Yahoo Autos Corvette ZR1 vs. SL65 AMG Black Series, Murcielago LP640, Viper SRT10
It’s easy to diss old-fashioned people as dinosaurs, with their plodding resistance to change, but think about this: Those lumbering, small-brained behemoths ruled the earth for 165 million years, which is a lot longer than Homo sapiens have been in charge of messing up the planet.
Although Diplodocus had similar brain power to bankers who thought asset-backed securities were a sure thing, you’ve still got to be impressed with this 90-foot-long, 20-ton beast that perambulated the third planet from the sun all those years ago.
Like dinosaurs, the 600-horsepower beasts gathered here could soon become extinct, but they are also highly impressive. Machines that weigh as much as two tons and sport massive 12-cylinder engines aren’t exactly in tune with the zeitgeist, which is increasingly angst-ridden over global warming, dependence on foreign oil, and the greening of energy. Performance cars may soon become more fuel efficient—lighter and more compact, with smaller engines. No doubt they’ll be great to drive, but they won’t be as dramatic as a Dodge Viper or a Lamborghini Murciélago in full flight.
The Viper is pretty familiar now. The current-generation roadster went on sale in 2003, with the coupe following as a 2006 model. In 2008, it got a 600-hp, 8.4-liter V-10 with trick variable valve timing to replace the 510-hp, 8.3-liter unit. Dodge also revised the suspension and fitted a GKN torque-sensing differential, which made the car more stable and forgiving.
The Murciélago has been around for a while, too, debuting in 2001. Tracing its lineage back to the Countach of 1974, the car was revised in 2007 as the LP640, featuring a 6.5-liter V-12 making 632 horsepower, an increase of 60 over the previous 6.2-liter engine’s output. Lamborghini also added carbon-ceramic brakes, tidied up the interior, and tweaked the suspension.
The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 went on sale at the end of 2008 as a 2009 model. It is the fastest and most expensive Corvette ever, makes extensive use of carbon-fiber components, has carbon-ceramic brakes, and is motivated by the most powerful small-block Chevy ever—a supercharged 6.2-liter, LS9 V-8 engine that produces 638 horsepower.
The ZR1 isn’t the most powerful car of this pack, though. That distinction goes to the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series. This is a massively reworked SL65 with carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic bodywork for the front fenders, the hood, the trunk, and the fixed coupe roof (which replaces the SL’s usual folding hardtop). The 6.0-liter, twin-turbo V-12 is the same as the SL65’s except that larger turbochargers, a modified intake, and redesigned mufflers boost power from 604 horses to a bodacious 661. Drivetrain components have been beefed up, along with the braking system, which sports 15.4-inch front rotors and 14.2-inch discs at the back. An adjustable coil-over suspension replaces the coil springs and the automatic, hydraulic self-leveling springs on the other SL variants. Beautiful, forged aluminum wheels carry 265/35R-19 Dunlop tires up front, with 325/30R-20s in back.
At the end of our time with the four cars, when we were filling their tanks with premium—ironic, so-called dinosaurs being fueled by the remains of the real thing—a youngish guy came bounding over, eyes bulging in disbelief. He exclaimed in a whispery voice: “I feel like I’m surrounded by women—they’re all so beautiful.” Indeed. Enthusiasts will look back at the first decade of the 21st century as a golden age. We may never see cars like this again.
It seems as though the Viper has been around as long as Ozzy Osbourne, but the revised SRT10 has only been in showrooms for a little more than a year. It’s a serious performer, able to go from zero to 60 mph nose to nose with the ZR1 and the SL65 Black Series, and its quarter-mile time is within a 10th of those two beasts. (The Lamborghini is a hair quicker than all three, thanks to the off-the-line benefits of all-wheel drive and launch control.) On the skidpad, the Viper was second, with a grabby 1.02 g of lateral grip. Of the four cars, it got the best gas mileage overall, 13 mpg. The Viper also has the best EPA ranking for highway mileage, 22 mpg, mainly because its fifth and sixth gears are as tall as Yao Ming.
All of our testers liked the looks of the car, with its classical proportions: long hood, short cab. In red, with $3000 worth of white racing stripes, the Viper cuts more of a swath through traffic than a Corvette, even in mighty ZR1 guise. None of us, though, was enamored with an interior that’s as gloomy as the economy.
Aside from that, it’s a pain to get in and out of the car because the relationship between the seat, the A-pillar, and the steering wheel is tight. Once ensconced, it’s difficult to get comfortable because the seat is heavily bolstered around the driver’s shoulders and has a very long cushion, while the roof’s proximity to one’s head makes it feel as if one is sitting in some kind of capsule. Even the shifter is in an odd position, as if mounted flat atop a table.
