Joined
·
18,694 Posts
Interesting article from today's St. Louis Post Dispatch, comparing the Viper and the Z06.
http://www.stltoday.com/classifieds...cle_18597954-f226-5d19-9c33-0bacc2dcf2f8.htmlSTLTODAY.com said:Dodge Viper SRT, Corvette Z06 seek to expand their social circle
2015 DODGE VIPER SRT
DRIVE FORMAT: Rear-wheel drive
BASE PRICE: $86,885
ENGINE: 8.4-liter V-10
HORSEPOWER: 645 at 6200 rpm
TORQUE: 600 lb.-ft. at 5000 rpm
REQUIRED FUEL: Premium
TRANSMISSION: Six-speed manual
EPA MPG: 12 city/20 hwy
2015 CHEVY CORVETTE Z06
DRIVE FORMAT: Rear-wheel drive
BASE PRICE: $78,995
ENGINE: 6.2-liter supercharged V-8
HORSEPOWER: 650 at 6400 rpm
TORQUE: 650 lb.-ft. at 3600 rpm
REQUIRED FUEL: Premium
TRANSMISSIONS: Seven-speed manual or eight-speed paddle-shift automatic
EPA MPG: 16 city/29 hwy
In the 2015 model year, two American supercars are expanding their social circles. One wants to make new friends, the other wants to make fast friends. Here's a look at the 2015 Dodge Viper SRT and Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
2015 Dodge Viper SRT:
Seeking to expand its appeal, Viper has gotten more affordable.
Of course, affordability is relative and, despite Viper's new base price of $86,880, I'm still confident none of my relatives can afford one — unless they're holding out on me.
Nonetheless, a $15,000 price cut, from $101,880, is no small matter. And, with that cut having gone into effect last month on the last available 2014 models, well-heeled enthusiasts have responded. Viper sales totaled 108 units in September, compared to 38 in August.
If those 2014 buyers had waited, though, they would have picked up some incremental performance improvements in the 2015 edition: 5 more hp (now 645) and a 1-mpg better highway fuel economy rating (now 20). Otherwise, save some trim changes, if you liked the 2014 Viper, you'll like the 2015. The car, with its roaring 8.4-liter V-10 and six-speed manual transmission, has evolved over the years from the bone-raw, go-fast persona with which it debuted in 1992 to a sophisticated go-fast persona in this fifth-generation model, which debuted in 2013.
You'll greet 60 mph in 3.7 seconds.
The 2015 Viper, offered in SRT, GT, GTS and TA trims, is arriving now.
2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06:
The new Corvette Z06 is running with fast company — and keeping an eye on that company via its rear-view mirror.
This is the most capable Corvette ever, and that's saying something. When the 2015 Z06's new 6.2-liter, 650-hp, supercharged V-8 is managed by a paddle-shift eight-speed automatic, this 'Vette hits 60 mph in an astounding 2.9 seconds.
"I don't believe a front-engine rear-drive V-8 car has ever done a sub-three 0-60 ... We've got quite a package here," said Tadge Juechter, chief engineer, in something of an understatement.
Opt for the available seven-speed manual, and the 0-60 trip takes only three-tenths of a second more.
To add to the fun, Z06, for the first time in its storied history, is available in both coupe and convertible versions.
Juechter said the blistering performance of the new Z06 is the result of a close cooperative effort between GM's racing engineers and street-vehicle engineers.
"We've basically broken down the walls between the race team and the street-car team," he said.
The manual-transmission Z06 will arrive in showrooms in December, automatic-equipped models arrive right after the first of the year.
Prices start at just under $80,000.
