SRT10 2008 review
Discussion
My boss sent me this from the USA:
By Scott Burgess
RALEIGH, N.C. -- There's nothing practical about the 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10.
Nope, not a thing.
It's too expensive, too powerful and too beautiful to be mistaken for anything other than a gorgeous machine crushing practicality faster than a lightening bug on its windshield.
Designed and tested by Chrysler LLC's Street and Racing Technology team -- a group of gearheads who sit around racetracks and dream up ways to make race cars street-legal -- the Viper SRT10 lives up to its scaly reputation of brute force racer and midlife crisis antidote.
As a man who turned 40 on Monday, I can feel the primal urge to buy a Viper right now.
I need to feel younger. I need other men to enviously glare at my big machine. I need a V-10 engine to drown out that voice in my head reminding me that the warranty on my knees expired five years ago and the click in my shoulder isn't going away. I know I'm teeing off somewhere on the back nine of life, so what better way to enjoy the ride but from the seat of a Viper?
"Lord, I don't ask for much, but if you could grant me this one favor. Viper me."
Go test drive the new Viper and you'll understand why I find myself groveling. Or just turn 40.
Cockpit is seductive fit
You'll feel your body conform to the racing seat as soon as you slide into the low-lying car. Its bolsters hold you snugly in a friendly embrace. The cockpit engulfs you, welcomes you to the Viper experience. Click in the key, press down the stiff clutch and then push the red button marked "start."
You'll find yourself washed in the shaking growl of the engine. Six-hundred horsepower and 560-pound-feet of torque ripple through the Viper's 8.4-liter V-10. The SRT team added 90 horses to the engine, just in case the 510 ponies on the previous model weren't enough. It goes from zero to obscene in under 4 seconds.
Overall, the car's looks haven't changed dramatically, but it has taken on a more refined face. During its redesign, Dodge touched up some parts -- reshaping the hood and adding some color: five new colors, to be exact. My favorite, Snakeskin Green, the same color of the roadster I tested for a week during the Woodward Dream Cruise.
It was awful to drive during the Cruise. Never leaving first gear, the Viper thumped angrily along, and my left leg grew tired from holding in the clutch. Furthermore, if you don't turn on the air conditioning, your legs will heat up like a couple of Pillsbury biscuits due to the hot engine and transmission tunnel.
But when I left the Cruise and headed out onto open roads, the Viper hissed with pleasure and power, kicking me back in the seat as the wind ripped through my full head of hair -- something I am grateful for at age 40.
Power can overwhelm
But this snake takes a little charming before you rev the engine and pop the clutch. When I was introduced to the new Viper in July, I nervously accelerated with so much power underfoot and braked too hard. The car wasn't too sensitive, I was.
Racing along Virginia International Speedway in Danville, Va., during a media preview, I quickly learned I wouldn't test the Viper's abilities as much as it would test mine. Especially after I ended up spinning in a circle of smoking tires and having some guy with a black flag kick me off the track.
(A word of advice, never come out of an uphill turn accelerating too quickly.)For the record, I wasn't driving that lap, I was videotaping. When I was behind the wheel, I only topped 130 mph a few times (requiring me to shift the six-speed manual into fourth). Typically, I pulled my foot off the accelerator earlier than many journalists (either much more skilled or not as smart as me) on the straightaway, often thinking Dodge should sell Depends with this monster. It can hit 200 mph.
And despite not having traction control, the Viper sticks to the road and handles remarkably better than the 2006 model it replaces. This is in part because of the tweaks engineers made to the Viper's fully independent four-wheel suspension, as well as the new extra wide Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 high-performance tires that claw into the road.
For a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, high-performance car, the Viper rips up roads effortlessly. I thought it would barrel its way through with raw power but I was wrong, the Viper is deceptively nimble when cutting through corners.
Sparse interior belies price
The interior, however, also cuts a few corners. Inside, it's spartan. A series of small white-faced gauges run in a straight line down the dash, letting the driver quickly know whether oil pressure, engine temp and other measurements are in order. Just make sure all of the orange needles point up and you're in business.
Overall, I found the Viper's interior much cleaner and better made than the previous model. It's more refined, but there's still room for improvement. Dodge says the simplicity of the interior is by design, calling it "racing inspired." My quibble: When a car costs $85,000, its interior should reflect $85,000.
