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The next chapter in the history of the ultimate street-legal, track-focused, hand-built American supercar begins with the return of the new 2016 Dodge Viper ACR.
 
Certified for public roads and engineered to wring every last hundredth of a second out of road course lap times, the 2016 Dodge Viper ACR combines the latest in aerodynamic, braking and tire technology – a recipe designed to carry on the ACR’s lap-time busting reputation that has made it a legend on race tracks around the world.
 
“The Viper has always been more of a street-legal race car than a track-capable streetcar, and the new 2016 Dodge Viper ACR is the fastest street-legal Viper track car ever,” said Tim Kuniskis, President and Chief Executive Officer - Dodge Brand and SRT Brand, FCA - North America. “Our goal is to arm our enthusiasts with the ultimate Viper track car to dominate road courses around the world.”
 
The SRT® engineering team that developed the 2016 Dodge Viper ACR is well-stocked with members who race their own cars, as well as learning from the factory-based racing Viper GTS-R that competed in the American Le Mans Series and IMSA United SportsCar Championship from 2012-2014, capturing the GTLM class driver and team championships in 2014. For the new Viper ACR, the team focused its efforts on three areas: aerodynamics, chassis and tires to maximize grip, producing never-seen-before handling capabilities and unprecedented lap times.

 
Ultimate aerodynamic performance
The 2016 Dodge Viper ACR with the available Extreme Aero package produces the highest aerodynamic downforce of any production car. During on-track testing, development engineers have experienced nearly 1-ton of downforce at top speed of 284 km/h (177 mph).
 
The Extreme Aero Package includes a huge (1.8 metre wide) adjustable dual-element rear wing, rear carbon fibre diffuser, unique SRT hood with removable louvers, detachable extension for the front splitter and four dive planes. The Extreme Aero rear wing, specifically designed for air flow around the Viper’s body, stands taller, sits further rearward and features unique end-plates and gurney lip to produce maximum downforce while minimizing straight line drag.  The Extreme Aero package delivers more than three times the downforce of the Viper TA (Time Attack) 2.0 package.
 
The rear carbon fibre diffuser extends forward of the rear axle. It includes six removable strake extensions, designed to rub against the track surface for increased straight-line stability and optimized downforce.  Removable hood louvers over the front tires reduce air pressure in front wheel wells to provide additional downforce. The detachable front splitter extension and dive planes work with the rear aero treatment to provide outstanding grip and balanced performance on the track.
 
Ultimate brake performance
Track duty can punish the brakes. The 2016 Dodge Viper ACR features new Brembo® Carbon Ceramic Matrix brakes for optimum braking performance with unprecedented brake fade resistance, and greater handling capability through reduced un-sprung weight. The system uses 390-millimetre (15.4-inch) two-piece front rotors and 360-millimetre (14.2-inch) two-piece rear rotors.  Front brakes use six-piston Brembo® calipers while the rear brakes use four-piston calipers.
 
The new Carbon Ceramic Matrix brakes have the largest brake pad area ever on Viper. The brakes work in conjunction with ABS and ESC specifically tuned for ACR to take into account the extra grip provided by the additional aero and specifically designed Kumho® tires. Detachable front brake ducts provide additional cooling to the brake calipers for optimum track performance.

 
Tire, Chassis Combo Keeps Viper ACR Glued to the Road
The 2016 Dodge Viper ACR is fitted with Kumho® Ecsta V720 high-performance tires designed specifically for the car with unique tread pattern and compounds for front and rear.  In testing, the new tires produce laps times that are 1.5 seconds faster than off-road-only race tires.
 
Low-profile front tires measure 295/25/19 and are mounted on wider 11-inch wheels.  When combined with the 355/30/19 rear tires, these tires provide the largest combined tire patch available on any production car. On the sidewall of the new tires is a unique, raised ACR logo.
 
The Viper ACR’s ABS and five-mode Electronic Stability Control system (Full-on, Sport, Track, Rain, Full-off modes) are specifically tuned for the car to take into account the extra grip offered by the extreme aerodynamic and tire package.
 
Aluminum bodied, double-adjustable coil-over Bilstein® race shocks are designed specifically for the Viper ACR and work in conjunction with ride height adjustment for optimal control of weight transfer and handling performance. Each shock provides independent 10-way rebound and compression adjustability. The suspension package also provides more than 7.6 centimetres (3 inches) of ride height adjustment.
 
Front springs are rated at 600 lb/in and rear springs at 1,300 lb/in, more than double the suspension stiffness of the Viper TA model. With unique race alignment and 1.4 degrees more negative camber than the entry SRT model, the 2016 Dodge Viper ACR is capable of sustaining more than 1.5 g on high-speed turns due to the combined chassis and aerodynamic improvements.
 
“This car is not a 1-3 lap track special. You can run the car at the track all day, and the performance doesn’t fall off,” added Kuniskis.
 
