Major Options:  N/A

Consumer Guide® Fuel Economy:  15.77 mpg (what's this?)

Problems During Test: None

From The Back Seat
Ed Piotrowski Viper is far more car than most mere mortals can handle, yours truly included. Even a reasonable facsimile of smooth driving requires the driver's total and absolute concentration. Paradoxically, maybe Viper makes you a better driver because you must be so focused on the task at hand. Either way, this brute is best left as a "Hey, look at me!" statement rather than anything that could be even remotely used as everyday transportation. If that's your thing, by all means, go for it.

Sikora Don In the past week, I've driven a Corvette Z06 and a Viper SRT-10. Using them both as "regular" cars makes you better appreciate just how civilized a Corvette Z06 really is. The Viper is a brute and is all about the 8.4-liter 600 horsepower V10 engine. The car is way beyond my driving capabilities, especially on public roads, and requires a healthy dose of respect. If you like the car, have the coin, and have enough self control to avoid getting yourself into serious trouble on the way home from the dealer, knock yourself out and go for it. Just realize, the Viper is more novelty than daily transportation.

Tom Appel I had an epiphany last night. Up until about 7:00 PM last night I was a Viper hater. The bulk, price, the massive, volumetrically inefficient engine, the crummy cabin, I hated it all. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. Viper isn't a car, nor is it much of a status symbol...It was cold last night, but I had the top down. My stiff fingers tugged the shifter through the John Deere-quality linkage while the exhaust belched lumpy, high-test flatulence. The radio was off, but the visceral reward of piloting this unruly asp was entertainment enough. I was thoroughly engaged in what I was doing, utterly distracted by the task of driving this uncivilized beast and trying not to die in the process. In doing so I forgot the office, forgot working late, and forgot that I needed to start on another diet. I was consumed by the madness of this ridiculous car. And as a diversion, Viper works spectacularly well. Viper is not a good car, it's not even a car good at going fast (though it will go very fast). Viper is a $90,000 stress ball. A portable executive retreat, that, in a pinch, passes for transportation.