I had never been given the opportunity to spend more than just a few minutes in the latest Dodge Viper – until now. The only time I had driven this 500+ horsepower beast was on a track at Chrysler’s proving ground in Chelsea, MI. At that time I was blown away by the handling, the power, and the major improvements over the previous generation Viper.

 Now that I’ve used the Viper for my daily commute to and from work, I’m not as enamored with the car as I was that day in Michigan.

 It wasn’t very hot yesterday – temp was in the high 70s – and I had the top down. When I got in the car, I found that the previous driver had put the air condition on full with high fan. I found out why in about 10 minutes of stop and go driving.

 The big V10 engine under the hood of the Viper generates an amazing amount of heat. The very hot exhaust is routed through the door sills to the side outlets. After ten minutes I felt like was sitting in an oven. The doors were hot, the floor was hot, the seat was hot and I could see waves of heat coming from the vents in the hood. I called a friend who I knew had spent some time in a Viper to ask if it was normal, as I was fully expecting the car to burst into flames at any moment – he assured me that it’s just the way the Viper is.

 The other issue in stop and go driving is the fact that clutch is quite heavy, and the pedals are very close together. The engine takes up a lot of room, so the pedals are all off to the left. This is not as big of an issue when you’re not constantly braking and shifting.

 Yes, driving the Dodge Viper in rush hour traffic really turned me off. But now that I've had a few days of non-rush hour driving, I've really grown to like this beast.

 First off, the Viper really looks good. Bright red, of course, with shiny chrome wheels. Large exhaust pipes are visible on the sides below the doors, which helps carry the performance styling, but as I have pointed out earlier, cause the cabin to heat up uncontrollably. You also have to be careful getting in and out when they are hot, especially if you're wearing shorts.

 But driving it has become quite enjoyable. The shifter is in just the right position, and shifts can be made pretty quickly. While the clutch is heavy when you have to repeatedly press it in traffic, it does engage predictably and is easy to shift smoothly.

 Steering on the freeway takes two hands - with the wide front wheels, they tend to weave when the road surface is uneven. But on a smooth surface, handling is impressive. Entrance ramps can be taken at twice the suggested speed with ease. However, my daughter, who was riding along with me on a particularly fast ramp, was convinced we were riding on two wheels. Too many cartoons, I guess.

 But the best part of this car is when you have space in front of you and can just open the throttle. The sound of that V10 engine is not what I would call pleasing like that of a HEMI V8 in the Magnum SRT8. Its best described as a ferocious roar, the kind of sound that scares little children. But accompanying that sound is the most amazing acceleration. It takes your breath away, and as you shift through the gears, the power just keeps on coming, as does the smile on your face. Dodge claims 60 mph comes up in under 4 seconds, and I have no reason to doubt that.

 Sure, the Viper has its drawbacks, and as I mentioned before, would not be the best of daily drivers. But the Viper provides a lot of performance for $85,000, and if I could avoid driving it in traffic, I could easily get used to having it around.
--Perry Stern

Just had the opportunity to take a 350 mile drive in a Toyota Camry Hybrid and came away quite impressed. Where the Prius is ideal for those making the statement "look at me, i drive a hybrid", the Camry Hybrid looks almost identical to a regular Camry, with the exception of a small Hybrid Synergy Drive badge on the rear fender. The only other difference I noticed was that the trunk is a bit smaller, making room for the battery pack.

 

Toyota has geared this version of its hybrid system for both power and fuel economy performance, and it covered both admirably. Using an efficient gas engine and a powerful electric motor, the Camry Hybrid produces 187 horsepower. This is teamed with a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

 

We packed the car for the weekend getaway, and even with somewhat compressed trunk space, we fit a suitcase, large duffel bag and a few other bags with room to spare. Three of us had plenty of room, and while the seats were not the most comfortable in the world, they didn't cause any pain after several ours on the road.

 

Our route had a mix of city and highway driving, but the bulk of it was on the highway, with our speed averaging for the entire trip around 60 mph, so some of the driving was at 70 or higher. With this full size sedan with a decent load, we averaged 38 mpg. Typically when I drive a hybrid, I change my driving style to eek out more mpg, but this time I just drove it like I would any other car, and as I've said before, I tend to have a lead foot. If I had really tried, I probably could have broken 40 mpg. I think this is pretty impressive for a big sedan.

 

In a couple instances we had to pass on a two lane road. I was really surprised how quick the Camry Hybrid accellerated, taking advantage of the CVT to keep the power in the peak torque.

 

The price is about $3,000 more than a Camry LE V6, so based on price alone, it would take about 5 years to make up the difference in price based on $3 per gallon.

 

But I was still impressed.

--Perry Stern