I've taken our long-term 2009 Dodge Viper SRT-10 to San Diego. I'm here to drive a minivan (first letter is "h," last letter is "y"), so the comparison is apt, no?
Actually, I know some minivans with better off-the-line torque response than our Viper, but I digress. The Viper is not an ideal heavy-traffic car, but you knew that, and as expected, it bucked over the expansion joints and rain grooves that define LA's freeways. Once we hit South Orange County, though, the pavement smoothed out and the Viper mellowed out in the ride quality department.
It's also a relaxed cruiser in its tall 6th gear. Once you're up to your 65-70-75-80-mph pace (take your pick), the fact that you can't really accelerate in-gear doesn't matter. But I went down to 5th and often 4th whenever I wanted to pass, or when traffic slowed, or when I just wanted to remind myself that I was in the most fun car on the road. Heel-and-toe downshifts aren't that fun to execute with the Viper's six-speed, but the resulting exhaust sounds of a smooth shift down are a decent reward.
It was a hot day, but the air-conditioning kept my hands icy while engine heat permeated the firewall and made my feet sweat. Yum, eh? Also, the not-quite-Z06-toasty transmission tunnel kept my tall coffee (secured in its cozy in the half-holder) warm for the duration of the drinking experience.
The traffic and the constant A/C use relieved the car of fuel at a rapid rate, but there's a still quarter of a tank in case the valets at my hotel want to do burnouts tonight.
After the jump, spotted on I-5: the most unusual Prius I've ever laid eyes on... and undoubtedly a kindred spirit to the Dodge Viper.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 15,402 miles
jasond52 says:
05:11 AM, 08/26/10
Love the Prius...
throwback says:
05:16 AM, 08/26/10
Conservatives believe in energy security.
eclogite says:
05:29 AM, 08/26/10
I've seen one weirder. Several times around Austin I've seen a murdered-out Prius with a chromed Turbo badge stuck beneath the Prius badge on the back of the car.
rsholland says:
05:34 AM, 08/26/10
The owner is obviously suffering from bipolar disorder.
brdmn says:
06:28 AM, 08/26/10
The faster ObaMao, I mean Obozo is either impeached or just plain gives up on his own, the faster our once great nation can begin it's recovery from this nonsense.
coxwill says:
06:46 AM, 08/26/10
ObaMao? Obozo? What are you, 12 years old?
06scooby says:
06:56 AM, 08/26/10
wow that is a clash... good for him. I agree that guns are good. I feel the same way here in Tahoe country with the only Subaru without liberal/anti-bush stickers all over! haha.
mcgs999 says:
07:17 AM, 08/26/10
@brdmn - this is the one place on the internet that I can avoid idiots (on BOTH sides) talking about politics. Thanks for ruining that.
wrinklebump says:
07:41 AM, 08/26/10
hahah ObaMao. You want daddy to get you some ice cream. Maybe a soda? Aww, don't cry.
yellowmiata says:
07:53 AM, 08/26/10
Erin, I think you made a mistake bringing politics to this site. Though you were just displaying someone else's philosophy, you are providing a forum for discourse that doesn't fit the IL car vibe. I, personally, hope the political posts are few and far between.
(And before someone says "I/She didn't mean to start it..." we all know that regardless of whether you "meant" to crash a car, you are financially and legally responsible for the results and aftermath.)
Kevin
sherief says:
10:11 AM, 08/26/10
Oh, because McCain/Palin (shudder) would have done a great job.
I think some people were just born miserable and always look for something to complain about...
Back on topic..the more I hear about the Viper's characteristics, the less appealing it sounds. And an 8 liter engine with poor low-end torque? oh, the irony.
stpierrewm says:
10:52 AM, 08/26/10
You get to test drive the Odyssey? Lucky!
onramp says:
11:44 AM, 08/26/10
That Prius shot is fantastic. It's enough to cause an accident if you look at it too long to try to figure it out! ;) Let's give the guy credit- he'll put the money down to support "green energy", but he still was principled enough to reject the BS in the Administration where it stands, rather than buying into the whole liberal agenda lock, stock, and barrel with zero foresight and common sense. The former kind of liberal is a good thing, while the latter kind is the kind you wish would drive off a cliff. :p
McCain/Palin may not have done a "great" job in some's estimation, but even a mediocre job would be running circles around what we got in 2008. That's saying somethin'...
feloniousmonk says:
11:46 AM, 08/26/10
Wrong choice of car to drive to evaluate a minivan. The poor Odyssey can't help but feel like a turd now. It doesn't stand a chance.
As to politics: all Erin did was snap a pic of something that is seemingly a contradiction. That's not an invite to start bashing other's political views. If people here can't appreciate the oddity of that pic without Obama-bashing, well, that's not her fault.
onramp says:
11:58 AM, 08/26/10
On the flip-side, it's time to grow thicker skin, if you cannot tolerate an "off" Obama remark even in the (poor) current state of affairs. Things are not so rosy these days, and if we cannot even acknowledge an elephant in the room, how "connected" with facts on the ground can we really be? ;)
In a way, this Prius driver comes off as a distinctly refreshing sight.
rsholland says:
01:33 PM, 08/26/10
feloniousmonk says:
"As to politics: all Erin did was snap a pic of something that is seemingly a contradiction. That's not an invite to start bashing other's political views. If people here can't appreciate the oddity of that pic without Obama-bashing, well, that's not her fault."
Amen. Can we now move on?
zcalvert says:
01:36 PM, 08/26/10
@onramp -
you know what else is refreshing? having a site where people don't hurl idiotic political insults on an anonymous commenting system. i'm willing to bet most people here would agree. i'm sure you can find plenty of other places to express your expert political opinions.
it's just a funny picture, nothing more or less.
i'm in the same camp as those who don't understand how torque could be lacking form an 8.4L engine... extremely tall gearing, i can understand.
teampenske3 says:
01:43 PM, 08/26/10
Man, shoot, why do we have to bring Obama/McCain-bashing into this? Seriously, some people need to grow up. You can say who you support and give a rational explanation rather than acting in such a childish manner (yes, I mean you brdmn). I will say that I don't care for extremists on both sides, though personally I'm a fiscal conservative.
On another note, this reminds me of a pic I took of a Toyota Camry pasted with neo-hippie-liberal "peace, legalize marijuana, gay marriage, etc" bumper stickers. Ironic thing was the fact that it was in the parking garage of our city's newspaper's office (weren't papers supposed to be unbiased?). I dubbed it the "liberal Camry". I call this the "swing-voter Prius"
And just pointing this out, on Firefox, it doesn't recognize "Obama" in the spell-check. And Prius. Not sure if anyone else noticed.
jederino says:
05:45 PM, 08/26/10
I like the Prius photo because it shatters stereotypes. Thanks! Now move along, folks. Nothing to see here.
onramp says:
05:54 PM, 08/26/10
Maybe the Viper is suffering from some heatsoak, as it gets driven in and around town during the day? That can certainly give the impression of unimpressive torque once the ecu starts dialing back parameters after things start baking in the engine bay. Then when you drive it anew the next morning, the engine feels exactly like what you would expect.
lmbvette says:
12:11 PM, 08/27/10
Erin, I know the place you are staying at, that is just a bit South of Torrey Pines GC on the West side of the road. It's a very swanky hotel, stayed there about 18 months ago for a few nights. Like you, somebody else's dime paid for our stay. ;-)