First impressions of my ACR E

[Martin]

I think Dodge did a great job on this car - much improved over the Gen IV.

Simple things like the feel of the steering wheel, the fit and finish of the interior, the gauge placement (that was a huge gripe of mine with the Gen IV), and the lack of a need to have a screw-on gas cap are winners in my book. I really like the hatch pop-up assist that they now have standard on ACRs. Previous ones needed two hands to open the hatch, and the latest ones have the assist so you can just pop the hatch and it opens.

The clutch feel is immensely improved over the Gen IV, although still not as good as the Gen II. It has a good feel to it, and it engages at a fairly good spot right in the middle of the pedal travel, but it doesn't have that heavy "race car" feel that the Gen II has.

Low end grunt feels more like a European exotic than a Viper in my opinion - but it's easy to get used to. I think first gear is really tall, so you need to get the revs up a bit when taking off from a stop light. It's similar to what I noticed on the Gen IV. I really like the "instant torque" of the Gen II. With that thing, it pulls like a freight train from idle. Again, no big deal - just something to get used to.

When driving, it's very well behaved, and the rear view isn't obstructed by the wing at all. With my Gen IV ACR, the rear wing was always in my rear view mirror. View out the front is typical Viper - I need to install the seat lowering kit because I'm too tall for the stock setup. It's better than previous versions, but a couple of additional inches of headroom will do wonders.

No initial performance impressions as I was very careful to keep the revs below 3500 and the speed below 55mph, but doing gentle accelerations and decelerations in all the gears was smooth and quiet. No diff noise, and the shifter is smooth as silk. I don't know what some of the journalists are complaining about when they say it takes serious muscle to shift the thing - it really doesn't.

Finally, the car at stock ride height didn't bottom out or scrape on anything - which was a relief. My Gen IV ACR caused me to cringe any time I got into or out of a driveway. This one didn't scrape at all, and I tested it in some of the places that my Gen IV sounded like it was being murdered.

It's at the wrap shop now, and I'll get some pictures of it once that process is done. I'm getting the Suntek wrap that has the 10 year warranty on it. I looked at Xpel Ultimate and Suntek, and while almost imperceptible, the Suntek looked like it would do better justice to the Stryker Purple paint. Probably less protection, but for 99% of the time the car is out and about, it just plain looked better in my opinion. Also getting it ceramic coated after the Suntek is installed. After going through the wash/polish/wax routine with my other Vipers, I'm just not into adding to my workload on this one.

Overall, Dodge really hit it out of the park with the Gen V. It took 25 years, but they've designed and built a car that really is world class in my opinion. I have no feelings like I need to make excuses for anything - even the standard interior trim is nice (I tried to get them to change my order to the CF stuff, but no dice on that - and I'm happy I saved the 3500 bucks).

[swexlin]

Great writeup, and congrats delivery. I too noticed so many differences (I came from a Gen 3). Just watch your oil level. And ENJOY!

P.S. - I've never understood the auto rag "journalists" complaints about Vipers. Even my Gen 3 was a reasonably comfy car, in fact. The Gen 5 I've been in 3 hours at a stretch, with no issues.

[ViperPete]

Great writeup.
Really valid and great ownership experience.

[BlueAdder]

I was at the dealership and met with Martin yesterday and honestly, that car is marvelous!

Martin, thanks for letting me attend to that special moment.
In the sun the paint is amazing, changes depending on lighting and it's overall really cool.

[Voice of Reason]

If you want much better low end grunt, and don't mind kissing your warranty goodbye, then headers and the Arrow PCM will get you there. I thought the same about the apparent lack of torque down low and it was solved with just a few mods.

[Martin]

If you want much better low end grunt, and don't mind kissing your warranty goodbye, then headers and the Arrow PCM will get you there. I thought the same about the apparent lack of torque down low and it was solved with just a few mods.

If FCA ever gets back to the good old days of "Vipers are meant to be modded", I'd do it. But, as it stands, I'm leaving the thing bone stock until the warranty runs out. I was even worried about wrapping it because of the paint warranty - but nobody's ever heard of a situation where that caused a problem, and when I talked to James at the Concierge program, he didn't indicate it would be an issue... We'll see I suppose.

[ViperJon]

If you want much better low end grunt, and don't mind kissing your warranty goodbye, then headers and the Arrow PCM will get you there. I thought the same about the apparent lack of torque down low and it was solved with just a few mods.

That would be suicidal on a brand new Gen V with it's questionable motor history. I'd make sure it had at least a year or 4K miles or more before throwing away the warranty and even then....

[Bruce H.]

Really glad to hear that you're so pleased. Thanks for sharing, and I bet there are quite a few buyers waiting for delvery that are feeling good after reading this! Enjoy!

