SRT Viper vs SLS AMG Black Series

Status
Not open for further replies.

mnc2886

Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 1, 2010
Posts
1,018
Reaction score
0
Location
Houston, TX
Not a good review for the Viper at all. Johnny Lieberman is a tool in any car review, let alone this one. This was still very disappointing to lose to that car. It shouldn't have happened.
 

PDCjonny

Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 2, 2004
Posts
5,999
Reaction score
3
Viper looks beautiful in that color combination.
And seriously, if you struggle with that much brain input to downshift into a turn you shouldn't be reviewing cars with a manual.
 

ViperSmith

Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 19, 2012
Posts
2,918
Reaction score
0
Location
Tysons Corner, VA
Luxury and drivability have been sacrificed? Driving a manual is hard? Should have stopped there.

To boot, Randy ran much better times in the production Gen V. Odd review.

SLS looks amazing though, as it should for $300k. I think paddles are in the Vipers future given the ability to shift quicker.
 
Last edited:

Policy Limits

Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 15, 2012
Posts
1,372
Reaction score
1
Recently checked out a gullwing. New model with list of $200k; salesman said he'd take 30k off and sell for 170k. Lovely car, nice sound and feel. The slideover on the entrance/exit reminded me of the Viper alot. Viper has more soul. The shifting thing in the gen v isnt as easy as paddles, e-gear, F1 tranny, etc but the challenge and driving experience are what make it fun. Haters gonna hate.
 

ROYMAN

Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 14, 2009
Posts
154
Reaction score
1
Location
Concord, MA
I love the black series though. For the price of a standard SLS, you might as well buy a used SLR.
 

ViperSmith

Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 19, 2012
Posts
2,918
Reaction score
0
Location
Tysons Corner, VA
Recently checked out a gullwing. New model with list of $200k; salesman said he'd take 30k off and sell for 170k. Lovely car, nice sound and feel. The slideover on the entrance/exit reminded me of the Viper alot. Viper has more soul. The shifting thing in the gen v isnt as easy as paddles, e-gear, F1 tranny, etc but the challenge and driving experience are what make it fun. Haters gonna hate.
I mean, I could understand if shifting in the Gen V was laborious, but I mean you barely notice it. The only annoyance is skipshift. Other than that, it is absolutely enjoyable.
 

ACRucrazy

Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 14, 2009
Posts
1,894
Reaction score
1
That is one Mercedes I could drive... After the first owner took the huge depreciation hit..
 

ACRucrazy

Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 14, 2009
Posts
1,894
Reaction score
1
Gen IV Viper ACR Laguna 1:33:91
Motor Trend GTS pre-production Laguna December 2012 1:35:77
Motor Trend ZR-1 test Laguna Decmeber 2012 1:33:70
Motor Trend TA test Laguna Seca March 18th 2013 1:33:62
Motor Trend SLS AMG BLACK Laguna July 2013 1:35:03
Motor Trend SRT Track Pack Laguna July 2013 1:36:62
 
Last edited:

PDCjonny

Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 2, 2004
Posts
5,999
Reaction score
3
Gen IV Viper ACR Laguna 1:35:10
Motor Trend GTS pre-production Laguna December 2012 1:35:77
Motor Trend ZR-1 test Laguna Decmeber 2012 1:33:77
Motor Trend TA test Laguna Seca March 18th 2013 1:33:62
Motor Trend SLS AMG BLACK Laguna July 2013 1:35:03
Motor Trend SRT Track Pack Laguna July 2013 1:36:62

Gen IV Viper ACR did a 1:33.?? hence the 1:33 edition ACR.
 

ViperSmith

Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 19, 2012
Posts
2,918
Reaction score
0
Location
Tysons Corner, VA
What happened to the production SRT and GTS times? I thought it ran a 1:34:XX where the SRT was slightly slower?

