More time in the Magnum AWD (plus all the other traction systems) in the snow just makes me thankful this is the car I'm driving tomorrow to Detroit. The six-cylinder engine handles the weight of the car fine, although I can say there's nothing really thrilling about it. On the highway I bet you could travel at 70 or 80 mph and you wouldn't have a problem. I wouldn't know since that would get me a ticket on most Illinois highways. A few months back I could "imagine" barreling along in the 300C close to triple digits and not feel a lack of power from its V8.

Basically you?re getting a perfectly solid daily-driving powertrain that produces 250 horsepower. It can still pass on the highway and buyers will get the same good looking vehicle. Of course every time I hit the accelerator I tell myself if I bought one of these there?s no way I would skip on the V8. It just ?made? the 300C.

That doesn?t mean the Magnum isn?t a good vehicle without the extra 90 horses. The main thing it has going for it though is the look. This is just one mean looking machine. And it does the macho thing without making the driver feel like a meathead. That?s hard to do.

I have a lot more thoughts but just don?t have time right now as I load up for Detroit. We?ll resume this hopefully on Sunday night from the hotel room when I?m recovering from the first day at Cobo.