2005 Dodge Viper Review

Specifications

The Stuff of Dreams, At Least for a Night

Following a long period of foul weather, the clouds parted, the sun shone and the outdoors took on a freshness that only follows a heavy rain. After a tough day in the office trenches I arrived home fatigued yet charged to know that a Viper ragtop would soon rumble down my quiet street and position itself at my front door - not my neighbors front door, but my front door.

For this is the stuff of dreams, and this afternoon, it was my dream that was coming true; at least thats how it felt when I awoke from my catnap to the resonance of the Vipers side-outlet, dual exhaust getting ever nearer.

After a moment of silence, there was a knock at the front door whereupon the DaimlerChrysler rep smiled and dropped the key to happiness into my hand. A quick unlatching of the roof opened the Vipers aggressive, all-business cockpit to the solar rays I had been so desperately seeking. In we climbed. I slid the key into the ignition and gave it a turn to energize the Vipers electrical system. Then came the moment of elation as I put my index finger on the red dash-mounted engine start button and, like setting off a panic alarm, fired-up 500 of the meanest horses Dodge has ever corralled under a hood.

The Viper is essentially an out-of-the-box racecar wearing street legal clothes that has been comfortized with a nicely appointed, fully-finished interior. In fact, I find the Vipers cockpit to be more exciting and better assembled than that of the 05 Corvette, although the Vette dishes-up much more in the way of comfort and convenience accoutrements.

The very snugly fitting, hugely bolstered seats in the Viper are a good example of what I mean. They are manually adjusted, moving only fore-and-aft and reclining. In the Corvette, multiple power seat adjustments exist, including power side bolstering. The all-business Viper does away with the extra weight of servomotors and additional hardware needed to match the Corvettes cab full of spoils.

Adding to the Vipers no-nonsense approach to performance are power adjustable, drilled aluminum pedals set very closely together in a long, narrow foot well. Some care is needed to not catch the edge of the accelerator when applying the brakes; however, for race-trained drivers, the pedal setup is perfect for heel-and-toe downshifting.

While on the subject of pedals, I must comment on how effectively they functioned. The throttle had a tremendous amount of travel and added horsepower in a very progressive manner, making it easy to drive the monster with professional-like smoothness. The brake pedal exhibited some over-sensitivity at slow speed, related no doubt to the massive binders at all four-corners. Otherwise, braking was perfectly predictable and linear. And finally, the clutch; many high-performance cars are equipped with grabby, fast-locking clutches - not so the Viper. Whether pulling away from a stop or swapping cogs, hooking-up the mighty V10 was always smooth and fluid.

Driving the Viper in and out of city traffic was far easier than I had expected. En route to some open highway and deserted roadways, we wended our way through the congestion that routinely clogs my citys core in rush hour. Its civility really showed through in chugging along, bumper-to-bumper with the 9-5ers. But once clear of the citys choking gridlock, the opportunity presented itself to let the Viper safely stretch its 2,000 legs.

Although I have driven numerous performance cars in my life, I was stunned by the explosive power under the Vipers long, double gilled hood. The source of that energy utilizes 10 cylinders and a whopping 8.3 liters (505 cu in) of combustible space. Add premium fuel into the high-compression chambers and prepare to feel the kick of 525 pound-feet of brute torque in a vehicle that at 3,380 lbs weighs less than a Nissan 350Z roadster - get the picture, or should I say punch? With its guttural side-outlet exhaust pipes roaring at full volume, DaimlerChrysler claims a 0-to-60 mph time of less than four seconds, and Im a believer.

The massive V10 power is bolted securely to a six-speed manual box capped-off by a chunky, substantial-feeling ball-shaped grip falling perfectly beneath the drivers right hand. Tossing the lever from gear to gear requires a purposeful tug, the benefit of which is a clean, crisp shift. With gearing on the tall side, highway speeds can easily be surpassed without shifting to 3rd. And that translates into passing power that is so awesome, its almost shocking.

Straight-line acceleration is but one performance dimension of a true supercar; cornering and braking are the others. The Viper grips the road like an over-caffeinated feline on a shag carpet. Although I have yet to track test it, based on my road test I am of the view that little else other than a pure racecar - and that may be questionable - handles as phenomenally as a Viper. Drivers must remember though, there is no vehicle stability program or traction control system in it to replace driver incompetence.

Despite its flat cornering ability and much lauded handling thresholds, the boys at Dodge, or more particularly SRT, have managed to engineer-in a remarkably decent ride, again exceeding my expectations. Although our drive included some hard braking as we ascended and descended a curvy mountain road leading to a closed ski resort, I dont think the Vipers antilock four-wheel disc brakes got any warmer than room temperature, remaining strong and fade-free throughout.

After a bite at a seaside village set in a bay at the base of a steep mountain, it was time to switch on the headlights and point the Viper toward home where a 10 year-old boy was anxiously awaiting a ride in his all-time favorite sled. With the roof down and the chill of the night air keeping us company, we could soon see the twinkling lights of the city and the bridge that would take us there.

The Viper is an incredible ride, full of well-mannered fury, fight and testosterone, packaged in a dramatic, sharply-cut body. Yes, the stuff of dreams.