SRT Viper Vs. Corvette C7 - Seeing both in under 24 hours...

[Ev1E9]

Gotta give respect where respects due. The C7 has an all aluminum frame and goes 0-60 in 3.8 seconds and it starts under 60K?! Just think that's the base model, makes you wonder what the Z06/ZR1 will do.

Actually, we need to give SRT some credit too. Despite having a steel frame and a V10 engine, the GEN V Viper weighs about the same as the aluminum framed C7.

 

[Ev1E9]

Aluminum frames sounds cool but the car is heavier than the C6 and the Viper but yes a good value anyway and I would add 29mpg hwy for those who care.

Man! We were thinking the same thing at the same time.

 

[Policy Limits]

I mean, I really want to like it. Haven't seen it in first person yet so there's still a chance.

 

[ViperSmith]

I mean, I really want to like it. Haven't seen it in first person yet so there's still a chance.

As do I. It just lacks passion to me, IMHO. Again, it is all a personal thing. It just feels designed by committee to me. I have no doubt it will be fun to drive.

I just hope Chevy reveals its hand first with the ZR1 equivalent so SRT can out gun them with the ACR.

 

[v10enomous]

Haven driven a C6 Z06 and base C6, they just don't come close in terms of the same level of driver involvement and hot rod feel of my Viper and I expect the C7 will probably be about the same feel or maybe even less just pure fun to drive. You may remember several months back I took a friend for a ride in my car and we got a little rock star affect from onlookers and I did a few launches for him and some power shifting... he was in total adrenaline overload. A week later without saying anything he buys a next to new 2010 C6. He asked me to show him what the car could do because he was a little rusty with the manual. So I took the same route with him in the C6 and did pretty much the same stuff and he looked utterly disappointed even though his car pulled just as hard as mine looking at the speedometer. To add insult to injury we are stopped at a light on the way back and a car load of 19 or 20 year olds in some WRX or ricer thing pulls into the intersection and one of them hangs out of the window and give his C6 a good look over and then he issues a big animated thumbs down. Thought my buddy was gonna cry...

 

[bushido]

I saw the new C7 at Laguna Seca ALMS race,and it is a great looking car inside and out. Chevy also had the aluminum frame on display too. I grabbed the front bumper frame with both hands and was able to move the whole thing with ease. This is like frame that's on the C6Z06. The beefy main side rails had real nice welds too. Like what you see on a sport bike frame. They also had the ZR1 CC rotors on display. I talked to one of the guys there ,and he told me that the C7Z06 will most likely have the CC brakes. The 15.5 inch CC rotors were super light,and thick..

I'm impressed with the performance of my current C6Z on the track ,and the C7Z06 is going to be a monster..

 

[VENOM V]

Nice pics and comments.

I have great respect for the vette & its performance. But I've never found it emotional for me to experience & so as much as I've considered it, I've never "wanted" one to buy. The C7, which I've only seen on the internet so far, looks great to me. I don't get the nit-picking happening in the vette community, but then they're passionate about the old design and so ... When they do a C7Z07 / high perf model, with perhaps flared fenders and some aggessive tweaks to the body for aero, I think it'll be a stunner and a bang for the buck milestone, like it has been historically. IMO the vette finally has the looks to go with the perf, but that's just me, I know there are lots of folks who aren't happy with the design. Would I consider one in the future? I'd say yes, I would, which is a huge change for me. Kudos to GM, IMHO.

And as you say, what else can we say about the gen5 .. sex on wheels with as much brutality as beauty, yummy.

Dave.

This post resonates with me. The logic side of my brain really likes the Vette, both the C6 and C7. But the emotional side is in love with the Halle Berry Viper.

I bought the Camaro 1LE because logically, it is an absolutely ass-kicking track car for under $36K. Great for the money, and I wouldn't kick her out of bed. I would buy a Vette for the same reason. And although I like some elements of the C7, I'm just not feeling it emotionally. Especially that busy rear end. By the way, my Camaro's ass is way nicer than the C7's edgy hodge-podge, so quit comparing them! LOL

I bought the Viper because I fell for her, hook line and sinker. Her performance, her curves, her legacy. Halle Berry naked on the beach. Viper FTW!!!