Trunk space is reasonably practical for this flamboyant sports car: 15 cubic feet of capacity, second among these cars. The placement of minor controls and the dash gauges is good. The navigation system, however, is fiddly and annoying to use, especially compared with the Corvette’s. Although Dodge cured perhaps the Viper’s worst problem—uncontrollably high cockpit temperatures caused by a crossover exhaust system that went underneath the cabin and has since been rerouted—occupants still need to crank up the air conditioning on a warm day.
On a track, the Viper works well. There’s mild understeer on turn-in followed by progressive, gentle oversteer if the driver is uncouth with the gas on corner exit. The brake pedal feels good underfoot, and there’s monster thrust between the turns. Aural excitement is low on the V-10’s list of attributes, however, consisting of a low-pitched exhaust drone that’s paired with mechanical thrashing up front.
On the road, though, the Viper turns a bit nasty. The steering is overly eager unless the car is really loaded up in the corner. Although there’s so much grip that only homicidal lunatics would go exploring the outer envelope of the Michelin tires in the public domain, the way the car bounces and bucks over bumps is disconcerting.
The Viper is a bit crude and rough around the edges, but it’s still an appealing car. It also has the lowest price. Unfortunately, the three other machines are simply better all around.
Once upon a time, we thought AMG built the sporty versions of cars wearing the three-pointed Mercedes star. But if one wants a really hard-core Mercedes, then the Black Series is the place to look.
First came the Euro-only SLK55 AMG Black Series, followed by the $140,000 CLK63 AMG Black Series, a rorty street racer that had the attitude and exhaust note of a German Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) race car. It went on sale in the U.S. late in 2007. The third Black Series car is the SL65, all $304,350 worth of it. Besides the carbon-fiber body parts, the additional power, and the suspension changes, AMG’s engineers retuned some of the SL65’s software in an attempt to give the car a sportier mien.
The five-speed manumatic transmission now has four settings, adding a second manual mode (M2) to the previous lineup of comfort, sport, and manual. Mercedes says the M2 mode has shifts that are 20-percent quicker than the M1 setting. The tranny also features a rev-matching function on downshifts. The stability-control system differs from the standard SL65’s, featuring three settings: on, sport, and off. The sport setting is new and allows additional leeway before the electronics intervene. Even with the system switched off, pressing the brake pedal hard enough will temporarily reengage the stability control.
Opinion was divided about the SL’s styling. It certainly stands out, with its bulging, flared fenders and incredibly aggressive front fascia, but some of our test drivers saw the car as cartoonishly styled. The interior mimics the SL65’s except for a smaller-diameter steering wheel with manual paddle shifters, a reworked instrument panel that has a lap-timing function, and carbon-fiber trim pieces.
It’s a sumptuous, elegant cabin that’s beautifully made and expensive-looking, as you’d expect in a car this pricey. It’s a fine daily driver, but trunk space is compromised by a pair of actuators for the rear wing, which pops up 4.8 inches above the decklid at speeds above 75 mph.
The Black Series is wickedly fast, although the extra power is offset somewhat by its 4220-pound weight. It’s the heaviest car in the test, albeit 274 pounds lighter than the last SL65 we tested. It’s as quick to 60 mph as the Viper and the Corvette, placed second (tied with the Corvette) in the standing quarter, and was second best in braking.
On the street, the midrange acceleration of the Black Series is akin to a religious experience, accompanied by a turbo whoosh that’s a little disappointing compared with the fabulous exhaust notes of the Corvette and the Lamborghini. The SL has a remarkably capable and relatively comfortable way of gobbling up back roads, but it’s always a little insulated from the blacktop—the brake pedal and the steering are a bit numb, and the manual gearshifts are slow. Turn the stability control off, and the SL turns into a tire-smoking beast, but the chassis is actually quite benign.
Mercedes is only building 350 Black Series SL65s, of which 175 are destined for the U.S. It’s an impressive car, but it lacks ultimate involvement. And, boy, is it expensive, at more than $300,000.
Celebrity has its price. Just ask Britney. (Or better, ask her hairdresser.) So it is with automotive celebrity. The joke about the arrest-me-red Ferrari is no joke.
Or, in this case, the arrest-me-icebox-white Lamborghini LP640. On the last day of our adventure, a mercenary California Highway Patrolman locked his Crown Vic onto the tail of the Lambo, weaving through traffic on I-5 as we headed toward L.A. He ignored the bright-red but less eye-catching ZR1 and Viper. Eventually, he must have thought, the rich bastard behind the wheel of the Lambo will stray 10 over and I’ll have the catch of the day. Good thing our Chipper didn’t bother to venture off to faraway high-desert roads, where all alone we’d ventured into triple-digit territory.
Actually, all of us might have accepted a night in the hoosegow in return for the pleasures of driving the Lambo in open country. The Murciélago may be nearing the end of its days, but it has aged as well as Elle Macpherson, and its body is at least as striking. The Lamborghini had people waving us down, craning their cell-phone cameras and going all gaga.
