New Viper is huge letdown

[v10enomous]

Tough crowd! More hate here than on the Ford and Chevy sites where most folks are in awe.

 

[BCBowers]

Why no smooth tubes? surely they should be the first things to go?

Because they're a gimmick. The engine has to be able to move some with the intake staying put. If they really gave any power the engineers would use them.

Would it not have been possible to shave off even more weight without sacrificing stiffness with an aluminum frame?

Aluminum has a fatigue life, is more difficult to repair, and putting a roll cage in an aluminum chassis vehicle is a royal PITA. I'll take steel all day long. Plus, it allows them to easily offer a convertible or open top car without a completely redesigned chassis.

 

[SylvanSRT]

love the roadster ps pic, just please put a "real" roll bar on it!!

 

[shooter_t1]

Because they're a gimmick. The engine has to be able to move some with the intake staying put. If they really gave any power the engineers would use them.

You might want to brush up on some Viper history before you say that.

 

[eucharistos]

....if SRT said "screw you" to the government and built a car for the sports car purists like they did in 1992? They could call it, Viper FU-gov.

if only they could/would, we can still hope

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[snakem04]

Ok so after seeing the car or should I say cars in person. I think I figured out what bugs me about the front. Theres no fog lights! At first I thought the headlights where what was bugging me but after studying both cars. Its the lack of fog lights on the GTS that bugs me. The headlights are perfect. If the GTS had the fog lights the GTS-R has it would be perfect. Hint Hint photo shoppers, maybe we can get a idea of what the fog lights would look like on the Viper GTS. Only other thing I would like to see different is that you could have the rear carbon fiber painted body color. The carbon rear on silver looked awesome but not as much on the red. The carbon air ducts behing the doors looked awesome though. The black grill in the front I think looked great the way it was. Either way both cars are amazing and I will have to dream for now of owning a 2013 one day. SRT did a terrific job on these beautiful pieces of art and I'm happy they are keeping the viper alive.

 

[ACRsnake]

I just came back from NYC where i saw the car at the show - defo a huge let down and defo will not be getting one , time to switch to a 991 GT3 RS porsche i guess !

The things that bothered me the most were :
-front lights look tedious
-front of car has no presence , my gen4 ACR looks much more aggressive
-The hood is not aggressive enough
-rear lights look like an add on , look out of place and look too much like the SRT8 charger and the Aston martin DB9
the interior has the exact center console ,screen and switches from the 2013 RAM - again a huge let down and looks pretty tacky (i didn't like it on the ram !)
-power is the same as 2009 (mine has a mopar ecu + ACRX headers !)

All in all a huge let down for me ,although i liked the overall side view , the side exhaust tips ,the roof ,rear hunches .

 

[00prowler]

And the Gen III wasnt a huge let down?...Then the coupe came to let us down even more with its half and half stying? Gimme a break! A Gen II coupe likes like an outdated bar of Ivory soap in comparison...

 

[ACRsnake]

well they fine tuned it until they perfected it on the 08/09 ACR . So maybe we have to wait another 5 -6 years !

and why copy the front lights from a KSG Agera R

the stang gt500 looked meaner

 

[jmasin]

I think this is a very accurate assessment.

That explains why I love it!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

640hp stock is a disappointment? Sheesh.. how much do you need. Great, there's a mustang that can put out more... there's miatas running around with higher HP/weight ratio too... there's always something faster. If beating everyone at a strip is your goal you're going to be building one way or another anyway.

I think it's gorgeous... just wish I could afford one new!

I'm disheartened to see so many here saying they hate it and they're jumping to P-cars and such... it was poor sales that nearly killed the Viper in 2010/11 to begin with...so everyone here may have loved the Gen3/4 but not enough did apparently. It seems the demographic in the 90-120k price range is a really tough one to sell too... They have enough money to make the jump to $140k... Look at the ZR1, $100k but not many are sold, the $60k base 'vettes are the bread and butter of the vette line.

I love the car, and hope it survives. Maybe in a few years I can score a low-miles pre-owned, and I'd hate to think Viper will die again... how many lives could it have...

 

[als 08 viper acr]

The front end has lost the spirit of the viper IMO Audi LED's Ferrari 612 front end (Thanks to Fiat). The front looks like a ferrari/Corvette front end. And 8.4L only 640hp ***?!?! My wife loves it and says it looks more feminine, that comment totally killed it for me. I see what she is saying. The Viper was a masculine american Muscle car.. Now it has the stylings of a european auto not an american muscle. You guys can't see the Fiat "inspirations" in this car? Gotta admit the rear,side and interior is amazing and captures the spirit but the front just kills it for me.

