Chrysler Viper Reviews

But one Detroit plant is producing hand-built performance vehicles.The Conner Avenue Assembly Plant will hand-build the 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 and new 8.4-litre SRT V10 engine using 26 work stations on a 214m assembly line.Chrysler Australia says the Viper is only available in left-hand drive and will not be coming here.Each vehicle will be hand assembled by 48 workers, remaining stationary for up to 49 minutes per work area while the workers make adjustments.The process is normally performed only on race cars and eliminates traditional repair stations as the workers verify all work on all parts.An alignment machine sets caster and camber at normal ride height and at the upward and downward travel of suspension; while most factories set caster and camber in the normal ride-height position only.The V10 engine is built next to the vehicle on a 24-station circular line by nine workers; who assemble and certify each engine before it is installed in the chassis.Each Dodge Viper is tested in place on the assembly line using special rollers.At this stage, the vehicle is a rolling chassis without its body panels.During this roll test, it is driven through all six speeds of the transmission, up to 145km/h to verify vehicle function.The Dodge Viper was introduced as a concept car at the 1989 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.Its V10 engine produces 450kW of power and 760 Nm of torque, propelling the car to 100km/h in less than four seconds.  

A plan is being discussed for Chrysler dealers to sell all the car maker's passenger vehicles under the Chrysler name.Dodge dealers would exclusively offer pickup and commercial trucks, while Jeep dealers would sell Jeep and sports utility vehicles, according to three dealers familiar with the discussions.Such a scenario would enable Chrysler to drop some of its overlapping products, which essentially compete with one another, such as the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring — both mid-size sedans but marketed under different names.Fewer products could mean a reduction in dealers, which would weed out poorly performing dealerships that have excess inventory and resort to incentives that hurt profitability.“This is one of the plans they are studying,” said a dealer who was informed of the idea. “At the end of this year, they expect to have a plan for the future.”Chrysler co-president Jim Press, speaking at a media briefing last month, suggested the car maker simplify its line-up.Mr Press, who until September was president of Toyota Motor's North American operations, questioned the need to divide Chrysler's resources to market both a Chrysler Town and Country minivan and a Dodge Caravan.Mr Press spent 37 years with Toyota, which in comparison has fewer, and more profitable, dealerships in the US.Chrysler spokesman Rick Deneau said: “I would not interpret Jim Press's comments about product overlap as an indication we will segregate vehicle types by brand.”The broad scope of the plan underscores how fast and deep Cerberus Capital Management is willing to go to turn around Chrysler after buying an 80.1 per cent stake in August.Chrysler, which is facing sluggish US sales because of housing market weakness and high fuel prices, this month announced an expansion of a restructuring plan unveiled in February, saying it would cut its North American hourly workforce almost in half by 2010.Chrysler has made several high-profile executive appointments since Cerberus took over.Its executives have decided to kill the entire PT Cruiser line after the 2009 model year, according to a dealer who was told of the decision in the past week. The move is part of the car maker's push to eliminate slow-selling models.

Chrysler will axe four models next year in a global cost-cutting plan.The vehicles to go include the Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible, Chrysler Crossfire sportscar, Chrysler Pacifica SUV and the Dodge Magnum (a wagon version of the 300C sedan).Australia only imports the PT Cruiser convertible and Crossfire.DaimlerChrysler Australia/Pacific PR manager Jerry Stamoulis emphasised that the PT Cruiser sedan would remain and that the cabrio was “only low volume; about 10 a month”.However, he admitted the loss of the Crossfire would be a blow.“Crossfire is the biggest blow for us because it's a very attractive car, drives well and had a positive response from media and public,” he said. “But as yet we have received no date as such for these to be cut.”While cutting its cloth to fit a suspected worsening in the US economic climate, Chrysler will next year add four models.There will be two new Dodges — the Journey minivan and Challenger large-medium sedan — plus two new hybrid SUV models — the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango.Stamoulis said the Challenger was in left-hand drive only.“So that is not a plan at all at this stage,” he said.“It is early days for discussing the hybrids. They are developing the hybrids for the US, but there are no specific dates for us as yet.“The Dodge Journey we are working on bringing to Australia in 2008, but they have not officially said whether it will be released here.“At this stage it is looking likely for later in 2008.”Stamoulis said Chrysler's Australian portfolio would not suffer from the loss of two models.“It's not as if we don't have a decent portfolio,” he said.“We've had five new models this year — the Sebring, Avenger, Compass, Patriot and Nitro — and the sixth will be Sebring Cabrio in December, so essentially we've brought in six new cars this year and are losing two in the next 18 months.”Chrysler Australia will also re-introduce the new Voyager and launch the Jeep Cherokee in February.Global Chrysler chairman and CEO Robert Nardelli said the impending model cuts reflected an expected reduction in sales next year.The new round of cutbacks follows an earlier announcement that Chrysler planned to chop 85,000 units from its fourth-quarter production plans.“These actions reflect our new customer-driven philosophy and allow us to focus our resources on new, more profitable and appealing products,” he said.The cuts will lead to a loss of 12,000 jobs in American factories.Nardelli said their plans were in addition to cutting 13,000 jobs by the three-year Recovery and Transformation Plan announced in February.