Seeing as the SLS cannibalized the Viper, how about we get our hands on that flappy gearbox... ;)
 

doctorbob

Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 20, 2002
Posts
1,606
Reaction score
0
Location
Washington
Sat in one in New Zealand.....totally different animals. If you are tall.....you will hit your head getting out of car on the gull wing doors.
 

eachey51

Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 26, 2013
Posts
19
Reaction score
0
Motortrend tested a production srt without th track pack n did a 1.44 sumthing. Y is it 2 seconds slower this time?
 

klamathpro

Viper Owner
Joined
Oct 7, 2005
Posts
925
Reaction score
0
Location
Detroit
Its tough to listen to this guy whine for the first 3 minutes of this video

Waaaaa!!!! Waaaaaa!!!! :( Shifting is so hard!!!

Shut up and grow a pair. :drive:

I don't like it when they test the very best from one company with the entry level of another. Waiting for the TA would have been a better comparison. But he still would have wined about having to move his arm while driving.
 

TrackAire

Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 24, 2009
Posts
1,523
Reaction score
1
Location
Vacaville, California
Overall I'd say this was a very positive review for the Viper. Tons of air time, looks way better and 1/3 the cost of the AMG. Here are a couple of grips that never seemed to get answered (by Motor Trend or SRT).

-Looking at the trap speed, I'd venture to guess the AMG's horsepower is underrated, especially given the extra weight the AMG hauls.

-Although the DCT is going to be faster at both the road course and a straight line race, they never answer this question. Can it handle the heat of running around the track for more than 4 laps at full tilt? A lot of DCT will get very hot (especially after 4 or more laps in 100 degree plus temps). I know a single lap shows a lap time, but can the AMG Black Series finish a track day at Laguna Seca with the heat they had last weekend?? How do you say "Limp Mode" in German?

-Rear wiggle from the Viper, really SRT, you still can't figure out how to make our halo car planted? (even after all the b.s. with the first Gen V versus ZR1 test). I think I even heard Randy mention bumpsteer, again not hard to sort out. Honestly, not acceptable on a platform that is technically over 10 years old.

-I didn't pay attention to the tires on the AMG Black, but were they Sport Cups or something very sticky?

-Melting paint and body panels on the Gen 5?...first time I've heard this.

-Parked side by side, the Gen 5 looks like art, the AMG looks ricer with that ugly wing. If you're going to make a Black Series and not have it look like ass, you've got to push the boundaries and flare it out, put a bigger wing on it, etc. At this level, it looks like something ordered from the JC Whitney catalog.

-Because of the cost, the AMG should technically win (if it can't then it is a epic fail on Mercedes part). Even if the Viper isn't faster at the track (and I think it would be if tire compounds were equal) it would be hard to pass up the car based on looks alone....white Gen 5's rule.

Cheers,
George
 

ACRucrazy

Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 14, 2009
Posts
1,894
Reaction score
1
Even if the AMG was .1 slower than the Viper, I still wouldn't call it a fail. That car is BA.

Naturally aspirated 622hp V8 that runs to 8,000 RPM :omg:

I'd LOVE to have one in the garage.
 

Bobpantax

Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 2, 2000
Posts
6,957
Reaction score
3
Location
Miami
I call BS. MT knows about the Viper TA. Why wasn't the comparo done with the TA? Or, is this an old video that predates the ZR1/Viper TA comparo? If this was done after the ZR1/TA run and SRT did not supply the TA for this comparo, all I can say is whoever did that at Chrysler marketing should get a pink slip.
 

madninjaskillz

Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 16, 2010
Posts
354
Reaction score
0
Agreed. Lieberman is a tool. Whiney fat pos who knows nothing about cars. The AMG SLS is a beautiful car, but I still think the lines on the Gen V are better. Agree with ACRucrazy about the V8. I think Mercedes makes the best high performance V8... in Germany.
 

SRTviper

Enthusiast
Joined
May 29, 2013
Posts
529
Reaction score
0
Overall I'd say this was a very positive review for the Viper. Tons of air time, looks way better and 1/3 the cost of the AMG. Here are a couple of grips that never seemed to get answered (by Motor Trend or SRT).

