The Dodge Viper gets a raft of improvements for the 2015 model year. It's officially a Dodge again as SRT bows out of being its own brand. It gets a new model. It has more power. It even has slightly better fuel economy. Now will you please buy a damn Viper?
Even though the new Viper provides one of the most visceral driving experiences money can buy, all while being slightly less apt to murder its driver than its predecessors, sales have not been that great.
Maybe it's because buyers are flocking to the Corvette Stingray, a car that provides some 80 percent of the Viper's performance for nearly half the price, or maybe it's that the Viper's $102,485 starting price is deemed too high.
Either way, Dodge has some new stuff in store this year for its halo sports car. First, power from the 8.4-liter V10 has been bumped by five horses to 645 horsepower over the old model, and now fuel economy is even slightly better at 20 mpg on the highway.
There's also a new mid-level model called the Viper GT, which will slot between the entry-level car and the $124,000 Viper GTS. That car gets a driver-controlled suspension system with Bilstein shocks, a five-mode stability control system, and a unique Alcantara and leather interior. Pricing on that will be announced later.
The Viper TA (Time Attack) model has been revised to where they're calling it the TA 2.0, because now it sports a revised aero package with significantly more rear downforce than the old model. Opt for that and you get Brembo brakes, Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires, a race-tuned suspension, a carbon fiber X-brace, and other track-oriented goodies.
And if you feel like getting really fancy, the Viper GTS gets a special Ceramic Blue Edition Package, which sports the striking blue paint color you see up top. In addition to orange brake calipers and silver accents throughout, the package gets you more luxury touches like Nappa leather throughout the cabin. Only 40 of these will be built for 2015.
Sounds neat. There's never been a better time to get into a Viper!