouse’s low rise. The roof nonetheless afforded all occupants ample headroom, albeit with a compromised view out. Beneath the driver was one of a carful of comfortable leather seats that allowed for hectares of legroom, but which had bottoms unfortunately broad enough to slide around on as the RT made its quick maneuvers.

Propelled by its 345-horsepower eight, the RT bolted through the air like a champagne cork with a claimed zero-to-60 rate of acceleration of 6.3 seconds. Thank God for the wagon’s solid stability and steering that, while certainly not as sharp as Magnum styling, was nonetheless smooth and predictable. Smooth, too, was the RT’s ride, although there was some big-car float, as well as a delay in the transmission’s kick down under acceleration. In tight curves, the rear-driver always seemed to want to break loose at the back, but it never actually would, no matter how hard we dared push it. The EPA rates the RT’s mileage at between 17 and 25 miles a gallon.

You’ll find that Buick LeSabres and Park Avenues are correspondingly priced. But as a hard driving, V8-powered, rear-drive, cool-looking, 1970s-celebrating, distinctly American-style station wagon, there’s nothing quite like the Magnum RT.