Dodge Viper SRT GTS 2013 2012 Review - International

SRT Viper GTS

What we liked:
>> Brawny looks
>> Massive performance
>> Excellent chassis balance

Ralph Gilles, the boss of Chrysler’s Street and Racing Technology (SRT) go-faster division, has a telling and somewhat amusing anecdote that explains the philosophy behind the new Viper flagship.

He recounts an episode where Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne had taken the old-generation Viper for a spin soon after the Fiat Group had acquired the US carmaker in 2009. As Gilles tells it, Marchionne returned with the car after 20 minutes, flung him the keys and said: “Fix it!”

This pretty much sums up where the previous model was at. Despite its muscular appeal, it was crude to the extent of being agricultural, and the lack of any electronic driver aids meant it was a dangerous weapon in anything less than skilled hands.

So, while the long-snouted, V10-powered essence of the former Viper has distilled through to the latest version, there was clearly a need to address the multitude of shortcomings with the old car – dodgy ergonomics, poor build quality, tricky on-limit handling and a total lack of refinement being just some of the flawed aspects.

The newcomer imminently goes on sale in the US – priced around $100K for the base model and $120K for the hardcore GTS – but the bad news is that we’re unlikely to see it on our shores.

“The big problem is that the steering wheel is on the wrong side, and doesn’t look like changing at all within this model life,” explains Fiat Chrysler Group Australia spokesperson Lenore Fletcher.

“We have certainly asked very strongly for the vehicle, but at the moment there is no business case for the production of right-hand-drive vehicles,” Ms Fletcher adds. “We are optimistic that the next model will have both drive configurations built into the platform from the start, so that we will be able to have a much greater chance of securing the vehicle.”

The US pricing alone is a reflection of where its creators are pitching the new Viper as it commands a hefty premium over its circa-$80k predecessor (which was discontinued in 2010). In its home market this puts the GTS on par with the likes of the Porsche 911 Turbo, so it’s hardly lightweight territory the Viper is treading on.

Also significant is that the car no longer wears Dodge or Chrysler badging, instead it’s known simply as the SRT Viper, in keeping with the company’s initiative to position it as a premium high-performance offering.

Mind you, it is a legitimate supercar rather and not just a pretender, as reflected by a v-max of 331km/h and 0-100km/h sprint in the low-3sec range. Equally telling is a 0-160-0km/h split of under 12sec. These numbers aren’t too far shy of the Lamborghini Aventador, which costs more than three times as much as the Viper GTS.

The recipe for this monstrous performance is as traditionally American as you could imagine. Stuffed beneath the mile-long bonnet is a mid-front-mounted 8.4-litre V10 pushrod engine that owes its origins to a truck motor.

That said, its provenance pales into insignificance when you take in the peak power output of 478kW and max twist of 813Nm – the highest torque figure produced by any naturally aspirated sportscar engine.

Improvements for the latest-gen V10 include an ultra-high-flow, lightweight composite intake manifold; high-strength, forged pistons; sodium-filled exhaust valves; new catalysts to ease backpressure and an aluminium flywheel that reduces reciprocating losses.

Spent gases are expelled by side pipes that exit just aft of the doors, but it has to be said the exhaust note is hardly the most charismatic aspect of the car. Standing on the gas unleashes a barrage of noise, but none of it could be described as tuneful. From an aural perspective, it’s more industrial machine than purebred supercar. Still, that’s one of the few shortcomings of an otherwise hearty powertrain.

The only transmission offered in the Viper is a Tremec six-speed manual gearbox, which in one form or another is found in pretty much every US-built muscle car. The lack of an automatic or sequential gearbox will undoubtedly limit the Viper’s target audience, but the good news is that the manual is a surprisingly slick-shifting unit.

I say “surprisingly” because in most other applications the Tremec is baulky and relatively slow. The Viper development team spent a lot of time and effort getting the spring loading and spacing right and the result is a gearbox with quick, short throws that require little more than a snap of the wrist.

Our test venue at the media launch was the daunting, undulating Road Atlanta circuit, which is similar in character to a hillclimb track. There’s no margin for error, and it comprises a series of dip-dive-and-blind crest corners that require quick, frequent gear changes.