[Martin]

Really glad to hear that you're so pleased. Thanks for sharing, and I bet there are quite a few buyers waiting for delvery that are feeling good after reading this! Enjoy!

It really is a hell of a car. After driving all the gens of Vipers, and owning a Gen II, Gen IV, and Gen V - there's just no comparison. The Gen V is a "real" car by modern standards. That said, I'm madly in love with my Gen II and I always will be, but the Gen V is just so much better in so many ways that it's in a whole new league.

I did buy the 8 year warranty though. The engine and differential issues are in the back of my mind, and hopefully I got dealt a good hand on this one and nothing will need work. My Gen II engine/tranny/diff were bullet proof, but all kinds of other stuff required work on that car (window regulators, alternator, A/C system, hood hinges, crappy factory electric fan, valve pushrods) and they all went out right when the 3/36 warranty expired. The only time I got lucky on that one was when my side sills bubbled up with corrosion and I found out that I was covered by a rather generous rust and corrosion warranty.

Anyhow, I'm really impressed with the Gen V. If Viper had to go out, the Gen V was definitely the way to do it - go out at the top.

[VENOM V]

Fantastic Martin, congrats! Looking forward to meeting up soon.

Todd

[SharpMan]

What do you think of the ride? Stiff I'm sure but well damped? Brittle or composed? Can you compare it to any other cars you've driven?

I've daily driven a Porsche GT3 which was stiff but I thought well setup.


It really is a hell of a car. After driving all the gens of Vipers, and owning a Gen II, Gen IV, and Gen V - there's just no comparison. The Gen V is a "real" car by modern standards. That said, I'm madly in love with my Gen II and I always will be, but the Gen V is just so much better in so many ways that it's in a whole new league.

I did buy the 8 year warranty though. The engine and differential issues are in the back of my mind, and hopefully I got dealt a good hand on this one and nothing will need work. My Gen II engine/tranny/diff were bullet proof, but all kinds of other stuff required work on that car (window regulators, alternator, A/C system, hood hinges, crappy factory electric fan, valve pushrods) and they all went out right when the 3/36 warranty expired. The only time I got lucky on that one was when my side sills bubbled up with corrosion and I found out that I was covered by a rather generous rust and corrosion warranty.

Anyhow, I'm really impressed with the Gen V. If Viper had to go out, the Gen V was definitely the way to do it - go out at the top.

[ClayR]

Good luck with the car and thank you for the warranty purchase! I wrapped my ACR and haven't had any issues.

[BlueAdder]

What do you think of the ride? Stiff I'm sure but well damped? Brittle or composed? Can you compare it to any other cars you've driven?

I've daily driven a Porsche GT3 which was stiff but I thought well setup.

In my experience of the ACR-E, the ride is actually pretty decent. Even though the last 200 miles I drove on the street are with the track settings (5/7 front and something like that in the back) it's not as bad as what people say on youtube.
Then again, I'm used to my Focus ST that has really, really stiff springs (12k front/6k rear) and the stiff ride on the ACR-E really ain't bad at all.
The only 'bad' thing are the high speed bumps and dips on the highway. I drove on Hwy 87 yesterday out of San Jose and hit a bump... was bad enough to have my butt leave the seat for a fraction of a second :D

My Elise also has stiff springs and the ACR is actually more comfortable, by far. Both are noisy, both cockpits are cramped but the ACR is much nicer, and as a matter of fact, the ACR looks super luxurious compared to the Elise.

[TrackAire]

Most importantly, congrats on being healthy to enjoy your new ACR-E!!

[BlknBlu]

Congrats bud, been following the progress of your car, looks fantastic.

Bruce

[Scott_in_fl]

^^^ Amen, Brother!!! ^^^

That was to being healthy enough to enjoy it.

[1ststrike]

Congrats on the new car. Can't wait to get your impressions when you have it broken in.

[Martin]

That's for damned sure... Honestly, this car is what got me through the monotony of sitting in a chemo chair 8 hours a day. It was really fun messing with the one-of-one system to figure out what I wanted. In honor of Bruce, I really wanted to do a GTS Blue and Black scheme since that's what started the whole Blue and Black thread - but when I heard that orders were going to close, I defaulted to Stryker Purple real quick in order to get my deal done.

Gotta say, the purple isn't as horrible as I thought it would be :) I was picturing an eggplant Viper, and it's definitely not that. In a perfect world, I think I'd still want another GTS Blue and Black car, but this came out really nice.

Anyhow, the car is awesome, and I'm going to take care of it. I might (funds allowing) buy another used/discounted one that I can beat the piss out of on the track, but this one has some sentimental value already.

