On this episode of Head 2 Head
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MotorTranscript
00:00 Hi there.
00:01 Some of you might remember this Corvette
00:03 because it was the Z06 that couldn't make any boost
00:06 at best driver's car.
00:07 (engine revving)
00:10 (speaking in foreign language)
00:15 Well, Chevy assures me that they fixed the problem.
00:18 They plugged the thingamajiggy back into the doohickey
00:21 and everything's kosher.
00:22 The magic number is 133.62
00:27 because that's how quick a Viper TA went around
00:30 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca,
00:32 making it the quickest non-million dollar car
00:35 we've ever lapped here.
00:37 And I'm thinking that the Z06 has a pretty good shot
00:40 at grabbing the brass ring.
00:42 (engine revving)
00:45 Oh no.
00:48 Oh yes.
00:50 Have you been living under a rock brass ring?
00:54 The Dodge Viper ACR just shattered 13 lap records
00:58 at tracks across the US.
00:59 - Yeah, but that's what Dodge says.
01:00 That's like your mom telling you you're the best looking.
01:02 It's just a claim, you know?
01:04 It doesn't mean anything until we do it here.
01:06 - Okay, let's do it here.
01:07 - Let's do it here.
01:08 - To that end, I have two words for you.
01:10 Randall Lee.
01:12 - My middle name is Lee.
01:17 (dramatic music)
01:21 (engine revving)
01:24 - This is the manliest thing I've ever done in my life.
01:31 (upbeat music)
01:37 - But before we lap the cars,
01:41 let's see how these two stack up
01:43 in standard Motor Trend testing.
01:45 The Z06 can hit 60 miles an hour in 3.3 seconds.
01:50 That's approaching the limit
01:52 of what a rear wheel drive car can do.
01:54 The Viper ACR hit 60 miles an hour in 3.5 seconds.
01:59 In terms of braking, the Z06 stops from 60 miles an hour
02:03 in unbelievably good 91 feet.
02:06 I believe that's the shortest distance we ever recorded
02:09 until five minutes later when the Viper stopped from 60
02:12 in 87 feet, shattering the record.
02:16 The yellow Chevy runs the quarter mile
02:18 in a pretty good 11.4 seconds,
02:20 whereas the Viper was able to go 11.5.
02:22 However, the Viper had a much higher trap speed,
02:25 127.3 miles per hour versus only 124.4 miles per hour.
02:30 And the Z06 with the Z07 package
02:34 can fly around our figure eight in 22.3 seconds,
02:38 making it one of the very quickest cars
02:41 around the figure eight that we've ever tested.
02:43 Whereas the ACR in street mode takes 22.6 seconds.
02:47 However, in track mode, the ACR can go around
02:51 the figure eight in 22.3 seconds,
02:54 meaning that in terms of instrumented testing,
02:58 these two are virtually identical.
03:00 Enough of that, let's take 'em to the track.
03:04 However, before we get to the two American beats,
03:07 let's have a look at how an uber-racy German sports car
03:10 that some think of as the standard in the segment
03:13 does on the track.
03:15 (car engine revving)
03:19 Ooh, German precision.
03:21 I can feel it at the wheel.
03:23 Steering is precise and accurate,
03:27 everything we love about Porsche when it comes to steering.
03:30 (car engine revving)
03:33 A little bit of a tendency to understeer under power.
03:36 Kind of surprising there.
03:38 There's no sense of body roll at all.
03:41 And then the shocks soak up that bump in turn six so well.
03:46 I'm really impressed at Porsche's combination
03:49 of shock damping for control and compliance for ride.
03:53 (car engine revving)
03:54 Comes off the corner well, but look at that.
03:57 Kind of oversteering on the way in, wouldn't you agree?
04:00 There's a looseness here in the GT3 RS.
04:03 It's more track-oriented, but look at that oversteer.
04:06 It shows up too easily.
04:09 So I still think there's more fine tuning to be done.