This Viper is certainly about racing. When driving, the radio becomes background noise more than anything else. The extra stiff suspension, designed for ripping through turns, also leaves the ride rough, which is fine for a car like this. On the highways around Detroit, the Viper bounced over concrete seams like a 25-cent store pony.
I liked how Dodge improved the exhaust cooler. The pipes go directly under the door sill, where the exhaust exits in front of the rear tire. In the previous generation, the sill got so hot when you crawled out of the Viper, you wondered whether you were going to burn yourself.
I never encountered that problem with the new model. Toasty warm is fine, grilling temperature isn't.The new Viper may not be perfect, but it's perfect for weekend track driving and collecting lusty stares. Creature comforts -- lacking here -- are for the weak and pampered (though the new Viper does offer a navigation system). This car is the best piece of pure American muscle on the road today.
I may never have the need to go 200 mph, but just knowing I could for one week did something to me, reminding me of potential instead of just accepting my speed-limited life. Then again, an overhauled engine giving you more power under the hood than the collective total of a small parking lot may soothe some men's minds. But does it really make you a better man?
I don't needto feel younger, my wife is my girlfriend, and I have no needto have men enviously stare at me. And after 40 years on this Earth, I've learned sometimes "practical" makes the most sense of all. Of course, that was before I drove this car, now I'm ready to throw practical out the window.
So, Big Guy, what do you say?
"Viper me!"
2008 Dodge Viper SRT10
Type: Rear-wheel driver sports coupe. Roadster is available
Price *: Coupe: $86,496; Convertible: $83,145
Engine: 8.4-liter, 600-hp, 560-lb-ft torque
Transmission: Six-speed manual
EPA: 13 mpg city / 22 mpg highway
Notes: Available at dealers now.
Overall: *** 1/2
Exterior: Excellent. The long body stands out and turns heads. People know what it is and most are rightfully scared of it.
Interior: Good. Sparse, the interior could use some upgrading.
Performance: Excellent. Precision handling and incredible power.
Safety: Good. No traction control but Viper includes adjustable pedals, knee bolsters, airbags and other standard safety features.
Pros: Will definitely get you noticed and more power than you'll ever need.
Cons: Interior and stiff ride.
Grading scale
Excellent: **** Good: *** Fair: ** Poor: *
By Scott Burgess
RALEIGH, N.C. -- There's nothing practical about the 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10.
Nope, not a thing.
It's too expensive, too powerful and too beautiful to be mistaken for anything other than a gorgeous machine crushing practicality faster than a lightening bug on its windshield.
Designed and tested by Chrysler LLC's Street and Racing Technology team -- a group of gearheads who sit around racetracks and dream up ways to make race cars street-legal -- the Viper SRT10 lives up to its scaly reputation of brute force racer and midlife crisis antidote.
As a man who turned 40 on Monday, I can feel the primal urge to buy a Viper right now.
I need to feel younger. I need other men to enviously glare at my big machine. I need a V-10 engine to drown out that voice in my head reminding me that the warranty on my knees expired five years ago and the click in my shoulder isn't going away. I know I'm teeing off somewhere on the back nine of life, so what better way to enjoy the ride but from the seat of a Viper?
"Lord, I don't ask for much, but if you could grant me this one favor. Viper me."
Go test drive the new Viper and you'll understand why I find myself groveling. Or just turn 40.
Cockpit is seductive fit
You'll feel your body conform to the racing seat as soon as you slide into the low-lying car. Its bolsters hold you snugly in a friendly embrace. The cockpit engulfs you, welcomes you to the Viper experience. Click in the key, press down the stiff clutch and then push the red button marked "start."
You'll find yourself washed in the shaking growl of the engine. Six-hundred horsepower and 560-pound-feet of torque ripple through the Viper's 8.4-liter V-10. The SRT team added 90 horses to the engine, just in case the 510 ponies on the previous model weren't enough. It goes from zero to obscene in under 4 seconds.
Overall, the car's looks haven't changed dramatically, but it has taken on a more refined face. During its redesign, Dodge touched up some parts -- reshaping the hood and adding some color: five new colors, to be exact. My favorite, Snakeskin Green, the same color of the roadster I tested for a week during the Woodward Dream Cruise.
It was awful to drive during the Cruise. Never leaving first gear, the Viper thumped angrily along, and my left leg grew tired from holding in the clutch. Furthermore, if you don't turn on the air conditioning, your legs will heat up like a couple of Pillsbury biscuits due to the hot engine and transmission tunnel.