The year was 1999 and Dennis Ballard was begrudgingly looking through bridal magazines with his soon-to-be married daughter, doing the 'good dad thing.'Suddenly it jumped out at him; as his daughter asked his opinion on two dresses, Ballard's eyes wondered to a one-line advertisement sitting between the ladies in white; 1917 Dodge Coupe, for sale.Some would think 'what an oddly placed ad' and move on, but not Ballard, who describes himself as 'old-car mad.'Perhaps the 158 cars he has owned over the years explains his self-diagnosis. With what looked like an American phone number in the advertisement, Ballard didn't waste time, calling a friend who lived in the US to find out more.“He rang the number for me and said it was genuine, that it had been in storage from 1933 to 1998,” he says. “It turned out the publishers had the ad in the wrong book, it was meant to go in some sort of motor catalogue in the States, but that didn't happen.”Which worked out nicely for Ballard, who knew it was a special model and snapped it up on the advice of his friend, who took it for a test drive.Ballard handed over the $US4800 asking price for the car and then spent a further $2000 getting it to Australia, which took about two years, finally arriving here in 2001.Ballard's Dodge was the earliest American model on display at the 21st annual All Chrysler Day at Fairfield Showground.Even today, the 62-year-old is still thanking his lucky stars he helped out with the wedding plans.“If she hadn't been at me to look at them I wouldn't have seen it, it's just incredible luck, it's a very rare car and was in absolute top condition,” he says. Ballard has since discovered the car is the oldest known surviving Dodge Coupe, making it a very valuable piece of history.Adding to that, he is only the second owner of this very unique model. He even found the original registration slip from 1918 in the door pocket.It may look stunning from the outside, but Ballard says it's not the most pleasant vehicle to drive; “Two words, bloody hard,” he says.“It's heavy steering, very direct, there's a tendency to oversteer savagely. It's okay when you're used to it, but it's definitely a man's car.”Its driving manner wasn't something the original owner mastered either.“The original owner was a doctor and apparently had a lot of trouble handling the Dodge,” Ballard says, which he discovered from speaking to the doctor's grandson who told him he often “clobbered every pair of gate posts” and rarely used the car, preferring to get around in his horse and buggy instead.“It appears he died in 1933 and the family had no need for it so they put it in the barn and covered it up,” he says, adding that it has done less than 9000 miles (14,500km).After 68 years off the road, Ballard was surprised to discover the “wooden” coupe, with its A and B pillar made from timber, was still in reasonably good condition.The only things it needed were mudguards and a paint job. But since coming into his possession, Ballard says he's spent $15,000 getting it to its present state, with one job left; replacing the moth-eaten trim. While Ballard has a passion for old cars, he admits he has a particular soft spot for American DNA.“They do tend to stand up better to Australian conditions and they're powerful, they hold their own with today's traffic, not quite as fast but they'll stay out there,” he says. “Old Dodges in particular, they're very rugged.”Ballard's car obsession really began when his first car, a 1925 Dodge, was stolen before he was even old enough to drive it.From then on, he set out rescuing as many old cars as he could.“People were practically giving these old cars away back then, so I'd drag them home, patch them up and sell them on, it used to drive my parents mad,” the 62-year-old says.“I went mad and wanted to save them all.”While Ballard's car may be the oldest and most special car at the show, there will be variety of vehicles displaying the history of the Chrysler brand, which has included other makes over the years such as Dodge, Jeep, Hillman and Centura.A 1939 Chrysler and a 1977 Dodge Charger Imperial will be among the display of about 300 cars, with a particular focus on 50 years of 'fins.'One car fitting this theme is Frank D'agostino's 1953 Chrysler New Yorker sedan.D'agostino, who has also caught the American car bug, says he particularly loves the exaggerated shape and the size of the vehicles.“They're unique, their size, their character, the days of flamboyant looks,” he says. “But they weren't designed for economy.” 