04:12 Really strong brakes.
04:15 I love Porsche brakes.
04:16 And the way that engine revs.
04:20 (car engine revving)
04:22 PDK transmission, boom!
04:24 Just like that.
04:27 Even with this little six-cylinder engine,
04:29 relatively little, the Porsche is a genuinely
04:32 fast car on the straights.
04:34 - Amazing.
04:35 The Porsche GT3 RS just shattered the Dodge Viper TA's time
04:40 lapping Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in one minute,
04:44 33.29 seconds, making it the third fastest production car
04:49 we've ever lapped for about 30 minutes.
04:52 Then, both the Z06 and the ACR went quicker.
04:57 Have a look.
04:58 (car engine revving)
05:01 Taking the American monster, the Corvette Z06,
05:04 out onto the road.
05:06 This Z06 is definitely running a lot better.
05:10 The last one we had at Best Driver's Car
05:13 was not a happy camper.
05:15 Got that issue sorted out.
05:17 The power's good, the tires are cold.
05:20 Oh, I can feel the grip coming up down through turn nine.
05:23 Ever since 1984, Corvettes have had amazingly good turn-in.
05:27 And that continues with the latest Z06 with the Z07 package.
05:31 Ripping down straight away.
05:34 Woo!
05:36 American V8 power just feels so good.
05:40 (car engine revving)
05:42 Wow!
05:43 Strong braking juice.
05:45 Little bit of brake dive.
05:47 Little bit of a handful.
05:48 (car engine revving)
05:51 Suspension is stiff.
05:53 Pretty much every undulation shows up
05:55 in the seat of my pants.
05:56 Over 140 down the front straightaway.
06:00 Good old school manual transmission.
06:03 Entry oversteer, clearly.
06:10 This Corvette is loose, especially on the way in.
06:13 It's got a great front end.
06:15 Needs more grip in the rear.
06:18 Still running great though.
06:22 They got all the issues sorted out in the Z06.
06:25 Great noises.
06:27 Shortened up the straightaway like nothing else.
06:30 The power's fantastic.
06:31 But it can be dicey in the corners, look at that.
06:36 The primary characteristic of the Z06 Corvette
06:40 is oversteer, especially entry oversteer.
06:42 And it hurts the lap times.
06:44 If this car was a little better balanced,
06:46 I might soften up the rear suspension a little bit.
06:50 Too much oversteer.
06:51 Into the corkscrew.
06:54 Yo!
06:55 (laughing)
06:56 Woo!
06:57 This Corvette is a handful.
07:01 It requires many corrections, both hands.
07:03 Takes a lot of driving to drive the Corvette fast.
07:06 Well that's a wild ride, let me tell you.
07:10 It's loose enough that it's a challenge on a road course.
07:13 You've gotta really be on top of the car,
07:16 both on the way in and especially when you go to the throttle.
07:20 I'm turning off all the stability controls
07:32 because I did drive this Viper ACR
07:34 at the press launch at VIR in Virginia.
07:37 And I thought it was pretty darn good.
07:40 So now we're at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
07:42 Stable.
07:44 Floor!
07:45 (car engine revving)
07:47 Wow!
07:48 Puts the power down, which is unusual for a Viper.
07:51 I'm very impressed at the amount of throttle
07:55 I can use in the corners with this car.
07:57 Look at it lay into five.
07:58 I'm on the floor, great braking.
08:01 Second gear at the corkscrew.
08:02 Wah!
08:03 Over the top and on the floor.
08:05 (car engine revving)
08:09 Whoa, yeah!
08:10 The G's are just so high.
08:13 Between the tires and the wings,
08:15 the extreme aero package really, really works.
08:19 (car engine revving)
08:21 Man, kids, I get excited about this Viper.
08:24 Look at that, foot on the floor.
08:27 We're just driving off of turn 11.
08:30 No hands, mom.