I have a 2008 Viper ACR- Red with a red Drivers Stripe & when I first saw this Viper Model on the Front Cover of Autoweek Magazine in Oct-Nov of 2007 I immediately decided I wanted the car. After seeing the Gen V, at least the Non-ACR version I don't feel the same way. I would not sell my current ACR for it. The grille area is the problem for me. However, I know they been a similiar grille on all the Dodge models. It does not look as BAD as my current Viper. I know they have improved the overall quality of the car but my 2008 ACR has a more Bad *** feel. Hopefully when they come out with the ACR version they change the grille area (I think the Gen IV vipers front grille look much better)

 

[aviatorone]

I agree too. Our G1 & 2 cars are absolutly gorgeous, **** cars. I am glad this new Viper has that G2 look. Where does SRT go from here, how can they top this? : )

That explains why I love it!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

640hp stock is a disappointment? Sheesh.. how much do you need. Great, there's a mustang that can put out more... there's miatas running around with higher HP/weight ratio too... there's always something faster. If beating everyone at a strip is your goal you're going to be building one way or another anyway.

I think it's gorgeous... just wish I could afford one new!

I'm disheartened to see so many here saying they hate it and they're jumping to P-cars and such... it was poor sales that nearly killed the Viper in 2010/11 to begin with...so everyone here may have loved the Gen3/4 but not enough did apparently. It seems the demographic in the 90-120k price range is a really tough one to sell too... They have enough money to make the jump to $140k... Look at the ZR1, $100k but not many are sold, the $60k base 'vettes are the bread and butter of the vette line.

I love the car, and hope it survives. Maybe in a few years I can score a low-miles pre-owned, and I'd hate to think Viper will die again... how many lives could it have...

 

[PDCjonny]

.. it was poor sales that nearly killed the Viper in 2010/11 to begin with...so everyone here may have loved the Gen3/4 but not enough did apparently./QUOTE]

Didn't help to be in the worst recession period since 1929 either when the Gen 4's came out.
The Gen 4's are almost all gone now just a smattering of them around in some pretty bad color schemes.

 

[Matt M PA]

Saw the new Viper in NY today.

Looks better in person than in pictures, the interior is an improvement. Very much reminds me of a Gen II....but all that's been said here before.

What I didn't like? The carbon fiber bits. The rear "bandit mask" and side scoops to me look like afterthought tacked on trim. The fake plastic grills in the hood remind me of the bottom of a cupholder. Finally....the windows look very small, and when I saw how much of the windshield was blacked out for the mirror...I wondered about a visibility.

So, there are my little nitpicks on a nice car. It doesn't grab me like the first '96 GTS, of the first RT for that matter....so I'm not going to be standing in line to buy one.

There was an engine on display too. (EDIT for mistyped word) I know lots of makers are using plastic covers like the new Viper has, but I was suprised to see they're back to twin throttle bodies.

I'm glad they're still building a Viper.

 

[BlknBlu]

I don't like the new intake. I would prefer one that holds in more heat and robs you of horsepower. I don't like the stiffer suspension, would rather be more sloppy in the corners. I don't like the 3:55 gear ratio I would rather run out of speed in 5th gear.

Bruce

 

[v10enomous]

I just got back from the Auto Show. The car is AMAZING ! The people around the turntable seemed in awe. That being said I don't see the new car making any of the previous generation cars any less special.

 

[SylvanSRT]

tough to make money on a car when in '10 they made less than 700 vehicles......yes the economy didnt help. IMHO i think that the price increases in the car over the years didnt help either starting w/ a cost of approx $50,000('92)----------to over $93,000(for a base car((non ACR)) in '10), this has surely rarified the number of people that can affor the Viper, you used to hear stories of how this factory worker, or this other blue collar guy bought him self a Viper w/ lots of hard work. At over $100k and maybe well over for the '13 the potential buyers keep getting more and more rare. The idea that the Viper is the everymans supercar is less of a reality than it used to be.

 

[pathoguy]

$50,000 in 1992 has the purchasing power of about $83000 today.

 

[ViperJeff]

Still have mixed feelings, need to see it in person. I agree with those that believe it has lost it visual edge, looks to tame. However, with some of the added features, hopefully less will see power poles leaving the dealership

 

[viper spray]

I like it , imagine it in solid black or a Blue and White , stripes will look great. I am pretty damn sure that most of you whiners would change your mind if you drove it back to back with your car. My blown 97 GTS makes huge power and looks great , but this is a refined exotic more like our Italian competition, only with massive TQ and HP American style. Look at other color combos , look at it in person and drive or go for a ride before you shoot your foot off on just one color combo and a pic.
I want one to mod........

spray

 

[aviatorone]

I concur, I think its awesome. I can't wait to see a blue/white one.

The haters need to wait for the car to prove itself on the streets, before they continue with the bashing... : )

I like it , imagine it in solid black or a Blue and White , stripes will look great. I am pretty damn sure that most of you whiners would change your mind if you drove it back to back with your car. My blown 97 GTS makes huge power and looks great , but this is a refined exotic more like our Italian competition, only with massive TQ and HP American style. Look at other color combos , look at it in person and drive or go for a ride before you shoot your foot off on just one color combo and a pic.
I want one to mod........

spray

 

[SylvanSRT]

I was behind a yellow one on the road lastnight and it was beautiful!!!

 

[ZYellow01RT]

I was behind a yellow one on the road lastnight and it was beautiful!!!

That's usually the order of things...lol!