Edmunds Track Tests the 2014 Corvette Stingray vs the 2013 SRT Viper

Photo Credit: Edmunds.com

We knew it was coming – this battle between the 2013 Viper and the long-awaited 2014 Corvette Stingray.

Edmunds.com quite simply labels it the “Best. War. Ever.” Few would argue.

And (spoiler alert) while Edmunds, in the end, gives the nod to the latest-generation Corvette, it admits that the Viper is a very, very special car, despite its shortcomings.

“Because of its much lower price, manners that are easy to live with in daily use and still astonishing performance, the Corvette takes a narrow win here,” Edmunds proclaims. “It is the one car you can drive comfortably every day and still use to dominate a track day. Built around an impregnable structure, overstuffed with technology that actually improves the driving experience, and so easygoing you can commute in it with one finger on the wheel, it’s this year’s great leap forward for the entire breed of sports cars.”

The Stingray takes a moral victory in performance results because it gives up 180 horses and 135 lb-ft in torque to the Viper, yet GM’s latest creation managed to be less than a second behind the Viper around the 1.6-mile Willow Springs course.

“During development the Chrysler and GM engineers were aiming at very different, very specific things with these cars,” Edmunds writes. “And all that is apparent even before anyone puts them into gear.”

Here’s what they had to say about the C7, calling it a “two-seater that doesn’t scrimp on comfort. It’s quiet but makes a great sound when the engine is working. Pick the right suspension setting and it rides over freeways better than some Cadillacs, and what is ferociously precise steering on track mellows into easygoing operation during commutes. In some significant ways (suspension compliance and steering feel in particular) the Corvette is easier to live with than a Malibu. It’s that easy and that good.”

Meanwhile, Edmunds says the Viper “is actually oddly wonderful on the street. This isn’t the sort of car you take through the drive-through or to Home Depot to pick up bathroom fixtures. Sure, you can drive it every day if you really want to, but this is a special event car; every time it’s on the road it’s a one-car parade. It’s a car that feels alive from the heft of the shifter to the heat from its side exhaust. This car doesn’t take you for a ride, it demands you pay attention and get involved in the driving experience. You want cushy comfort, buy a Charger. It’s right next to the Viper on the showroom floor.”

Maybe it’s a great day to be an American when we can have two supercars made in this nation, huh?

Read Edmunds’ complete report by clicking here.

Source:
Edmunds.com

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