Chrysler will be adding the Sebring Cabrio to its range just in time for it to be wrapped as a potential Christmas gift.The new convertible will offer seating for four and will be available in traditional soft or a folding metal hard tops.The rag top will be on the lower-spec models and the hard top is destined for the range-topper.The Cabrio follows the sedan's model line-up and will be available in Touring and Limited guises when it goes on sale next month, with just 500 likely to be on offer for 2008.The Sebring Cabrio gets either a black or beige cloth top on Touring models, which are set to appear with a price around $45,000. The range-topping Limited model, which is likely to carry a price tag near $50,000 - gets the folding metal hard top, which adds just 45kg to the Cabrio's weight. Both tops drop at the touch of a button. The soft top takes 27 seconds and the hard top 30 seconds.The Cabrio also brings with it a 2.7-litre V6 engine and a six-speed automatic transmission, which also will make their way into the sedan line-up next year, with a low $40,000 price tag.The 2.7-litre V6 petrol engine produces 137kW of power and 256Nm of torque, and Chrysler claims a 9.7 litres/100km thirst. The Cabrio mimics the sedan with ABS brakes and stability control as standard.Prices suggest Chrysler is gunning for Holden Astra Twin Top, Renault's Megane CC, Peugeot's 307 CC, the Saab 9-3 and Volkswagen's EOS, but Chrysler says the Sebring is larger inside.Chrysler Australia managing director Gerry Jenkins believes the Sebring Cabrio is a great American full four-seater made from the same DNA as the 300C.“The Chrysler Sebring Cabrio has long held the honour of America's favourite cabrio, solidly leading the segment in North America for the past decade. Available in soft and hard top, the Sebring Cabrio is also the first Chrysler to land in Australia with our new six-speed automatic and V6 powertrain, both of which will make their way into the Sebring sedan,” he says. Snapshot Chrysler Sebring CabrioFrom around: $45,000Engine: 2.7-litre V6.Transmission: Six-speed automatic, front-wheel drive.Power: 137kW at 5500rpm.Torque: 256Nm at 4000rpm.Fuel consumption: 13 litres/100km (city), 9 litres/100km (highway), tank 64 litres.Dimensions: Length 4922mm, width 1816mm, height 1485mm, wheelbase 2765mm, track fr/rr 1570mm.  Rivals   Holden Astra Twin Top: $47,490.Renault Megane CC: $46,990.Peugeot 307 CC: $48,990.Saab 9-3 Convertible: $68,000.Volkswagen EOS: $50,290. 