-Looking at the trap speed, I'd venture to guess the AMG's horsepower is underrated, especially given the extra weight the AMG hauls.

-Although the DCT is going to be faster at both the road course and a straight line race, they never answer this question. Can it handle the heat of running around the track for more than 4 laps at full tilt? A lot of DCT will get very hot (especially after 4 or more laps in 100 degree plus temps). I know a single lap shows a lap time, but can the AMG Black Series finish a track day at Laguna Seca with the heat they had last weekend?? How do you say "Limp Mode" in German?

-Rear wiggle from the Viper, really SRT, you still can't figure out how to make our halo car planted? (even after all the b.s. with the first Gen V versus ZR1 test). I think I even heard Randy mention bumpsteer, again not hard to sort out. Honestly, not acceptable on a platform that is technically over 10 years old.

-I didn't pay attention to the tires on the AMG Black, but were they Sport Cups or something very sticky?

-Melting paint and body panels on the Gen 5?...first time I've heard this.

-Parked side by side, the Gen 5 looks like art, the AMG looks ricer with that ugly wing. If you're going to make a Black Series and not have it look like ass, you've got to push the boundaries and flare it out, put a bigger wing on it, etc. At this level, it looks like something ordered from the JC Whitney catalog.

-Because of the cost, the AMG should technically win (if it can't then it is a epic fail on Mercedes part). Even if the Viper isn't faster at the track (and I think it would be if tire compounds were equal) it would be hard to pass up the car based on looks alone....white Gen 5's rule.

Cheers,
George

The rear end wiggle is caused from bad shocks. The shocks are too stiff. They made them much softer on the TA which is why Randy said the TA is worlds better than the GTS and SRT. They really should just put the same shocks in all vipers or go to an MR system because what they are using really ***** and is ridiculous for a 140k car when all other brands at that level use an MR type system.

The melting paint and exhaust drone giving people headaches are now what worry me. Those 2 things are really really bad problems that could be deal breakers. Other than that this review was dumb and the only good thing about it is when they were talking about the viper.
 

SRTviper

Enthusiast
Joined
May 29, 2013
Posts
529
Reaction score
0
Agreed. Lieberman is a tool. Whiney fat pos who knows nothing about cars. The AMG SLS is a beautiful car, but I still think the lines on the Gen V are better. Agree with ACRucrazy about the V8. I think Mercedes makes the best high performance V8... in Germany.

Mercedes AMG makes the best engines period. That is why Pagani uses them.
 

Newport Viper

Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 17, 2000
Posts
4,657
Reaction score
0
Location
Newport Coast, CA
Lets face it the only way Viper would have been able to keep up with today's super car was to get it 700 HP from the factory. It has always been a crude rude car ( and "we" like it that way) but it always had enough HP to crush almost everyone. At least we had the HP bragging right.
Now there are 4door sedans coming close to it and, the rest of the super cars are there or blowing the Viper away.

GROAN!

I'm just so pissed that we have lost that dominace in so may ways. (Track HP 1/4mile)

The old Viper is starting to look like an old antique.... ( really its still melting aghhhhhhhh ) kill me now...
 

KB Viper

Viper Owner
Joined
May 23, 2013
Posts
348
Reaction score
0
Location
San Diego California
i've only had 2 cars that weren't a stick since my driving career started 18 years ago and i hope to only drive sticks until i can't drive anymore. American sticks at that!
 

Policy Limits

Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 15, 2012
Posts
1,372
Reaction score
1
MB should be ashamed that they ONLY beat us by that hair! With 300% more budget that's all they got?

And this guy is a clown in the 1st part of the review...mommy my porage is too hot LOL You're a total **** if u complain that a super car is too loud or too hot!!! I still burn my leg on the side pipe each timeI get out of my "more refined viper" each and every time....and with a smile! ;)

BTW remember when the V was comapred to the regular SLS few months ago? Pretty sure we came ahead on that one!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top