Will it still try to kill you?
You bet your ass it will. But it will at least start gently, drawing a small amount of blood. See, the space between the side of the optional power seat and the doorsill isn't quite big enough for your finger. Unfortunately, that's where the seat controls are. As the seat moves, your finger will slide along the razor-sharp edge of the plastic sill trim, cutting you. That's your first warning.
Next, the Viper will break your kneecap with its impossibly heavy clutch. And then, if you think for a second that you can rely on the new stability control to save you from that monster V-10, you risk taking an excursion across your neighbor's lawn. Any overzealous application of power-and in cold, rainy conditions, that includes merely looking at the gas pedal-and the steamroller rear tires will slither sideways.
The Viper's stability control is, with some margin, the most liberally programmed system we've experienced. Even fully on, it allows enough wheelspin and yaw that the driver remains a vital part of the equation. It will stop the car from spinning out, but it's the driver's job to keep the Viper aimed straight-this is not a stomp-and-hope kind of car. That's not a criticism; it's a perfect match for the Viper, which remains the most gloriously intimidating car money can buy. Thing is, the old Viper had a big secret: It also scared everyone, but on the track, with sufficient room to play, it turned into a plush teddy bear.
The new Viper is even better at that same trick. Whereas the last car never really settled down-it varied endlessly, though harmlessly, between understeer and oversteer-the new Viper is unfailingly neutral. The front and rear do the same dance at the same time, thanks to a wholesale suspension rethink. The layout is almost identical, except the rear toe link has been moved from behind the axle centerline to in front of it. What has changed is how the suspension moves and when.
Once a truck in a sports-car shell, the Viper now handles like a proper sports car-it's predictable and manageable. The steering ratio is the same as before, but revised hydraulics and reduced compliance help it react more quickly to inputs. It's not a particularly communicative system, but like the steering on any good racing car, it's dependably accurate.
On the track, there's nothing much to criticize. The stock brakes are prone to fade, but that particular problem is easy to solve-get the track pack's upgraded and unkillable brakes, and you'll be fine.
Once you become used to its enormous speed potential, the Viper simply becomes an extension of you and disappears. But the best part is the car's personality. Even after a session of ten-tenths lapping, you'll pull out onto a public road and be scared to death again.
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