Surely a remote release for the fuel well is a far easier option and far less bloodthirstyWith its corrugated clamshell bonnet, lambchop-shaped headlights and various other quirks, the Chrysler Sebring is certainly not your average medium-sized car.In this segment of car clones, it stands out as something a little bit different.However, if that is what you want, its cousin the Dodge Avenger looks more macho, drives better and is less quirky.I drove the Sebring Touring model with its standard 17-inch wheels for a week and found that the wheels were about the best thing on the vehicle.Despite its divisive exterior styling, at least I found it looked like it belonged to its wheels, not hovering above them like most of its under-shod competitors.The bigger wheels with a generous 60 per cent profile also helped provide a smooth and speed-bump-absorbing ride; around the potholed streets of Brisvegas.But there wasn't much else I liked.I just found too many niggling problems with this vehicle. For a start, the Yank car has not survived the conversion from left- to right-hand drive very well.Of course, the indicators are on the left, which is not a huge problem, but the parking brake is also on the left of the centre console, the bonnet release is in the left foot well, the gear indicator is unsighted on the left of the lever and the key is on the left of the steering wheel, which I never got used to even after a week of driving.There were other niggling problems, one of which left me with a gash in my left index finger.It is fairly common in the Chrysler and Jeep range to have a locking petrol cap that requires a key.Not only are they an inconvenience, but they are difficult to use. The key goes in and turns left (or is it right?) and then can't be extracted until you lock it again. You therefore have to squeeze your hand into the fuel well with the key still in the cap and try to rotate the cap to the right (or is that left?).In this juggling act I somehow managed to rip a gash in my finger on the sharp metal in the fuel well. Surely a remote release for the fuel well is a far easier option and far less bloodthirsty.But quirky things such as this could possibly be ignored if the car had good driving dynamics. It doesn't.While it rides well, it steers and handles vaguely. The 2.4-litre engine is noisy and rather under-powered, especially when faced with a hill or weighed down with a couple of passengers.In fact, my wife commented that it sounded more like a crude diesel engine than a modern petrol engine.What makes it worse is it is married to a slow-changing four-speed automatic gearbox. A six-speed manual is also available and might be a better option.No matter what you think of the exterior styling, you may find the interior a little better.It is fairly standard Chrysler fare with a fair amount of hard plastic, but some nice styling touches such as the chronometer-style clock in the centre of the dashboard, the pale green illumination of controls and the three-pod instruments.The two-tone cabin is a reasonably pleasant place to be with good legroom fore and aft and an airy feeling.But there isn't a lot of room in the cargo area with its high floor and low ceiling, plus there is only a temporary space saver spare under the floor.The steering wheel is adjustable for height, but not reach, like most American cars. However, The driver's seats is electronically adjustable to almost any position; so I was able to find a reasonably comfortable driving position. Surely reach adjustment would be an easier and cheaper way to get a good, safe driving position.The standard leather seats are very hard with a convex shape to the back support, which felt like the adjustable lumbar was pushed way forward. It wasn't.What we did like was auto up and down front windows, cup holders that heat or cool and the high quality Harmon Kardon sound system with an input jack for MP3 players and a MyGig hard drive system that allows you to store 20Gb of music on board, without having to use your iPod.That's a fair amount of tasty bits of kit for mid-sized motoring on a budget.For your $33,990 you also get a lot of safety gear including ABS, stability control, traction control, brake assist, six airbags and tyre pressure monitor.If you can get past the niggles, the languorous driving behaviour and the styling, then you will be rewarded with a car that is safe, packed with features and offers competitive value.

The big, bold car grille is emerging as the styling feature of cars to come.

Trevor Creed admits the cabins, in particular, are nowhere near as good as they need to be to challenge the Japanese.He is happy with the way the latest arrivals look; from the compact Dodge Nitro to the brutal Chrysler 300C and the all-new Journey family crossover just displayed at the Frankfurt Motor Show but admits they are lacklustre inside.Creed made quality design a priority for Chrysler last year, but is still forced to defend the cars in showrooms today because of a system that was too slow and too outdated to deliver what shoppers expect in their cars.“Previously, everything sort of fell backwards. We're trying to recover from that,” he says.Creed has even formed a special design team to make the changes, though the group has been operating since the end of last year and even the Journey is not up to Japanese standards.“They have done their first interior for a next-generation product and been very, very successful,” Creed says.But he is still asking for patience on the improvements.“It will be two years before you see the full fruits, in terms of major products,” Creed says.So expect improvements, but not in a rush. And why?“The cost pressure in the US is just enormous (and) we don't charge the prices (there) that we charge in the rest of the world,” he says.That means cars built to a price point in America must face up to tougher rivals when they head overseas.That is tough to overcome, but Creed says it is happening. 

