Jack;
You do not have to measure them as I can tell you from first-hand experience that the GEN V has a lot more room than the previous models. My first Viper, a GEN III Coupe was tight feeling and had overhang in the front roof, BUT that is what I loved about it for a coupe. The seats were tighter across the mid-shoulder (but no different than other modern sport or racing seats with support), while the seat bottoms were just fine but I have wider shoulders considering I am 5' 8" and 190 lbs, athletic to amateur body builder shape in dimensions only, not visual or cut like that.
Now my second Viper, a 96’ RT/10 seems to have a lot of room too but has no windows, no roof, etc. so everything just hangs out. The GEN 1, 1.5 & 2 seats are more comfortable for me personally because they do not have as much lateral support built into them at the mid shoulder level so my wide back can just go across. I notice my right leg touches the driver side speaker in the Gen 1.5 whereas in my GEN III Coupe it never touched so the GEN III coupe seems to have more space to me than my GEN 1.5 RT/10 does.
When SRT was out here in the Rockies doing High Altitude testing a couple of times the past couple of years and being inside and around the those cars as well as the GEN V GTS show and GTS-R race cars at the Bandimere Mile High Nationals last year, I have been in multiple GEN V cars and they all felt the same. I felt small in the new GEN V interior. I sat lower in the seat, the door panel seemed higher at eye line and with the lowered console it just had a lot more room than previous GENs. I did notice the seats, which had a ton of additional lateral support in the lower and mid should sections did seem more confining to my back build, however the lower section was not pinching in any area. Maybe SRT should offer a less lateral aggressively bolster seat as an option. You know like the ones the VCA members apparently chose at VOI11 in SLC. I believe that to be a missed step that Sergio called them “barkalougers” and to remove them. I love cool seats too which the new ones are, but then there is comfort to consider. I believe the seats the VCA members chose at VOI11 would be a nice idea for them to consider as an option. Having a
The interior has more room period, end of story, no reason to even measure. If people want the more adjustable seat, pony up and buy the GTS or add in the seat lowering measures to the SRT. I thought from the various GEN V models I sat in, that the seat went up and down in the GEN V GTS I was in. Did they do away with that feature? It certainly wasn’t 4” off the floor. This is not a ½ ton truck with a bench seat. The mere mention of such is ridiculous.
Common sense states that if someone who has a previous GEN Viper all these years is willing to go in and *****-nilly plunk down six figures on a new car but cannot plunk down $100+ dollars on a VCA membership, something just does not add up.
I am all for open forums but the extreme Vette pushers, Viper degrading comments have gone from basic car guy mutual respect, admiration and slight rubbing to anything that can be said to devalue and degrade the new Viper, SRT and Ralph, all to drive people away. I am sorry but that is wrong and should not be tolerated. It is no longer a situation of you cannot say anything negative about the new car or criticize certain points of the design to now personal attacks on Ralph or the entire SRT organization or all aspects of the Viper. If that is what it means to be a diehard Vette fan, have at it and go with your own kind. But have enough self respect to just not degrade the SRT product or the Viper in the process when the door hits you behind on the way out. The one time you should use that “inner voice”.
Sure I say bad things about the Vette as it is just not for me and I don’t like them. Not all of them but most, especially the new one. I just cannot see the appeal on an unproven car like this. It’s my prerogative and god given free right in provide my opinion in my house within the bounds of good taste, but you don’t see me on Vette forms doing everything I can to down play the vette in their home to try to drive everyone to another brand like Viper.
VCA, this is our house and why the negativity and model Viper degradation is continually being tolerated is beyond me.
The new car is not perfect but then again it is not a failure either. There is a lot to be said about the fact it is still here.