Initial Impressions: Move from Gen IV Coupe to Gen V

[Stealth]

My Gen V Viper was delivered last Friday. Since I just sold my Gen IV Viper Coupe I thought I would post my initial (150mi.) impressions for those who are considering the purchase of a Gen V. My car is a 2014 Yellow/Black GTS with all of the exterior carbon fiber and the leather package.

Anyway, here are my preliminary initial impressions:

1. I was hoping for a Gen V which looks a bit more like the Volado concept and had 680—700hp. That said, the Gen V shape has grown on me and I have come to really appreciate the exotic curves, etc.

2. While I have not been fully on the car because I am still in break-in, I can tell you the car is very fast and pulls like a freight train—but faster! Substantially more power for this car on the street would raise all kinds of issues. Btw, my past cars have included modded twin-turbo Supras, several modded Corvettes (including 2 Z06s), a Porsche and of course a Gen IV Viper.

3. The gearing is excellent, although I have not been at hard throttle in 5th and 6th yet. First gear in particular is—for me—far superior to first gear in my Gen IV, which was way too short. Maybe for out-of-the-hole throttle dumps a shorter first gear would be better, but I never use any of my cars that way. The first gear now is actually usable for low speed situations such as parking structures, etc.

4. The motor rpms seems to ramp up plenty quickly—the lighter flywheel? I am not sure what some reviewers were talking about in terms of slow revving.

5. The brakes are great, although I have not tracked the car to put it in a potential fade situation yet. SS lines (when available) and high temp fluid should solve any issues for me, even with OEM pads. I am not a hard core track rat.

6. The drivetrain appears to be much smoother, from the shifter to the clutch linkage, to the (relative) lack of drivetrain lash or shudder.

7. The exhaust sound is GREATLY improved! I am not sure I would switch to Corsa, etc.

8. The OEM stereo (18 speaker) is excellent by OEM standards.

9. The Laguna leather interior and the seats are spectacular! They add a very rich and exotic feel and smell to the car—and I was initially against this option due to the steep price tag. My daily driver is a 2012 BMW 550i M-Sport with Dinan tuning and M-5 Sway bars and the Viper interior is nicer and more exotic (it was also more expensive).

10. The gauge layout and interior electronics are awesome. Little things like the interior and connectivity make a substantial difference to me in terms of how often I will use the car—especially if my wife will be along. This is something I really did not realize until I experienced the difference.

11. The carbon fiber hood and rear decklid are beautiful.

12. The suspension feels great in Street, and there does appear to be a noticeable difference between that and “Race”. I will have to drive more to appreciate the overall suspension. Body roll is negligible—it corners flat.

13. The paint work appears to be excellent. I have one small blemish in the corner of one of the front hood vents (GTS hood) where there is small blob of paint, etc. but it is not worth breaking the paint over—more like a birthmark.

14. There is some black discharge discoloration on the silver exhaust surrounds. The dealer is looking into this.

15. The car feels very solid—like one piece. It feels like a precision, quality instrument.

16. The car is expensive—especially the carbon fiber bits. Even at a “deal”, these pieces are crazy expensive. It is probably good to be in that business. I would have passed on the car at MSRP, but the deals available now help bring the car into pricing line for me. I did not get the $40k + discount some have apparently received (good for you!), and I was dealing with several dealers. For me, a good deal only applies if it is on something you want. In this car, color combination, equipment, etc. I ended up buying from one of the local dealers (same one I purchased the Gen IV from) and adding the carbon fiber pieces (incoming as we speak). The new Z06 was a consideration, but I did not really want a supercharged motor and the first year of a new car. Also, the C7 Design, while daring, felt a bit cold and cobbled together to me (especially the Z06). A twin-turbo ZR1 might have been more interesting. The Gen V just fells right, and more organic.

17. I enjoy the “dance with the car” of clutching and shifting. I am sure the next car will have a DCT, but for now I like the driving experience.