I like Chrysler. I like its management, its freehand styling and its gumption to mass produce cars that were last seen as Hot Wheels models in a toy store.If it's about looks, Chrysler and its subsidiary Dodge have it in spades.Chrysler's products will hypnotise you into visiting a showroom where, in a trance-like state, you will buy the classiest thing ever built on four wheels. That's when the spell will end.The Chrysler Sebring, rival to the Toyota Camry, Mazda6 and Honda Accord, breaks my heart. It's a very ordinary product from an outstanding company.There is not one area where the Sebring outshines the Camry.It has a hint of the famed styling madness that we love, like its straked bonnet, but is generally styled for an older audience.A tad conservative, it's nicely balanced, though the front bumper is too long and the car is not distinctive enough for passers-by to give it a second glance. Sebring 0; Camry 1.Inside it's a Tupperware party that has overdosed on Fruity Lexia with lots of hard, multicoloured plastic, mostly browns.The seats are leather-trimmed and the front ones are heated. But they are most uncomfortable, with a bulging squab a bit like a lumbar support with a hernia.There are appreciated features like a cupholder that can heat or cool, a tyre-pressure monitor, a quality audio system, a split-fold rear seat and cruise control.The 2.4-litre motor is also used in Hyundai's Sonata and Mitsubishi Outlander, though you wouldn't pick the relationship.The Sebring's engine is a modest performer, 0-100km/h in a weary 11.3sec but it is economical.The economy is because at no stage does the raw vacuum-cleaner sound of the motor relate to what's acutally happening at the wheels. Push hard on the accelerator and no one will know what you've done.The lack of go isn't helped by a four-speed auto with ratios designed for country touring on flat roads.Handling is good. In motion, the Sebring will glide through corners and mid-corner bumps with ease. The lifeless steering points well and ride comfort is commendable.The excellent standard safety equipment includes ESC and six airbags, and the solid chassis inspires confidence.Some good, but more bad about this car. C'mon Chrysler, you can do better. 

So which carmaker is the world's cleanest? Not sure? Well, an independent survey released last week has found that BMW has most improved its average fuel efficiency and CO2 emission rate. Indeed, it's done so to an extent which will embarrass other carmakers.The study, began from 1990-2005 by Environmental Defense, a US-based non-profit environmental advocacy group, which shows BMW has improved fuel economy by 14 per cent and carbon emissions by 12.3 per cent.The next best reduction was Toyota's 3 per cent. The C02 performance of every other leading carmaker deteriorated.BMW has made much of the fact that the report covers a period when its US sales increased fourfold.The Americans, of course, buy more big X5 SUVs than the rest of the world combined. The report, Automakers' Corporate Carbon Burdens, studied the impact of 12 major carmakers' product strategies on fuel efficiency and overall automotive carbon emissions.BMW improved fuel economy on several key models, including the 3 Series, 5 Series, 7Series, Z4 M Coupe, M5 Sedan and X5 SUV. Of course, the group's Mini Cooper accounted for almost half of BMW's overall fuel economy improvements.BMW Australia spokesman Toni Andreevski says the group has made further substantial improvements to fuel consumption and emissions since the end of the survey period.“Already in 2007, one-third of new BMWs sold in Europe have a CO2 rating of no more than 140g per kilometre,” he says. “Basically it is a great result that shows that we can continue to optimise current engines. It also shows petrol and diesel engines that outperform existing hybrid technology at comparable costs.”With its latest diesel and lean-burn direct-injection petrol engines, (the latter is no good for Australia because of the high sulphur content of our petrol) BMW has taken its own hybrid direction. This week at the Frankfurt motor show, it showcased its new dual-mode hybrid that returns a claimed 20 per cent economy improvement on the highway and in town.BMW's other more vaunted green gambit is the Hydrogen 7, the first hydrogen-powered luxury sedan. Driven in Germany last year by carsguide, the Hydrogen 7 emits primarily vapour when running on a non-petrol engine.Toyota rated second best, reducing CO2 3 per cent overall, a result in part due to its introduction of the Prius hybrid, but mainly to improvements made to the best-selling Corolla.The report also rated the overall 'carbon burden' that carmakers placed on the environment, derived from factors including vehicle emissions and the number sold. GM came out on top, with a 6.5per cent reduction in overall carbon burden, though its carbon emissions rose by 3 per cent. Toyota, while low in CO2, grew its carbon burden by 125 per cent because of an increase in overall sales. Snapshot: Carbon savings BMW: reduced 12.3 per centToyota: reduced 3 per centVolkswagen: up 1.3 per centSubaru: up 1.6 per centGeneral Motors: up 3per centMitsubishi: up 4 per centHonda: up 4.4 per centFord: up 4.7 per centDaimlerChrysler: up 4.8 per centNissan: up 9.2 per centHyundai: up 17 per centKia: up 30 per cent Source: US Environmental Defense group