08:31 (laughs)
08:33 Late brake into two.
08:36 Little push in the middle.
08:37 Foot to the floor!
08:39 (car engine revving)
08:40 Yeah, baby!
08:41 This one's more like the AdSense.
08:44 (laughs)
08:46 The Viper has a new shock package
08:48 from Bilstein and the Dandy.
08:51 It's in a whole 'nother league.
08:52 This car behaves so well.
08:54 See how quickly I can turn in.
08:56 The car rolls and sticks.
08:58 It's got claws, claws in the pavement.
09:01 I love it.
09:02 Man, I'm so pleased with you, Viper.
09:05 I knew you could do it.
09:05 I'm on the floor, one hand.
09:08 And our Viper, just thrilling performance.
09:13 Foot on the floor out of turn five.
09:16 No fear, people.
09:18 (car engine revving)
09:21 Look at that grip in town.
09:22 Look at that grip.
09:23 If I had a G-Meter, it'd be packed.
09:25 Look at that, one hand, foot on the floor.
09:28 Do I sound exciting?
09:31 I am excited.
09:32 We've got an old school stick shift,
09:35 but it doesn't move the car around anymore.
09:38 The Viper used to yaw just on the two-three shift.
09:41 Not anymore.
09:42 I'm so impressed.
09:44 The Viper's just in a whole new league.
09:48 It's never been like this, nowhere near this good.
09:51 Frankly, it's shocking.
09:53 It's shocking that a Viper can be this good.
09:56 And it used to be that the revs would come up
09:58 and it would break the rear tires loose.
10:01 That does not happen anymore.
10:03 In fact, the Viper has no bad habits.
10:07 All of a sudden, that big V10 feels like a friend
10:11 and not a Viper that's about to bite you and kill you.
10:14 The beast has been tamed.
10:16 The demons have been exercised.
10:19 I don't want to stop driving it.
10:21 There really is no better track car from the manufacturer.
10:26 Right here from Dodge.
10:28 God bless America.
10:30 All 8.4 liters of it.
10:32 Woo!
10:33 Johnny, I don't know what the time was,
10:39 but I know my neck hurts.
10:41 The G-forces are outrageous.
10:45 The grip, it was just thrilling.
10:49 This car is a giant leap forward for the Viper.
10:53 I mean, they've landed on the moon.
10:55 (engine revving)
10:57 (engine revving)
11:00 (engine revving)
11:03 (engine revving)
11:06 (engine revving)
11:09 (engine revving)
11:12 (engine revving)
11:15 (engine revving)
11:23 (engine revving)
11:30 (engine revving)
11:41 (engine revving)
11:44 (engine revving)
11:53 (engine revving)
12:05 (engine revving)
12:08 (engine revving)
12:25 (engine revving)
12:34 (engine revving)
12:37 But what about when these two red, white,
12:39 and blue monsters take the fight to the street?
12:41 Only then can we really declare a winner.
12:43 (engine revving)
12:46 Before we even start fighting about everything,
12:53 can we not agree this is the best sounding V8 in the world?
12:56 (engine revving)
12:59 Oh, we can totally agree.
13:01 Without question the best sounding V8.
13:03 Look, we're in a bright yellow Corvette.
13:05 Whenever I see yellow Corvettes,
13:06 all I can think of is the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
13:08 What's the best sounding car on the track
13:10 by a French country mile?
13:11 - The Vette. - The Vette.
13:12 (engine revving)
13:15 It's incredible. - It is unbelievable.
13:19 Power delivery is perfect too.
13:20 No waiting with a supercharger.
13:23 Get on it.
13:23 Oh my God.
13:24 - I like superchargers.
13:27 Yes, they're not efficient, but I like superchargers.
13:29 - Me too.
13:30 The only problem with this car
13:32 is it's just got too much power.
13:34 (engine revving)
13:35 And I know that sounds like sacrilegious,
13:39 but it can't handle it.