[99RT10]

Overall, Dodge really hit it out of the park with the Gen V. It took 25 years, but they've designed and built a car that really is world class in my opinion. I have no feelings like I need to make excuses for anything - even the standard interior trim is nice (I tried to get them to change my order to the CF stuff, but no dice on that - and I'm happy I saved the 3500 bucks).

Kind of like when Pontiac made their final Fiero. They finally got everything right, then killed the car. Dum, da-dum, DUM!!!

They could still build the car and bring it back to it's roots as a Convertible. No side airbags required. But as with the the Marketing Department, the powers that be are dumber than a box of rocks. :(


Beautiful car Martin. Very jealous. :drive:

[Martin2000GTS]

It really is a hell of a car. After driving all the gens of Vipers, and owning a Gen II, Gen IV, and Gen V - there's just no comparison. The Gen V is a "real" car by modern standards. That said, I'm madly in love with my Gen II and I always will be, but the Gen V is just so much better in so many ways that it's in a whole new league.

I did buy the 8 year warranty though. The engine and differential issues are in the back of my mind, and hopefully I got dealt a good hand on this one and nothing will need work. My Gen II engine/tranny/diff were bullet proof, but all kinds of other stuff required work on that car (window regulators, alternator, A/C system, hood hinges, crappy factory electric fan, valve pushrods) and they all went out right when the 3/36 warranty expired. The only time I got lucky on that one was when my side sills bubbled up with corrosion and I found out that I was covered by a rather generous rust and corrosion warranty.

Anyhow, I'm really impressed with the Gen V. If Viper had to go out, the Gen V was definitely the way to do it - go out at the top.

Martin,

Can you tell us more about the 8 year warranty? Cost and what is covered? I'm assuming that's 8 years total from the day of purchase? My car is going to be ready in about 6 weeks I'm guessing and I'm interested in a warranty as well. Funny, I have had next to no problems with my gen 2 in 13 years, yet I really want the warranty for the 17 acr......

[Arizona Vipers]

Low end grunt feels more like a European exotic than a Viper in my opinion - but it's easy to get used to. I think first gear is really tall, so you need to get the revs up a bit when taking off from a stop light. It's similar to what I noticed on the Gen IV. I really like the "instant torque" of the Gen II. With that thing, it pulls like a freight train from idle. Again, no big deal - just something to get used to.


This is an illusion due to many factors. For one, the Gen 5 makes so much more power than the Gen 2, especially up high, it makes the Gen 2 feel low torque intensive. You can compare any graphs of any stock gen 2 to any stock gen 5 and from idle to redline the Gen 5 makes MUCH more torque. Look at any old tests of the Gen 2 vs Gen 5 and compare 0-30mph. The performance isn't even similar. The 2nd reason the Gen 2 feels so fast down low is it's lack of refinement. The same reason all the old school muscle cars feel so "fast" but are really slow pigs.

[Exhlr8n]

Congrats, you are sure to enjoy..!

[Martin]

What do you think of the ride? Stiff I'm sure but well damped? Brittle or composed? Can you compare it to any other cars you've driven?

I've daily driven a Porsche GT3 which was stiff but I thought well setup.

The ride is definitely stiff, and being tall my head bangs against the headliner when going over bumps at speed, but it's not unbearable or uncomfortable. I would say it's about the same as my Gen IV ACR, and a heck of a lot smoother than my '71 Firebird that's all set up for road racing...

Compared to the various Porsches and BMWs I've driven, it's definitely a lot more like a race car than a street car. It's definitely streetable, but I don't know if I'd put it into daily driver duty. Especially not until I install the seat lowering kit.

[Dave1968]

The Arrow controller will get rid of that off idle hesitation as well. Great car!! Just in time for summer - enjoy!!

[Martin]

Martin,

Can you tell us more about the 8 year warranty? Cost and what is covered? I'm assuming that's 8 years total from the day of purchase? My car is going to be ready in about 6 weeks I'm guessing and I'm interested in a warranty as well. Funny, I have had next to no problems with my gen 2 in 13 years, yet I really want the warranty for the 17 acr......

I would suggest sending ClayR a PM - he had the best prices by far, and the process was painless. I ended up getting the $200 deductible plan because I figure it'll take about ten visits to the dealer before the overall cost gets up to what the $0 deductible plan costs.

The good thing about the warranty is it's a heck of a lot of peace of mind - little things tend to go wrong with these cars in my experience. My Gen IV ACR had all kinds of really minor stuff that I had on a list to get fixed, and they all went south right as the standard warranty was expiring. Three years goes by fast. Same thing with my Gen II, except that I just did all the fixes myself because that thing is so easy to work on, and the warranty was expired.