Awe-inspiring V-10 Powertrain
At the heart of the 2016 Viper ACR is the handcrafted, all-aluminum 8.4-litre V-10 overhead-valve engine, rated at 645 horsepower and 600 lb-ft of torque – the most torque of any naturally aspirated sports car engine in the world. Unique exhaust tips have been added to the side-mounted exhaust pipes to provide reduced exhaust pressure. All Vipers are engineered to withstand severe track duty in ambient temperatures of 37 Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) with a professional driver. Power reaches the pavement through the standard Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual transmission.
 
ACR-exclusive Interior Appointments
The instrument panel cluster hood, lower instrument panel and door armrest panels of the race-inspired interior are wrapped in unique Alcantara® suede. A new, ACR-exclusive Alcantara wrapped high-grip steering wheel with color racing stripe and unique badging sets the ACR apart from other production models. New high-grip seats also carry the Alcantara inserts, while the unique dash plaque is finished in carbon fibre. Customers can choose between Silver or Header Red accent stitching throughout the interior.

Miami, FL – “Versatility, technology, fun-to-drive and stylish,” said Jean-Marc Leclerc, Vice President, Auto Sales and Marketing at Honda Canada. These were desires from consumers when asked about what they would like from a compact crossover.

Those four traits were what Honda focused on when creating the all-new 2016 Honda HR-V. The HR-V in its second go-around (it was built back in 1999 on a supermini platform, only to last until 2006), slots below the No. 1 selling import nameplate SUV, the CR-V, and aims to make significant strides in the fast-growing compact segment.

The HR-V looks nothing like its former self with use of the Honda Fit hatchback platform. It's an elevated version for those that enjoy a higher seating position coupled with a fun and youthful flair.

The first thing you will notice as you walk around the vehicle is a catchy rear door handle that can be found at the window level, eerily similar to the Hyundai Veloster. It's gimmicky and shows me that Honda is trying too hard to impress. If you want to be cool, create something that's hip and blows people's minds. Placing a door handle in an unusual spot won't instantly get you a ticket to the VIP area.

Luckily, the rest of the exterior does the job in making the HR-V an instant attraction. It has a lot of styling and motion in its build, which is not typically found in this segment. Honda has created a sloping coupe-like motion coming from the roof to the nose of the CUV, as well as to the rear. Up front, the HR-V has a bold grille that creates a powerful stance for its size. The HR-V utilizes some sporty and sharp cuts across the body emphasizing that youthful coolness it was hoping to achieve.

Inside, the HR-V shows off its versatility. First of all, it's longer, wider and taller than the Fit, but slightly shorter than the CR-V with maintaining its same amount of knee and legroom.

All of the great versatile features from the Fit are incorporated into the HR-V. There are five seat modes that include: Normal, Split, Tall, Utility and Long. To summarize this, you can adjust the seating from pulling just one seat down or up to having a complete flat floor with a max cargo of 1,665 litres of space. If you need to put a mountain bike or surfboard inside, no problem, the HR-V caters to your adventurous needs.

As great as the CUV looks from the outside, I have to scale that excitement down a notch when addressing the interior. The dashboard plastic comes off cheap, the seven-inch multimedia touchscreen is bland, but the worst of it has to be the horizontal vent that sits in front of the front passenger seat. I'm not sure what they were going for there? More is not all the time better.

The reason I come off harsh with Honda's design comes down to a belief that they needed to make the HR-V look like all-new creation, and not just bits and pieces that reflect other vehicles in the lineup. It's a growing segment and it might far surpass offerings like the Chevrolet Trax and Mitsubishi RVR, but it has to line-up against the upcoming Mazda CX-3, Kia Soul, Nissan Juke, Jeep Renegade and Subaru XV Crosstrek.

On the road, the HR-V powers its way smoothly with the use of the 1.8-litre four-cylinder that's found in the Civic rated at 138 horsepower and 127 lb.-ft. of torque. All of the vehicles on hand were all-wheel drive, so they all came with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Otherwise, you can opt for a front-wheel drive with a six-speed manual gear shifter. 

The ride was smooth, comfortable and relaxing. The aim of this compact crossover is not to be a speed burner, so don't get your hopes up, when you struggle to power your way into the left lane for an intersection turn. On a positive note, the CVT doesn't allow much engine noise to enter the cabin, so your smooth and quiet drive stays consistent.

The HR-V will get you from A to B with a reasonable amount of fuel usage. The all-wheel drive version on the press trip is rated at 8.8L/100 km in the city and 7.2L/100 km on the highway.

The combination of a impressive fuel efficiency and an inexpensive low price of $20,690 for the LX trim in front-wheel drive and with a six-speed manual tranny are the ingredients that Honda hopes will drive consumers to the dealership. Starting prices top out below $30K for the EX-L with navigation and all-wheel drive, so you can worry less about significantly going over budget while negotiating.

The 2016 Honda HR-V should appeal to younger families that are looking to either slightly upsize or downsize, depending on what they've previously owned. The HR-V has a youthful vibe with plenty of versatility and practicality, that would appeal to the more adventurous or constantly-travelling consumer.

The 2016 Honda HR-V will go on-sale during the summer season.