13:40 - You're right.
13:41 - You know, second gear here at 70 miles an hour,
13:43 just whoa.
13:44 I mean, it can totally do it in a straight line.
13:47 This car is very good in a straight line mostly.
13:49 - Considering if you can get the launch right.
13:51 - Right.
13:52 (engine revving)
13:53 And that's why GM has to have, you know,
13:55 five layers of performance traction management.
13:58 I mean, the seating position in this car is perfect.
14:01 The shifter is perfect.
14:02 The clutch is perfect.
14:02 The throttle calibration is perfect.
14:04 (engine revving)
14:06 I mean, as a car to get in and just drive along.
14:09 - Oh yeah.
14:10 - All Corvettes, it's magnificent.
14:12 - You're the king of city streets in this car.
14:16 However, back of the mind problem,
14:18 you know, you know, 'cause we did this.
14:20 What happens if you really push it around this corner?
14:22 - You're dead, you're dead.
14:23 I mean, this is,
14:25 for all of the wonderful things
14:26 that I will say about this car,
14:27 and there are plenty,
14:28 at the limit, it's maniacal.
14:30 Diabolical even.
14:32 I applaud GM for being able to build a car
14:35 that's actually nice to drive these days.
14:37 God damn, if this thing is not done,
14:41 it is genuinely--
14:41 - It's not finished.
14:42 That's a really good way to put it.
14:45 - Listen, if you are on the street
14:46 and you turn everything off,
14:48 you're gonna crash.
14:50 I mean, God, I hope the lawyers
14:52 don't get upset at that comment.
14:53 (laughing)
14:54 Look, if I turn everything off on this back road,
14:56 I'm going to crash.
14:57 How about that?
14:58 (engine revving)
15:00 We can do 1,000 horsepower
15:02 standing on our heads asleep.
15:03 We can't put the power down.
15:05 - The car is not really drivable
15:07 at the limits without its computer control.
15:09 And then you add 650 horsepower,
15:11 none of which you can handle,
15:12 on top of that.
15:13 - Because this car is too much oversteer.
15:15 - It's just, it's not--
15:16 - And it's not predictable.
15:17 - I love this thing.
15:18 No question, if I have to drive
15:20 one of these cars home tonight,
15:21 it's gonna be this one.
15:22 I love it.
15:23 I love the sound of this motor.
15:24 I love the shifter.
15:25 I love--
15:26 Stereo's good.
15:27 I mean, come on.
15:27 I will not, I will not turn off
15:29 stability control on this car,
15:30 on the road, or probably never
15:32 on the track again.
15:33 Never.
15:34 Never.
15:35 (engine revving)
15:36 - I mean, dude, 650 horsepower,
15:37 rear wheel drive manual.
15:38 Like, what more does any boy want?
15:42 - Consistency.
15:42 - Yeah, no.
15:43 - The boy wants consistency.
15:44 Why is it that every Z06 we get into
15:46 has an issue?
15:48 One--
15:49 - Different personality,
15:50 different problems.
15:51 - Yeah, and they're all a bit skittish.
15:52 (engine revving)
15:55 The other big difference between this
15:56 and the Viper is,
15:57 the Viper's been consistently consistent.
16:00 (laughing)
16:02 - It's a Viper.
16:03 - It's a Viper.
16:03 - It's a Viper.
16:04 - Right, and the genius here is,
16:06 this car, it comes close to the Viper's performance,
16:09 but doesn't beat you up.
16:10 It rides well.
16:11 It's quiet.
16:12 It's just such a nice car.
16:14 (engine revving)
16:15 - And look, I would say,
16:16 if you had one of these,
16:17 you'd be so stoked.
16:18 - Totally.
16:19 - You'd be so happy.
16:20 - Totally.
16:21 I want this car.
16:22 - Yeah, it's a very lovable car.
16:23 And I like lovable cars, you know?
16:25 It's great.