One major benefit to the extended warranty is the rental car allowance. Taking the car into the dealer for fixes is a pain because, without a rental car to get home, you've got to get a friend to help or call an Uber. That was a major consideration for me, and the main reason I decided not to wait until later to put the warranty in place.

[13COBRA]

Beautiful car.

I'd keep it stock for quite some time...the Gen V's scare me. I thought about jumping ship to one, but then changed my mind.

They are the most beautiful high performance cars on the road. The Stryker Purple looks amazing in person. I hope you enjoy the hell out of that thing!

[CNU_Physics]

This is an illusion due to many factors. For one, the Gen 5 makes so much more power than the Gen 2, especially up high, it makes the Gen 2 feel low torque intensive. You can compare any graphs of any stock gen 2 to any stock gen 5 and from idle to redline the Gen 5 makes MUCH more torque. Look at any old tests of the Gen 2 vs Gen 5 and compare 0-30mph. The performance isn't even similar. The 2nd reason the Gen 2 feels so fast down low is it's lack of refinement. The same reason all the old school muscle cars feel so "fast" but are really slow pigs.
I know what he means because it kind of feels the same way to me in the GTS. It doesn't feel as quick as I would expect for a car this powerful, but then all of a sudden I'm going 70mph and I didn't even realize it because I thought I was doing 40. Must be like you said, because the car is so refined, the power is illusive to the speed. Putting the hammer down on this car, it's batshit crazy, there is no denying that.

[Purple Haze]

Glad you are enjoying it...Good fair write up too thanks...

[swexlin]

It's deceptively fast. With my Gen 3, when you were going 100, you knew it. This car, it is EASY to be there, or close to there, and not realize as much.

[Martin]

It's deceptively fast. With my Gen 3, when you were going 100, you knew it. This car, it is EASY to be there, or close to there, and not realize as much.

That's for sure. I was trying to follow the book and keep it under 55mph for the 20 mile drive to the wrap place, and in 5th gear the thing really likes to creep up in speed. Probably the hardest thing to do in the break-in procedure is keep the speed down. I'm hoping to do a perfect break-in and have the diff and tranny last forever - but if it doesn't go that way, well, there's the warranty to fall back on...

My Gen II was actually the most deceptively fast car I've owned. There were times when I was doing well over the posted limit and the engine was barely idling. Still love that car to death.

[Martin]

This is an illusion due to many factors. For one, the Gen 5 makes so much more power than the Gen 2, especially up high, it makes the Gen 2 feel low torque intensive. You can compare any graphs of any stock gen 2 to any stock gen 5 and from idle to redline the Gen 5 makes MUCH more torque. Look at any old tests of the Gen 2 vs Gen 5 and compare 0-30mph. The performance isn't even similar. The 2nd reason the Gen 2 feels so fast down low is it's lack of refinement. The same reason all the old school muscle cars feel so "fast" but are really slow pigs.

I agree - the numbers speak for themselves. But, the feeling I get with this car is that the first gear is really tall. It kind of feels like starting up in second gear in my Gen II. The car would do it, but it took a little throttle to keep it from bogging down. First gear in my Gen II felt like first gear in my tractor - let the clutch out at idle, and you've got mountains of torque. I don't know how the ratios compare, especially with the lower diff gear ratio, but this definitely has the feel of some European cars I've driven where you really need to get the revs up in order to not bog down in first. Not a big deal - just something to get used to. I remember someone asking about what it would be like to drive these cars in a place like the hills of San Francisco, and my advice would be to learn to use the e-brake :) With my Gen II, I could just let the clutch out a bit and I could feel it holding the car without a problem when I let off on the brake. With the Gen V, I think it would stall or go backwards on a hill.

[SilveRT8]

All Gen V have hill assist, so it does not go backwards in a hill...
Agreed first gear is way too tall. Gen 4 trans ratio with 3.55 gears would have been my ideal.

[Track Pack]

Congrats on getting just what you wanted and on being healthy. May God bless you with many more years to enjoy your newest toy! :)

[Bruce H.]

Agreed first gear is way too tall. Gen 4 trans ratio with 3.55 gears would have been my ideal.

I haven't driven a Gen 4 to be able to compare, but would the taller 1st gear on the Gen V have been chosen to allow 2-5 gears to be closer ratio to optimize for track use? I'd prefer a slightly taller 4th to eliminate a brief shift into 5th on quicker straights, but I think the best solution would start with 7 speeds.

[Martin]

Congrats on getting just what you wanted and on being healthy. May God bless you with many more years to enjoy your newest toy! :)

Thanks so much! Life sure is different now, and I'm appreciating a lot of things a lot more than I did before. There's nothing like having a doctor tell you "well, if things don't go as we hope they will, you have maybe two years...". That's not even a full warranty period on a new car :)