But when I left the Cruise and headed out onto open roads, the Viper hissed with pleasure and power, kicking me back in the seat as the wind ripped through my full head of hair -- something I am grateful for at age 40.
Power can overwhelm
But this snake takes a little charming before you rev the engine and pop the clutch. When I was introduced to the new Viper in July, I nervously accelerated with so much power underfoot and braked too hard. The car wasn't too sensitive, I was.
Racing along Virginia International Speedway in Danville, Va., during a media preview, I quickly learned I wouldn't test the Viper's abilities as much as it would test mine. Especially after I ended up spinning in a circle of smoking tires and having some guy with a black flag kick me off the track.
(A word of advice, never come out of an uphill turn accelerating too quickly.)For the record, I wasn't driving that lap, I was videotaping. When I was behind the wheel, I only topped 130 mph a few times (requiring me to shift the six-speed manual into fourth). Typically, I pulled my foot off the accelerator earlier than many journalists (either much more skilled or not as smart as me) on the straightaway, often thinking Dodge should sell Depends with this monster. It can hit 200 mph.
And despite not having traction control, the Viper sticks to the road and handles remarkably better than the 2006 model it replaces. This is in part because of the tweaks engineers made to the Viper's fully independent four-wheel suspension, as well as the new extra wide Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 high-performance tires that claw into the road.
For a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, high-performance car, the Viper rips up roads effortlessly. I thought it would barrel its way through with raw power but I was wrong, the Viper is deceptively nimble when cutting through corners.
Sparse interior belies price
The interior, however, also cuts a few corners. Inside, it's spartan. A series of small white-faced gauges run in a straight line down the dash, letting the driver quickly know whether oil pressure, engine temp and other measurements are in order. Just make sure all of the orange needles point up and you're in business.
Overall, I found the Viper's interior much cleaner and better made than the previous model. It's more refined, but there's still room for improvement. Dodge says the simplicity of the interior is by design, calling it "racing inspired." My quibble: When a car costs $85,000, its interior should reflect $85,000.
This Viper is certainly about racing. When driving, the radio becomes background noise more than anything else. The extra stiff suspension, designed for ripping through turns, also leaves the ride rough, which is fine for a car like this. On the highways around Detroit, the Viper bounced over concrete seams like a 25-cent store pony.
I liked how Dodge improved the exhaust cooler. The pipes go directly under the door sill, where the exhaust exits in front of the rear tire. In the previous generation, the sill got so hot when you crawled out of the Viper, you wondered whether you were going to burn yourself.
I never encountered that problem with the new model. Toasty warm is fine, grilling temperature isn't.The new Viper may not be perfect, but it's perfect for weekend track driving and collecting lusty stares. Creature comforts -- lacking here -- are for the weak and pampered (though the new Viper does offer a navigation system). This car is the best piece of pure American muscle on the road today.
I may never have the need to go 200 mph, but just knowing I could for one week did something to me, reminding me of potential instead of just accepting my speed-limited life. Then again, an overhauled engine giving you more power under the hood than the collective total of a small parking lot may soothe some men's minds. But does it really make you a better man?
I don't needto feel younger, my wife is my girlfriend, and I have no needto have men enviously stare at me. And after 40 years on this Earth, I've learned sometimes "practical" makes the most sense of all. Of course, that was before I drove this car, now I'm ready to throw practical out the window.
So, Big Guy, what do you say?
"Viper me!"
2008 Dodge Viper SRT10
Type: Rear-wheel driver sports coupe. Roadster is available
Price *: Coupe: $86,496; Convertible: $83,145
Engine: 8.4-liter, 600-hp, 560-lb-ft torque
Transmission: Six-speed manual
EPA: 13 mpg city / 22 mpg highway
Notes: Available at dealers now.
- Includes $850 shipping and $1,751 gas guzzler tax.
Overall: *** 1/2
Exterior: Excellent. The long body stands out and turns heads. People know what it is and most are rightfully scared of it.
Interior: Good. Sparse, the interior could use some upgrading.
Performance: Excellent. Precision handling and incredible power.
Safety: Good. No traction control but Viper includes adjustable pedals, knee bolsters, airbags and other standard safety features.
Pros: Will definitely get you noticed and more power than you'll ever need.
Cons: Interior and stiff ride.
Grading scale
Excellent: **** Good: *** Fair: ** Poor: *
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