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[MoparMan]

This post resonates with me. The logic side of my brain really likes the Vette, both the C6 and C7. But the emotional side is in love with the Halle Berry Viper.

I bought the Camaro 1LE because logically, it is an absolutely ass-kicking track car for under $36K. Great for the money, and I wouldn't kick her out of bed. I would buy a Vette for the same reason. And although I like some elements of the C7, I'm just not feeling it emotionally. Especially that busy rear end. By the way, my Camaro's ass is way nicer than the C7's edgy hodge-podge, so quit comparing them! LOL

I bought the Viper because I fell for her, hook line and sinker. Her performance, her curves, her legacy. Halle Berry naked on the beach. Viper FTW!!!

This. The C7 Vette's a pretty good looking car until you get to the back end of it. Even ignoring the rear end it still doesn't hold a candle to the looks of the Gen V Viper.

 

[v10enomous]

This. The C7 Vette's a pretty good looking car until you get to the back end of it. Even ignoring the rear end it still doesn't hold a candle to the looks of the Gen V Viper.

Especially in person standing in front of the car looking over the hood and the roof. The Viper looks FRIKIN Ballistic while the Vette is sleek but sort of GM cookie cutter.

 

[ViperSmith]

This. The C7 Vette's a pretty good looking car until you get to the back end of it. Even ignoring the rear end it still doesn't hold a candle to the looks of the Gen V Viper.

The real benefit the Viper had is Ralph was leading the design and turned into a single vision of the car. While too many hands in the cookie jar of the C7. I still like the C7, but you can tell which one is more cohesive throughout.

Again, I am a bit biased with the G5 sitting in my garage

Oddly, no one has asked me if the G5 is the new C7 yet. I've gotten "Is that the new Porsche" or Jaguar so far... lol

 

[ViperSmith]

I do like the driver centric interior of the C7 though, of all the design elements that is my favorite. Looks like a "cockpit" of a plane, focused around the pilot.

 

[Stealth]

Gotta give respect where respects due. The C7 has an all aluminum frame and goes 0-60 in 3.8 seconds and it starts under 60K?! Just think that's the base model, makes you wonder what the Z06/ZR1 will do.

+1

And as noted above, GM WILL/DOES have the tech, r&d and budget to produce its further performance variants.

 

[jsd512]

Unfortunately, my opinion of both has flown south for different reasons. Oh well. Depressing, really.

 

[Coloviper]

I keep wanting to connect with it, but it just does nothing for me. A Pontiac Solstice Hardtop has better curb appeal.

 

[HANKFAN]

The new C7 is an awesome Women's car.....

 

[PeerBlock]

The C7 is ugly, plain and simple. It's no work of art and I'm sure you'll be seeing almost as many of these on the roads as you see hyundais and camrys. The $25K FR-S looks nicer than the C7.

I liked the C5 and the C6 was OK except for the front end...but the C7 looks like they're copying the Viper in some aspects but adding hard lines in the body panels that really detract. It's not a smooth, flowing look, it looks botched together like they had different people designing each section of the car rather than having one team work on a unified design.

I see a lot of people talking about MPG, about it's value and such...well...if you're looking for value then you get it with the taxpayer-funded C7.

It could make a good daily ****** for some people and at least it's still powered by a gasoline engine and not a hybrid or all-electric.

 

[Boxer12]

Something they have in common...skipshift

http://jalopnik.com/the-annoying-tr...ource=jalopnik_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

 

[kratedisease]

The C7 is ugly, plain and simple. It's no work of art and I'm sure you'll be seeing almost as many of these on the roads as you see hyundais and camrys. The $25K FR-S looks nicer than the C7.

I liked the C5 and the C6 was OK except for the front end...but the C7 looks like they're copying the Viper in some aspects but adding hard lines in the body panels that really detract. It's not a smooth, flowing look, it looks botched together like they had different people designing each section of the car rather than having one team work on a unified design.

I see a lot of people talking about MPG, about it's value and such...well...if you're looking for value then you get it with the taxpayer-funded C7.

It could make a good daily ****** for some people and at least it's still powered by a gasoline engine and not a hybrid or all-electric.

Stop drinking Hateorade

 

[Mamba52]

The C7 is ugly, plain and simple. It's no work of art and I'm sure you'll be seeing almost as many of these on the roads as you see hyundais and camrys. The $25K FR-S looks nicer than the C7.