Overall, this is the finest sportscar I have driven of any make. This includes the Gallardo, Ford GT, Porsche GT3, and 997 TT Porsche. We are truly lucky that we can purchase such a car and I thank Dodge/SRT, the engineers and others “who get IT” for making such a fine instrument.

NOTE: these impressions are preliminary and subject to change. I am sure some items will need adjustment, etc.

[Boba Fett]

Congrats on your move. Glad you are happy. Very happy with mine.

[swexlin]

Great post. That's a pretty impressive list of cars you compared it to. Look forward to hearing more impressions.

[cashcorn]

Stealth.. You took the words right out of my mouth! Great write up! I just turned 685 miles and absolutely the best performance car I have owned. From 3,800 rpm's+ it pulls like a rocket. Now that I've been enjoying the exhaust note for the last 3 months. I'm thinking a little louder would be better. lol! If the PCM comes out soon I would really like some good headers for additional HP & sound. If not, it looks like Corsa. Enjoy your new ride, it is well worth it.. Congrats!

[Bruce H.]

Great review, thanks for sharing!

[Crotalidae]

Welcome aboard!!! Great review!!!

[V1PERMAN]

Stealth,

Good review. It will only get better.

I just returned from a 2500 mile road trip which included the Viper Detroit Homecoming driving my 2014 TA. I now have 6000 miles on this Viper in less than 6 months and I'm more impressed with every mile. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure I will use my 2003 DLM Supercharged Vert any more! The Gen 5 is just that good.

Enjoy your ride!

Dave

[Voice of Reason]

Nice write up!

For point 14 on the exhaust discharge, are you seeing the normal carbon/soot build up on exhaust tips that all cars get or something else? It's noticable on ours due to how awesome the exhaust exists but on mine I don't see any excessive buildup vs my other cars. It's just requires a little wipe on a weekly basis and they look great all the time.

[V1PERMAN]

Or you could just paint it with some high heat BBQ Black and be done with it.

Nice write up!

For point 14 on the exhaust discharge, are you seeing the normal carbon/soot build up on exhaust tips that all cars get or something else? It's noticable on ours due to how awesome the exhaust exists but on mine I don't see any excessive buildup vs my other cars. It's just requires a little wipe on a weekly basis and they look great all the time.

[Viktimize]

4. The motor rpms seems to ramp up plenty quickly—the lighter flywheel? I am not sure what some reviewers were talking about in terms of slow revving.

I had one of the drivers at Chelsea for NVE, rip around the little test track they had for us to test drive the GenV, with me riding shotgun. The car definitely felt slow through the RPM's till around 4000rpm. Then you could feel the cam shift and the car just goes wild. I liked it, seems like it would have street manners that way, but when you hammer down you probably barely drop below 4000rpm if you're shifting at redline. So the car is a bat out of hell when you want it to be. But you have real seat time, so you're assessment is probably more accurate than my 2 minute track rip.

8. The OEM stereo (18 speaker) is excellent by OEM standards.

I was already interested in a GenV. But the Harmon Kardon stereo completely sold me on the car. That stereo sounds better than most aftermarket systems I've had. Wow! Much better than the HK in my 2012 SRT8 300 somehow.

[Jack B]

It varies by gear, however, in the first four gears it drops to approx 5000 rpm.

I had one of the drivers at Chelsea for NVE, rip around the little test track they had for us to test drive the GenV, with me riding shotgun. The car definitely felt slow through the RPM's till around 4000rpm. Then you could feel the cam shift and the car just goes wild. I liked it, seems like it would have street manners that way, but when you hammer down you probably barely drop below 4000rpm if you're shifting at redline. So the car is a bat out of hell when you want it to be. But you have real seat time, so you're assessment is probably more accurate than my 2 minute track rip.




I was already interested in a GenV. But the Harmon Kardon stereo completely sold me on the car. That stereo sounds better than most aftermarket systems I've had. Wow! Much better than the HK in my 2012 SRT8 300 somehow.