2014 SRT Viper Review

One of the first things you have to be careful about is the torque. 450 lb-ft (610 Nm) arrive as soon as 1,500 rpm, so you'll have to develop quite some manners in order to avoid wheelspin or an encounter with the electronic nannies. Nonetheless, once you set off, you'll notice that the engine is quite friendly in any of the gears, so you won't struggle to work it through the city.

Then there's the noise. The exhaust doesn't feature a cross-pipe, so your brain has to compose the two 4.2-liter, five-cylinder sounds coming from each side of the car. Inside the city, that's quite a lot to bear, especially considering that the voices are rather raw, mechanical and not exactly melodious. As for the GTS model and its extra sound deadening, this got us a bit confused. In the bod? to reduce noise, the superior insulation means you only hear the exhaust on your left.

As for those worrying that placing the exhaust tips just ahead of the rear wheels could cause burns, this isn't such a big deal. You would only be affected if you touch the tips themselves, something that also happened to us in the "conventionally-exhausted" Ferrari F12, for example.

Before we started the drive, we rushed to conclude that the 5-inch (127 mm) ground clearance is decent and therefore the lack of a nose lift system is alright. Well... it wasn't. Each time you get off a driveway and you feel one of the front wheels touching the road without the nose kissing the asphalt, you feel blessed. So far so good, but the tension that builds up before this point was a bit too much at times.

Nevertheless, when you do manage to take your female companion to the shops, she'll have a midsize sedan-rivaling 14.7 cubic feet (415 L) of luggage compartment to fill. We mustn't forget the ride itself either. To put it simply, the base model's fixed damping doesn't make too much of a compromise towards comfort. It won't brake you into submission like an army commander, but it is still pretty stiff.

As for the Viper GTS, this comes with Bilstein two-mode shock absorbers.

We have to mention that the spring rates on this model are ten percent firmer.

It is really not pleasant to talk about the Track suspension setting of the Viper GTS. No, seriously, when it comes to ride, we don't – you've rarely been so shaken in a road car, so keep this for the smooth circuits out there.

Third gear. That's all you would ever need in the Viper once you've set off, a process that isn't too complicated – the clutch has a long travel, but it bites in the upper part of this, so it's simply to use.

The sprint to 60 mph officially takes 3.3 seconds. There's also the Launch Control function that can be beaten, given you are willing to play with the clutch for a little longer.

However, these are mere figures that fail to even touch the real deal. Oh yes, the Viper has definitely kept its character. Sprinting in this thing is like nothing else we've experienced in a street car.

It doesn't posses the suicidal forward surge of the supercharged Shelby GT500, but it feels more organic. Acceleration is linear and yet heart-stopping in the first four gears. Still, hefty throttle applications result in pleasureful moments even when you're cruising in sixth.

The changes themselves are a joy - it's amazing how little of a power gap between gears a good set of hands and feet can produce in the SRT Viper. The new gearing means you get more shifting action, so the driving involvement is pushed even further. The throttle response is a house specialty and the new mapping makes the pedal easier to modulate.

The engine still feels like a gentle giant rather than a ferocious animal, with its 6,400 rpm fuel cut-off, but digging into its muscle resources instantly becomes addictive.

Underneath the car, we find a revised suspension. The front track has been widened (from 61.7 inches / 1,567 mm to 62.4 inches / 1,585 mm). As for the rear track, this sits at 61 inches (1,549.5 mm). In addition, the rear toe link now sits in front of the axle, instead of behind it. Along with a few other suspension tweaks, this makes the car more stable, easier to manage.

Returning to the front axle, we report that the SRT Viper hates electric steering assistance as much as it despises the Toyota Prius. Thus, the hydraulic setup is still here. The specs show the same ratio as before, 16:7:1, but it all feels quicker.

In fact, the steering is quite sensitive and this is the only aspect that needs a bit of time getting used to. Your work will be rewarded though, as the system has tons of sweet feedback to offer, being among the best in the world.

Once you start working your way through the twisties, the Viper feels like it sheds its skin. You perceive the car as being considerably lighter. Just like in the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette, the precision and grip play are simply a-mazing.

Vipers used to be tricky at the limit, but things aren't so anymore. The SRT Viper is precise and when it does let go, it's easy to steer it using the pedal on the right. This is like playing against Michael Jordan and winning.