I liked the C5 and the C6 was OK except for the front end...but the C7 looks like they're copying the Viper in some aspects but adding hard lines in the body panels that really detract. It's not a smooth, flowing look, it looks botched together like they had different people designing each section of the car rather than having one team work on a unified design.

I see a lot of people talking about MPG, about it's value and such...well...if you're looking for value then you get it with the taxpayer-funded C7.

It could make a good daily ****** for some people and at least it's still powered by a gasoline engine and not a hybrid or all-electric.

Don't forget about your tax payer funded car. Here we go again!!!!!!

 

[PeerBlock]

Don't forget about your tax payer funded car. Here we go again!!!!!!

Chrysler's stock is currently north of $60 / share which suggests they're making cars that people are actually buying. US Gov't sold off it's last stake in Chrysler in 2011. Feds "lent" the company $12.5 billion and recovered $11.2 billion, which posts a loss of $1.3 billion to the US taxpayers. Bottom line is that since 2011 Chrysler has been sustaining itself and is not propped up by the US taxpayer.

GM's share price is ~$35 and the feds still own ~220 million GM shares. The feds gave GM $50 billion as a 'bailout', buying up 500 million shares of the company. They recently dumped some shares of GM at a substantial loss since GM's shares have not rebounded since the bailout. Any GM vehicle is effectively a "welfare mobile", and I guess that means those of us who pay taxes already own a little bit of the C7!

 

[Hemotoxic]

Bought A Lemans Blue 3lt C6 Vert off the showroom floor back in 2007 for low 60's. While it is true that its big bang for the buck, it lost 50% value in less than 2 years time.

Too many options! My low 40s 2011 1LT base coupe has lost maybe 33% of its value in two years and 56,000 miles, so I'd rather look at the bright side--it's depreciated only about 25 cents per mile.

Great daily driver though and almost 30mpg is impressive.

It's not just a DD, it's the only car I have. I get 22mpg per tank most of the time, 24mpg if I stay on country roads, and 31mpg on interstates from eastern NC to Cleveland to Bowling Green and back.

Mass produced brand dilution though. What makes matters worse is the ZR1 that is a true performance machine on a different level, looks very similar to the dime a dozen base model.

Some like it that way. I've parked my car all over the semi-rough town nearby and never had a paparazzi/vandalism problem. I expect a ZR1 would get the same (non) treatment. Exotics may be another story.

Heads up display was cool; wonder if the C7 has it?

Yes, the 2LT and 3LT trim levels come with a much better color HUD.

liked run flats;

Me too. In my first month of C6ing I ran over a bizarre little metal frag, but instead of needing a dubious fix-a-flat spray can, I drove it without worries until I could get to the Goodyear dealer the next day for a permanent repair.

decent cockpit but nothing compared to the gen V interior. The new Viper is in a totally different class/category price-wise, performance-wise and quality-wise. Just because they are both made in the U.S. doesnt mean that they should be constantly compared to each other. They are apples and oranges imo.

So right. Just a few seconds sitting in a Gen 5 GTS and I was blown away with how much better the seat fitted me and how the interior was on the level of "Italian exotic" rather than "S2000." (Had two S2000s and loved them but if you value a nice interior they, or the C6, aren't for you.) I suppose if I'd asked nicely they would have written me a deal on the spot and let me leave with two more cylinders than when I arrived, but at three times my current payment. Like Dana Carvey/Bush 41 used to say, "wouldn't be prudent at this juncture."

For me: Only one car, purchase price and fuel bill no object? Viper, all day long. Real world? Loaded C7 Z51 vert and be extremely thankful for a blessed life. Better world? Both, of course!

 

[Hemotoxic]

Don't forget about your tax payer funded car. Here we go again!!!!!!

Putting PeerBlock on ignore has been the very best decision I've ever made or could conceivably make.

 

[Paul Hawker]

Think you guys are missing the point on the comparison.

Vette is fast, but not very exciting to drive.
Viper is faster, and really exciting to drive.

forget about all the magazine comparos. The Viper experience is really what counts.

Nobody looks at 1/10's of a second when they are having a ball driving their cars. It is the viseral feedback you get from a Viper that stirs the fires inside. That is what makes the Viper desirable. In addition, a faster automatic is not as pleasurable to drive quickly as a good old stick shift.

