Outward visibility is not as good as the old car, however. The new Viper's roof is slightly taller, yet lanky drivers still peer into the top of the windshield frame. The top corner of the driver's side A-pillar is just two hand-widths from your forehead. Looking rearward is more difficult because the height of the trunklid blocks some view. The roll hoops over the seats, however, don't get in the way, we noticed. Chrysler says the new tail is higher to promote more downforce on the rear wheels at speed, which is estimated to be 190 mph (the speedo goes to 220). The shape of the tail creates less drag, too, according to the company. There is also a bellypan under the car to cut drag, although its final shape hadn't been determined at the time of our test drives.
The pedals are closely spaced like the previous car's, enough that we could heel-and-toe without effort, but they are centered in front of the driver, instead of being offset to the left side of the cockpit. A new addition is a real dead pedal for your left foot, which we used to hold us into the seats during our drive on a twisty test track. You won't be moving your legs around while you're driving, since the extra three inches of wheelbase adds room primarily to the trunk, which now holds enough for two pack rats for a long weekend.
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