The interior is exquisitely done, too, mating quilted leather that looks as if it should be adorning haute couture jackets with lashings of solid aluminum pieces that are a joy to behold. Some of the ergonomics are a bit weird, and the aftermarket-looking Kenwood infotainment system is Byzantine in its operation, but it’s still a gorgeous cabin. Getting in and out is not for the aged, infirm, or miniskirted because the Murciélago is so low slung and you have to stoop at the same time to get past the scissors doors.
The Lambo didn’t win any prizes for its worst-in-test 166-foot stopping distance from 70 mph, its hard ride on freeways, its 10-mpg rate of gobbling fuel, or its penchant to refuse luggage. But it is the most visceral and exciting car here. The 6.5-liter V-12 makes a fantastic mélange of exhaust and induction noise, a note that varies from a bellow to a wail depending on where you are in the rev range. And the noise starts at about 3000 rpm and doesn’t stop until a lofty 8500. The e-gear transmission—a single-clutch automated manual—makes some troubling clunks and groans, but the shifts are supremely quick.
On a track, the Lambo—the second-heaviest here—feels a bit ponderous. It plows on corner entry unless you lift off the gas, when the tail swings around suddenly to remind you that there’s a large lump of metal behind. On the road, it’s a different deal. The steering is well weighted, the brakes are superb, and the car has an ability to float over bumps at high speed. It just flows along the twisties to the extent that one driver noted: “Oh, my God—perhaps the best 20 miles I have ever driven.”
So why didn’t the Murciélago win? After all, it is the quickest of the pack in a straight line, gets a solid 1.0 g on the skidpad, and is the most thrilling and involving car to drive. The answer lies here: price as tested, $440,460. That’s an enormous pile of dough, although a half-hour on California Route 33 into Ojai might convince you it may even be worth it.
What?! Those idiots at Car and Driver picked the ZR1 to win?
We can see the hate mail already. But look through the results, and it will become apparent that the Corvette provides an awful lot of what the Lamborghini offers for nearly a fourth of the price.
The ZR1 gets a stellar 1.07 g on the skidpad, best in the test. At 141 feet, its stopping distance from 70 mph is 11 feet shorter than the SL65’s. It returns the best EPA city gas mileage, but at 14 mpg, nobody’s bragging. The ZR1 isn’t quite as swift off the line as the Murciélago, but its superior power-to-weight ratio pays off at the top end because it records an identical 0-to-140-mph time of 14.0 seconds.
As a daily driver, it has the most supple freeway ride, providing the driver puts the adjustable shocks in the “tour” setting. The trunk is easily the most commodious, and the Corvette is on a par with the Mercedes for control layout and ergonomics. Indeed, we think the navigation system is more intuitive and easier to use than the SL’s.
The LS9 engine is magnificent, if not quite as operatic and smooth as the Lambo’s V-12. There is a tidal wave of power from almost zero revs, accompanied by supercharger whine and a guttural V-8 growl. This is a Guns N’ Roses soundtrack compared with the Lambo’s Verdi, but we’re catholic in our taste in automotive music. A long-throw throttle pedal gives precise control over all that horsepower. The manual shifter is pleasing to use, too.
The brakes are strong and disciplined, with terrific pedal feel. This top-of-the-line Corvette is just amazing on a racetrack, providing the driver is fond of tail-out antics. Where the Viper has tons of rear-end grip, the Corvette dances around the front wheels in a progressive, easily modulated manner. The steering is livelier than that of other Corvettes and loads up nicely with cornering forces, although it lacks the delicious connectedness of the Lambo’s. The ZR1 is plenty fast along sinuous mountain roads, but the fat tires like to follow the road’s imperfections, as in the Viper, which can become wearing after a while.
There are reasons why the ZR1 is so much cheaper than the Lambo and the SL65, however. Our test car came with the optional full-leather interior that makes for a vast improvement over the stock cabin. But it still looks chintzy, especially in this company. The seats are too thin under thighs and butt, a complaint we have voiced umpteen times.
It also doesn’t look that exotic—no matter how many slats and vents and carbon-fiber components Chevy has added to the exterior—because there are so many Corvettes on the road. The C6 shape is pretty enough, but it’s not very dramatic in this group. And, generally, when people spend more than $100,000 on a car, they’re looking to make a statement.
Overall, though, Chevy has made a car that is truly thrilling to drive, performs with the world’s best, and harnesses extreme performance with everyday drivability. And the company has done so for a price that undercuts its foreign competition—in this test, by $187,830 and $323,940. The ZR1’s sticker is high for a Corvette, true enough, but it shows that when GM is able to charge the kind of money German automakers such as Porsche can command, it can make a truly great car. Someone might inform the dim bulbs in Washington that some segments of GM are working quite well, thank you very much.
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