Those who measure pleasure in how fast their automatic can shift, are perhaps missing the point entirely.

These are some of the same reasons that people love to drive their Porsche, Ferrari, Lotus etc. It is that feeling that makes the ownership experience valuable.

 

[wikkid]

Lets hope he designed the Viper a lot better then the new SRT8 Jeep. Ive had this thing in service 5 times going on 6. Whoever put this truck together, should be working on lawnmowers, not vehicles...

The real benefit the Viper had is Ralph was leading the design and turned into a single vision of the car. While too many hands in the cookie jar of the C7. I still like the C7, but you can tell which one is more cohesive throughout.

Again, I am a bit biased with the G5 sitting in my garage

Oddly, no one has asked me if the G5 is the new C7 yet. I've gotten "Is that the new Porsche" or Jaguar so far... lol

 

[Nine Ball]

Those who measure pleasure in how fast their automatic can shift, are perhaps missing the point entirely.

BOOM. Thank you for providing today's Facebook post for me. Perfect quote.

Tony

 

[Mamba52]

Chrysler's stock is currently north of $60 / share which suggests they're making cars that people are actually buying. US Gov't sold off it's last stake in Chrysler in 2011. Feds "lent" the company $12.5 billion and recovered $11.2 billion, which posts a loss of $1.3 billion to the US taxpayers. Bottom line is that since 2011 Chrysler has been sustaining itself and is not propped up by the US taxpayer.

GM's share price is ~$35 and the feds still own ~220 million GM shares. The feds gave GM $50 billion as a 'bailout', buying up 500 million shares of the company. They recently dumped some shares of GM at a substantial loss since GM's shares have not rebounded since the bailout. Any GM vehicle is effectively a "welfare mobile", and I guess that means those of us who pay taxes already own a little bit of the C7!

Yep I guess I helped out Chrysler this year too!!! 2013 Ram longhorn!!!!!! I do love this truck and its my second one. I still have not seen the new Corvette but it does look good on paper.

 

[viper GTS-R]

Wow...it's amazing what some can do to make a thread ugly...in a way I feel bad for starting it.

But my original point of the whole thing was that in the last 20 some odd years there's always been one or the other that puts the world on notice. I could pinpoint all the pros and cons back to the C4 and the Gen I, but I think for the first time both cars really have set the bar.

--RS

 

[VENOM V]

Think you guys are missing the point on the comparison.

Vette is fast, but not very exciting to drive.
Viper is faster, and really exciting to drive.

forget about all the magazine comparos. The Viper experience is really what counts.

Nobody looks at 1/10's of a second when they are having a ball driving their cars. It is the viseral feedback you get from a Viper that stirs the fires inside. That is what makes the Viper desirable. In addition, a faster automatic is not as pleasurable to drive quickly as a good old stick shift.

Those who measure pleasure in how fast their automatic can shift, are perhaps missing the point entirely.

These are some of the same reasons that people love to drive their Porsche, Ferrari, Lotus etc. It is that feeling that makes the ownership experience valuable.

Excellent perspective, Paul. You nailed it. And not everyone gets that ownership experience with the same car. For me it has to be the Viper. My buddy is on the waiting list for the C7 Corvette. He can afford the Viper, but he's been a Vette guy since birth. Different strokes. I'm looking forward to weekend getaways with him, his Vette, my Viper and our ladies.

 

[stingray23]

The new C7 is an awesome Women's car.....

Insecure much?

 

[madninjaskillz]

Think you guys are missing the point on the comparison.

Vette is fast, but not very exciting to drive.
Viper is faster, and really exciting to drive.

forget about all the magazine comparos. The Viper experience is really what counts.

Nobody looks at 1/10's of a second when they are having a ball driving their cars. It is the viseral feedback you get from a Viper that stirs the fires inside. That is what makes the Viper desirable. In addition, a faster automatic is not as pleasurable to drive quickly as a good old stick shift.

Those who measure pleasure in how fast their automatic can shift, are perhaps missing the point entirely.

These are some of the same reasons that people love to drive their Porsche, Ferrari, Lotus etc. It is that feeling that makes the ownership experience valuable.

This post is full of win.