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Car
Reviews: 2003 Dodge Viper SRT -10 The all-new 2003 Dodge Viper SRT-10 gives enthusiasts an American sports car that remains true to the credo of pure performance. It packs an outrageous new design into a low-slung roadster shell. Lowered hood lines, swept-back fenders and deep-cut side scallops take their cues from the classic original, yet bring the Viper into the 21st century.
As a sports car, the new Viper is better in every way. The 450-horsepower V-10, derived from a truck engine, has been redesigned to pump out 500 horsepower and peak torque that is simply astounding: 525 pounds-feet. (For purposes of comparison, the 12-cylinder Ferrari 575M Maranello delivers a mere 434 pounds-feet). The Viper's stiff, jiggly suspension is still stiff and jiggly. But the revised design rachets up the car's handling ability and unquestionably makes the Viper easier to drive well. Moreover, the new suspension is complemented by better tires — simply humongous Michelin Pilot Sports mounted on 18-inch wheels in front, 19-inch wheels in back. Those tires can run flat, eliminating the need for a spare that would add weight and compete for scarce trunk space. The Brembo-brand disk brakes in the new Viper have huge 14-inch rotors for improved stopping power. There is no traction control, however — Dodge says that drivers, not computers, should pilot Vipers. This does not explain why drivers should be treated to computer-controlled antilock brakes or a limited-slip differential that improves traction on irregular road surfaces. But consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds and unimaginative marketing departments. The serviceable six-speed manual transmission from the old Viper has not been altered, and the continued lack of an automatic keeps poseurs out of the cockpit. Perhaps the most controversial change is the Viper's exterior sheet metal, which is sleeker and less cartoonlike. I, for one, thought the bulbous front of the original was over the top. In any case, there is still plenty of eccentricity to savor. The twin exhausts exit from the sides rather than from the rear, which can make the door sills very hot to the touch. The convertible top must be lowered by hand, an odd touch in an $80,000 automobile. Inside, the tilt toward civility is more pronounced. The cheap-plastic look of the first-generation Viper has been replaced by an expensive-plastic look, with nice materials that fit tightly. The pedal adjustments — a neat feature of the first-generation Viper — are easier to use, thanks to an electric motor. The seats are more comfortable and the gauges are easy to read. (There are two speedometers, one analog and one digital.) The stereo comes with seven speakers, a 310-watt amplifier and a six-disk changer; the sound is nice, but no match for the engine howl above a few thousand r.p.m. I've been saving the best for last. The Viper is as close to a high-end racing car as you are likely to drive on the street, unless you are one of the few willing and able to shell out an extra few hundred thousand dollars for the new Enzo Ferrari. Along with incredible acceleration (zero to 60 in about 4 seconds) comes incredible cornering ability. While the Viper's steering feels heavy in hard turns, the wheels seem to travel on rails — an impression confirmed by Car and Driver magazine, which found that the new Viper far outperformed the Corvette Z06, Maserati Cambiocorsa Spyder and Porsche 911 on the skidpad. All this for less than a third of the $280,000 sticker of a Lamborghini Murciélago. The catch is this: aside from racetracks, there is hardly any place in America where one can drive the Viper near its limits, and the car is not especially happy in stop-and-go traffic. The engine torque is so great that you can start in second and may not need to change gears before you arrive at the office. But at idle, the Viper rattles and pops like a 1960's muscle car. The noise and stiff suspension — not to mention the lack of a cup holder — make it a poor choice for the humdrum of commuting. The Viper's real competition is the far cheaper but less potent Corvette on the one hand, or a refined midrange sports car like the Porsche 911 on the other. If performance and raw sex appeal are the standard, the Viper wins easily. But in a world of potholes, traffic jams and radar guns, ownership could be a formula for frustration. More car reviews: 2003
Bentley Arnage -Jan 2003 Promotional
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Start
with the two-seat, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive Viper. In its original 1992
form, the Viper was an overpowered, hard-to-handle monster, a caricature of a
sports car. Whatever its faults, though, the limited-edition Viper was a marketing
coup that let real-world Dodges bask in the reflected glory. The monster got a
face lift and a few creature comforts in 1996. But the 2003 version, formally
known as the Viper SRT-10, represents the snake's first real makeover.