16:26 - Well, why don't we get into the unlovable Viper
16:29 and see what we can fight about in that.
16:32 - Okay.
16:32 (engine revving)
16:35 (upbeat music)
16:38 (engine revving)
16:43 - Why do you get a harness and I'm in a regular seatbelt?
16:50 - Well, someone's gotta bring flowers to your funeral.
16:53 (engine revving)
16:56 - No, it's slimming.
16:56 Don't you think?
16:57 - No.
16:58 (laughing)
17:00 - Oh, it's very hard.
17:01 - You know there is a spot on the gas pedal
17:03 between all the way off and all the way on, right?
17:06 - I can't hear what you're saying.
17:07 I love it.
17:08 This is the greatest car ever.
17:09 I can't hear Jason.
17:10 - You review cars like a little boy.
17:12 (laughing)
17:13 You're like a little child.
17:14 - I can't hear you.
17:16 (laughing)
17:18 (engine revving)
17:18 - Is that good or bad?
17:19 - That is the worst sound ever.
17:21 - If you go above 4,000, it's tolerable.
17:23 - No.
17:24 (laughing)
17:25 - You were talking about, you have all these reasons
17:27 why you wanna DNF this thing.
17:29 You wanna disqualify it.
17:30 - Yeah, I do.
17:31 - Let's go over 'em.
17:32 - Okay.
17:33 - All right.
17:34 - So.
17:35 (laughing)
17:36 - Oh my God.
17:36 (engine revving)
17:37 - Just go into 19th gear, would you please?
17:39 Shut this engine up.
17:40 - 3,000 RPM.
17:41 - This is the official Hamtramck torture device, this car.
17:45 You can make a car perform well that's fun to drive.
17:49 Witness, Z06.
17:51 - Oh yeah.
17:52 - You can make a car perform well that's miserable.
17:55 This car is a torture device.
17:57 Everything about it is miserable.
18:00 The driving position is terrible, it sounds terrible,
18:03 it tries to burn you, it's all about pain.
18:05 And there's a reason you like it.
18:07 You like to inflict pain on people too.
18:09 Look at you, listen to you.
18:11 Johnny Lieberman is all about making everyone miserable
18:14 and so is the Viper.
18:16 - Now hang on.
18:16 - It's a terrible car.
18:17 - Now hang on.
18:18 - Terrible.
18:19 - I wanna point out a couple things here.
18:20 One is, is it any different than any other Viper?
18:24 - It's substantively different.
18:25 - Yes, it handles really well.
18:28 - It's so, okay, let's talk about
18:33 how it actually drives for a second.
18:34 Like, it drives like an all-wheel drive car.
18:37 How does anything put power down like this?
18:39 - How does anything grip like this?
18:40 - It's amazing, those tires are amazing.
18:43 And I don't really know enough to talk about the aero,
18:45 but Randy was saying, it was a mistake,
18:47 the aero's incredible.
18:49 - Well you can see it.
18:50 When you run over dust patches,
18:52 you see the vortexes behind this car.
18:53 It's clear there is actual real aero going on.
18:56 - 1,500 pounds of downforce at a buck 50.
19:00 The McLaren P1 is like 1,340 pounds.
19:04 They've managed to make the payoff.
19:06 And the payoff in this thing is,
19:08 it drives like a big spec Miata.
19:09 - Yeah.
19:10 - I mean, it's just so easy to go really fast.
19:13 You're going really fast.
19:15 I mean, it's so good at being a track car.
19:18 You gotta reward the SRT guys for doing this.
19:22 I mean, it may be seated crooked, no air conditioning.
19:26 I swear, this stereo system is two Apple iPhone earbuds
19:30 mounted in the dash somewhere.
19:31 You just hear, that's it.
19:33 There's nothing else.
19:34 This thing is an assault on all the senses.
19:36 - Sensory assault.
19:37 - It smells like popcorn in here for some reason.
19:39 Every sense is abused in this car.