It’s the sort of track where you really don’t want to be fumbling around for gears, and thankfully, there’s no need to as the Viper’s six-speed ’box makes easy work of wrist-flicking through the ratios. The pedals are also nicely set up for heel-toe downshifts, should you be so inclined.

But the real surprise is the precision with which the GTS turns in and how well it stays composed in mid-corner. Part of this is attributable to a chassis that’s 50 per cent torsionally stiffer than before, with the cross-brace above the engine playing its part here.

The car is also about 45kg lighter than before, tipping the scales at a none-too-lardy 1500kg thanks to a carbonfibre bonnet, bootlid and roof, along with aluminium doors. Credit is also due to the Bilstein DampTronic Select shock absorbers (with street and track settings), which do an excellent job of keeping the car flat and planted, even on off-camber corners.

What it all adds up to is a package with far more agility than expected, coping well with the constant changes in direction and elevation that Road Atlanta throws up in rapid succession.

No two ways about it, the Viper GTS is an exceptionally quick car, especially when equipped with the optional Track Package, which cuts a further 26kg from the car’s kerb mass via slotted two-piece lightweight StopTech brake rotors and ultra-lightweight multi-spoke Sidewinder II wheels wrapped in high-performance Pirelli P Zero Corsa rubber.

The GTS already comes with four-mode stability control with Full-On, Sport, Track and Full-Off modes, but there’s no need to resort to the last of these because the electronic safety net is so unobtrusive that you won’t even notice it if you’re smooth with your inputs. In fact, SRT execs say their factory drivers’ best lap times were recorded with stability control activated.

There’s not much to fault in the braking department either, as the four-piston Brembo stoppers with fixed-aluminium calipers are so progressive and fade-free that you can repeatedly dive deep into the braking zones before standing on the anchors.

The driving experience is made all the better by a well-resolved cabin that fortunately has little in common with that of its predecessor. All surfaces in the GTS are trimmed in leather, with visual contrast provided by gun-metal appliqués on the cluster bezel, HVAC outlets, window-switch bezels, shifter base, park-brake bezel and the integrated passenger grab-handle on the centre console.

The Sabelt racing seats offer ample support with their thigh supports and deep side-bolsters, and there’s enough adjustability to allow you to conjure up a comfortable driving position (unlike former Vipers, seat height can be adjusted by up to 40mm). Meanwhile, a 90mm stretch in the floor pan and bulkhead has liberated more legroom and additional rearward seat-track movement.

Facing the driver is a dominant centre tachometer display with an animated readout that glows red and displays the new “Stryker” logo when engine revs approach redline, alerting the driver to upshift. Audiophiles are also well catered to via a Harman Kardon system with exclusive Logic 7 surround-sound and no less than 18 speakers, including four subwoofers nestled in behind the seats.

Although the external styling has evolved markedly, the coupe is still instantly recognisable as a Viper, with its wide, low stance, extreme cab-rearward proportions and huge fender gills making for an unmistakable silhouette.

Purists will be pleased to learn that all the vents and air intakes are functional, and the double-bubble roof maximises headroom for the driver and passenger while reducing the car’s frontal area.

Exterior design chief Mark Trostle says a lot of work went into the Viper’s aero package, but the best part is that it’s all well integrated into the bodywork. There are no unsightly stick-on wings, spoilers or splitters. Of course, they may appear on eventual go-faster, low-volume versions of the Viper, but what we have for now is a clean and well-resolved coupe.

However, if making a statement is your thing, you can opt for one of two body stripe configurations available on the Viper (they’re painted, not stickers). The base model is offered with a pair of tapered stripes that start on the clamshell bonnet, make their way onto the roof and finish on the rear hatch, while the GTS can be had with a pair of wide stripes running the length of the coupe from front to rear fascia.

It’s sobering to think the Viper came close to being axed after the demise of the previous-gen model. If that had happened, we would have missed out on a great muscle car that’s capable of serving it up to the Italo exotics in terms of raw pace and feel-good factor.

It’s a worthy halo car. What a shame we’re unlikely to see it here.

SRT Viper GTS: Specifications
Engine  8.4-litre pushrod V10
Power  478kW at 6150rpm
Torque  813Nm at 4950rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Length  4463mm
Width  1941mm
Height  1247mm
Wheelbase 2510mm
Kerb weight 1500kg (approx)
0-100km/h 3.2sec (approx)
Top speed 331km/h

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site