Gen V impressions after 1,200+ miles

[HyperViper]

When you put them down because the sun is in your eyes your vision is now obstructed so much by the sun visor. The sun isn't in your eyes anymore so they work, but you still can't see that well

What was it that bothered you about the sun visors? To be honest I haven't used them a and I can't even picture what they look like right now. I guess I'll have to check that out tomorrow.

 

[mjorgensen Woodhouse]

Tony,

Your shocks should be there Friday also, so you will have a 1400 mile seat of the pants comparison to stock ;-)

Excellent write-up! Funny you mention that there should be an option for the comfort seats, when all the Corvette guys complain that their seats are too soft and they desire a performance oriented seat. I agree, having two different options would be good, the C7 Corvette will have this finally.

I'll have about 1400 miles on my Gen 5 by this weekend, and will also do a write-up review on it. Picking it up tomorrow

Tony

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Very informative write up and darn good read --- thanks for taking the time to give your impressions!!

 

[PilotaX]

Viper Engineering thanks you for the great, and detailed, feedback! You've given us our report card - now we keep working at making it faster and better! Thanks again for the wonderfully detailed feedback, it really helps us know what you like, and what needs 'more loving'.

Enjoy.

PS. If you're finding yourself driving the Gen 5 more than you expected, we're glad! Mission accomplished!!

You are very welcome. And thank you for bringing the Viper back!

 

[Jack B]

Even the best of troll's would have a hard time spinning on that.

Very informative write up and darn good read --- thanks for taking the time to give your impressions!!

 

[SADVIPER]

nice thx I hope the seats will feel comfy and the visibility is good for all sizes.

 

[Bobpantax]

Hi. When I drove the car at VOI, it felt like it required a bit more steering effort and the rim of the steering wheel was noticeably thicker. Did you notice this? I am not saying it is good or bad - just different.

Interesting question. I don't have any complaints about steering effort in either car. All three of my Vipers seem within reason to me in this area... not too light and not too heavy.

On the other hand I think the steering feel is better in the gen 5. The gen 2 and gen 4 seem to respond in what feels like a bit of an exaggerated manner. By that I mean a small amount of steering results in more directional change than I would normally expect. That said I always adjust to them fairly quickly after I get in.

Maybe that was what you were referring to re the steering?

P.S. The toe change that occurs under trail braking Is the only scenario I've found where the steering feel and suspension response are a little off IMO. That should be an easy fix.

 

[PilotaX]

Hi. When I drove the car at VOI, it felt like it required a bit more steering effort and the rim of the steering wheel was noticeably thicker. Did you notice this? I am not saying it is good or bad - just different.

Maybe they've made some changes in these areas since VOI? I haven't noticed the steering effort being significantly different than my Gen 4. The steering wheel is a little thicker; I thought the Gen 2 and Gen 4 steering wheels were a little too thin (in diameter) for my tastes. IMO, the Gen 5 wheel feels just about right..

 

[PilotaX]

nice thx I hope the seats will feel comfy and the visibility is good for all sizes.

I think it's going to be a personal thing for each owner/driver. For longer trips, I prefer the Gen 4 seats. For more spirited driving, I prefer the Gen 5 seats.

I think visibility is better in the Gen 4. But, if you lower the Gen 5 seats per the Woodhouse instructions (different thread) I would bet the visibility will be about the same as the Gen 4.

 

[Policy Limits]

the review is most appreciated. Its difficult to purchase something you've never seen, sat in or driven. So guys like me really appreciate the input. Really glad to hear its user friendly and that the exhaust sounds good. Lack of comfort isn't a huge concern as I had only planned on driving mine about 2000 miles annually. Then again, if I enjoy it as you seem to have, perhaps it'll be leaving the garage much more frequently.

 

[1BADGTS]

I have owned every gen of Viper at this time though a 5 is out of my reach .That being said I have got to ask you in your opinion is the car worth the money

 

[SADVIPER]

thx again pilota

 

[PilotaX]

I have owned every gen of Viper at this time though a 5 is out of my reach .That being said I have got to ask you in your opinion is the car worth the money

I think it is. Performance wise I think the SRT is hard to beat. I also felt that the additional features on the GTS were worth it. But it will be interesting to see how the Viper market votes on that issue. It's a pretty big step up I'm price and I think it will depend on whether buyers of some of the European brands decide to give an American brand a shot. I personally don't care where a car originates. But some buyers in this price range can be pretty superficial/snooty, caring more about the brand label than the car itself.

 

[PilotaX]

thx again pilota

You are very welcome!

 

[emericr]

Thanks for the write up. This is very helpful since dealers do not let you take the car for a ride...
Enjoy the new beast

 

[viperbilliam]

Thanks for you review. I did have the opportunity to sit in one of these cars- loved the feel of the steering wheel.

 

[Bruce H.]

Since I purchased my GTS a month or so back I’ve had a number of Viper owners ask me how the car compares to earlier model Vipers. So I decided I would start to put down some of those thoughts in writing for anyone who’s thinking about ordering a Gen V down the road...

...BTW, I haven't had the 2013 on the track yet. So, my thoughts regarding the toe change issue are untested at this point. With the race season going on right now, I probably won't have time to try the GTS on the track until the Fall...

...Hopefully this helps to answer some of the questions that other Viper owners have. I still can't exactly explain what it is about the car that makes it so appealing as a daily driver for me. Well, I'll give it a shot. I think what it is is that it's the closest you can get to experiencing the feel of a race car, with just enough refinement to also drive it 4-5 days a week and not feel completely spent (as you do feel after you drive a race car). That's quite an accomplishment really. In fact, I think that if that's what SRT intended, they actually hit the nail on the head slightly better than the Porsche GT3RS (which is actually just a little too civilized to actually feel like a real race car when driven in town, even though it certainly feels like one on the track).

Thank you for your very informative and helpful review, and I was hoping you might add to it now that you've had a chance to settle into it for a few months. You've discussed the exhaust drone in a separate thread, but not sure if you've found a partial or satisfactory solution, and while you commented on the seat padding being a little hard for your liking, I was hoping you could expand upon your suggestion for "Improved ergonomics in the driver's seat/steering wheel/roof area (+ seat memory for when you get it dialed in)".

Also, are you able to discuss track experience with it yet, and finally, how would you compare and contrast the Viper with your GT3RS now? The two cars have such different personalities, handling characteristics, and buyers I would have thought. The often long drive to and around distant tracks would account for most of my usage, and being on track with so many GT3/RS recently has reminded me that I can't over-look them as being an excellent, and likely drone-free, choice.

Thanks again,

Bruce