19:42 But I haven't laughed this hard
19:43 since I don't even know when.
19:45 And look, everyone's different obviously.
19:47 And some cars are right for some people, blah, blah.
19:49 But I spent two hours doing some cornering shots
19:51 in this thing this morning.
19:53 And I got out, I'm like, oh my God,
19:55 I've been driving a race car.
19:56 Like, it's hot, I'm deaf, it's stiff, it's fun.
20:00 It's like, when do you get to drive a race car
20:02 on the street?
20:03 It's awesome.
20:04 (car engine revving)
20:07 This is a toy for the weekend.
20:08 This is, to use an Ed Lowe-ism, this is a great fit car.
20:12 It could literally embarrass every car in the world.
20:14 Save one, that's a million bucks.
20:16 I mean, it's just an incredible achievement.
20:19 Yeah, good, great, great, great.
20:20 Oh, the brakes are incredible.
20:22 Glad you mentioned them.
20:23 (laughing)
20:24 I'm glad you're in a harness.
20:25 Look at this, look at this.
20:27 I'm really eating some gross.
20:29 (car engine revving)
20:30 It's incredible.
20:32 (laughing)
20:33 You really need a harness, man.
20:34 I do.
20:35 (laughing)
20:36 (beep)
20:36 (laughing)
20:38 Just the fact that the fundamentals on this car,
20:41 the driving position, the fuel out,
20:43 you can't get in or out of the thing,
20:44 it burns you, it sounds like garbage,
20:47 it doesn't make any power until 5,000 RPM.
20:49 That makes a lot.
20:50 A lot.
20:51 Look at this, look at this.
20:52 Oh, I don't wanna look, I don't wanna look.
20:54 Yeah, come on.
20:56 Brakes, brakes.
20:58 I could've hit the brakes right here
21:00 and we would've stopped.
21:00 It's incredible.
21:02 You cannot fault this car's performance,
21:05 but why it gots to be so miserable, why?
21:08 I don't know.
21:09 I have bruises.
21:11 I'm not numb, I'm a little sweaty, I'm very deaf.
21:14 I feel like I've been racing.
21:16 It's a good feeling, man, it's cool.
21:18 (engine revving)
21:21 As the sun sets on this head-to-head, literally,
21:25 we have to pick a winner.
21:27 We do.
21:27 What I want to say is, Jason,
21:28 I heard every single thing you said about both cars
21:32 and you're right.
21:33 Yep.
21:35 So are you, so are you.
21:37 So are you.
21:37 Listen, of all the DQs that these cars can rack up,
21:41 the biggest DQ of them all is this car's uncontrollable.
21:44 It's not finished, I think is the way you put it.
21:46 And here's my biggest problem with it.
21:49 If you're the kind of person
21:50 that wants a hundred some odd thousand dollar car
21:52 that can literally knock a McLaren P1 off the podium,
21:55 Chevy doesn't have an answer for you.
21:57 They need to do a ZR1 or that mid-engine thing or something.
22:01 Right, because at the end of the day,
22:02 these cars may compete directly in standard measurements,
22:06 like zero to 60 quarter mile on our figure eight.
22:08 They don't compete on the track.
22:09 A three second lap time difference between the two
22:12 puts them in two completely separate categories.
22:14 And for that reason, the winner of this head to head
22:17 is the Dodge Viper ACR.
22:20 But only because we can't pick the G-Wagon.
22:23 Oh, totally.
22:23 Viper's got that kind of mellow growl when you start it.
22:31 It's somewhere between an exotic car and a dump truck.
22:36 Somewhere in between.
22:39 It's its own rowdy personality.
22:43 And don't take this the wrong way,
22:44 but between the exhaust and your voice,
22:46 I'm literally deaf.
22:48 Wow.
22:50 Hi, I'm Johnny Laberman.
22:54 Coming to you from the side of the road screaming.
22:58 (laughing)