A good road and an SRT Viper creates a unique experience in the contemporary supercar landscape.

And when the landscape around you starts going by too fast, you can rely on the massive Brembo brakes. All four corners get 355x32 mm rotors, with the same size being used for the StopTech discs included in the Track Package. The standard items come with pleasant modulation, but you will need the latter for track work. What's more, the ABS now switches to a modern four-channel layout.

You'll need to keep things below 2,000 rpm in order for the noise to be acceptable, so aim for sixth gear. Make no mistake, the Viper hasn't become a GT, but it's much more civilian than before.

As for the Electronic Stability Control, its introduction was enforced by the long arm of the law. However, instead of throwing in some stuff and calling it a day, the SRT guys did a really nice job. The system is not intrusive at all, not even in the basic on/off version fitted to the standard Viper.

In the past, any good conclusion about the Viper was a bit bitter, since the supercar was a tad too specialized. You could only enjoy its pure breed character up to the point it allowed you to. It was a moody car. The SRT Viper is here to change all that, this is a V10 monster you can actually use. This car has a charm of its own and you have to drive it to understand it – the figures alone are not nearly enough.

No, you still can not have a Viper as your daily driver and this is probably the worst side of the car. Still, such an ability would most likely take away the raw essence of this machine, so we prefer it this way.

Experience has taught us that there must be a giveaway somewhere and the aforementioned aspect is what sets the Viper and the Corvette totally apart. SRT's creation is a thoroughbred creature you can drive often, while the Chevy makes a good daily driver with a wild side to its personality. Of course, we still have to play with the Corvette Z06 for the full comparison.

Regarding this comparison, we'll quote SRT CEO, Ralph Gilles, on the matter - “We are not Corvette. We've never tried to be Corvette. We never will be. We're handmade. It takes 18 hours to paint the stripe on a Viper. We color sand the entire car, inside and outside. All the panels are beautifully finished. We're trying to build a custom show car that you can own. This is not a disposable device here,” said Gilles.

As for putting the SRT Viper head to head with the European supercars, the character difference separating them means they are not too likely to share customers. Forced to choose the closest competitor, we'd name the Lamborghini Aventador, but you've already noticed this throughout the test drive.

Nonetheless, the price gap between the Viper and the performance machines of the Old Continent is hilarious. This piece of machinery here costs almost four times less than a Lamborghini Aventador.

Still, we'd like to quote Chrysler CEO, Sergio Marchionne, on how Ferrari chairman, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, reacted to the SRT Viper - “I had the chairman of Ferrari down here for the board meeting last week and he had a chance to look at the car, and he was speechless,” Marchionne said. “I mean for Ferrari to admit that the car is a unique vehicle is a hell of a compliment to the work that’s gone on here.”

The Viper, in standard trim, has a MSRP of US$ 99,390. And while purists will settle for this, those seeking the complete, more usable experience will go for the Viper GTS, which has a MSRP of US$ 120,395 – prices do not include destination charges and taxes.

Despite costing double than a Corvette or a 660 HP Shelby GT500, that's a reasonable price to pay for the 3,300 lbs of authenticity you get.

At least for the moment, Chrysler is not officially shipping Vipers over to Europe. You can still get your hands on one from German tuner Geiger Cars though. Mind you, such a Grey market import Viper GTS will set you back EUR 139,900. Paying the equivalent of US$ 180,000 may seem like lunacy, but this is a reasonable price for the European market – there's still no Old Continent rival that comes close in terms of pricing.

Filed under "boo-boo", we find the Viper's lack of a front axle lift system. And perhaps some valves in the exhaust would've been a nice addition. Don't get us wrong, we'd hate a quiet Viper just as much as a member of the Viper Club of America. We'd just like a broader exploitation of the V10's aural resources.

As for the best part of the SRT Viper, this is not the performance or the super-masculine personality. Instead, the title goes to the fact that they've maintained such assets while making the car manageable.

The Viper's Nest used to be an area you barely tolerated, but the cabin is now a nice place to be. And while the Viper's behavior at the limit was not to be trusted too far, the new one offers its driver plenty of confidence.

The Viper used to be a fetish and the supercar has maintained this state, but it is now consensual. A much-needed asset for what is America's finest supercar.