For more than 30 years, ever since the launch of the C4 Corvette, I’ve been hearing Chevrolet talk about America’s longest running sports car being ready to take on the best in the world. Unfortunately, while each subsequent edition was a significant advancement on what came before, Corvette never quite hit the mark. While the 2005-2013 C6 came tantalizingly close to fulfilling that promise, especially from a performance perspective, the interior continued to be a let down. Two years ago, Chevrolet brought us an all-new seventh-generation model and I just got to spend a week with a ragtop variant.
The C7 Corvette builds on the strengths of the C6 while adding some more dramatic design flourishes and the kind of refinement that customers cross-shopping the Chevy’s European competitors expect. Those competitors include the likes of the Porsche 911, Audi R8 and even the V8 Ferraris. Some of those new design elements took inspiration from the 2009 Stingray concept that was featured in the film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
Most notable among those are the more prominently arched fenders and the general shape around the taillamps. Overall though, the design of the C7 continues the trend we’ve been seeing since mid-1980s and the C4. That generation significantly toned down the overwrought disco-era look of the last C3s into a more subtle rendering of the Corvette’s long-nose, front-engine proportions. Each subsequent generation has added back some distinctive style and from the front and sides, I really like the C7. The one complaint I’ve had since I first saw design studio renderings back in 2011 is the rear face which has and continues to strike me as somewhat cluttered but I can live with it.
Speaking of living with the Corvette, Chevrolet has finally given this car the cabin it deserves. The most important interior aspect of any high-performance car is the seats. In a car that can generate 1g or more of lateral acceleration, it’s critical to keep the driver securely planted in front of the wheel so that they aren’t using it to brace themselves. The C6 failed miserably on this count and unfortunately GM couldn’t find a way to package the Recaro seats from the old CTS-V into that cockpit. This time they took the complaints to heart and designed some better seats from the beginning of the program and it pays off.
The materials and finish of the C7 are also vastly improved over any previous Corvette. The thick-rimmed steering wheel is wrapped in leather with contrast stitching and the controls wrap around the driver. The instrument cluster consists of a large, high-resolution LCD flanked by semicircular analog gauges for speedometer, fuel and coolant temperature. The reconfigurable display can provide a wide variety of instrumentation in addition to the tachometer including g-meters, oil pressure and temperature and more. The current generation Corvette is the first of its long-running line where the cockpit is truly enjoyable place to work at the art of driving.
Every C7 is equipped with an eight-inch MyLink infotainment system and for 2016, the Corvette is the first GM car to be equipped with Apple CarPlay capability. This enables iPhone users that connect their phone to control a variety of apps including maps, messaging and media from the screen. The home screen consists of a grid of eight large icons that looks much like a simplified iPhone screen and media apps are displayed with a common interface that consists of a list of content and now playing screen with simple controls. The key is that the interface is uncluttered and no matter what app you use, the interface is consistent so you aren’t searching for buttons while you drive. While the interface is generally good, on the Corvette as on other cars where I’ve tried CarPlay it is slow to load content to the lists. In my experience, Android Auto which will be added to MyLink in March of 2016 is generally much quicker to load and more responsive.
The 3LT trim package on my test car adds both functional and luxury touches. Among the former is the heads-up display system that projects vital information directly into the driver’s field of view, something that can be very hand in brisk driving. For a low-slung car like the Corvette, the front curb-view cameras are also a handy touch to help avoid scrapes while maneuvering in tight spaces or parking. On the luxury front, the 3LT package adds Napa leather inserts to the seats, 3-position memory and microfiber trim on the windshield frame.
Every great sports car is of course built around its powertrain. When the Corvette debuted in 1953, it was only available with a wheezy old inline-six with roots that could be traced back to 1929. It wasn’t until two years later that the Vette really hit the road toward becoming an icon when it was equipped with the new small-block V8. Six decades later, that same basic architecture continues to power Corvettes to victories at Le Mans and on the road.
Of course, today’s fifth-generation small-block shares only the basic dimensions of bore-spacing, deck height and cam position with that 1955 version. Carburetors have given way to direct fuel injection, Variable cam timing and cylinder deactivation contribute to cleaner emissions, lower fuel consumption and better driveability. The first 265-cubic-inch V8 generated 195 gross horsepower and wouldn’t even come close to meeting modern emissions standards. The base 6.2-liter small-block in the C7 455-hp and 460 lb.-ft. of twisting force. The beauty of these modern engines that they still have that loping low-speed vibration so characteristic of a V8, feeling like a heartbeat but they start and run completely reliably, never suffering from vapor lock, flooding or any of the other maladies of classic engines.
The song that emanates from these pipes is amazing
The optional multi-mode performance exhaust adds another five to each of those values and creates a remarkable automotive symphony when driven hard. My test car had the optional eight-speed automatic transmission which provides quick shifts but combines with the immense torque of the LT1 V8 to keep engine revs very low when driving around town or cruising on the highway. At 70 mph, the Vette’s engine is barely above idle at just 1,500 rpm. Even with the top down, this car is surprisingly quiet and relaxed. Taking a long road trip in the C7 would actually be pretty easy thanks to the surprisingly good ride quality and the subdued noise.
However, this is after all a sports car and the sound is a critical part of the total experience of driving a car like this. After you press the start button, this car feels alive and provides visceral feedback you’re never going to get out of a Cruze or Camry. From a standstill or at any speed, squeeze the right pedal and as the tach swings up through 2,000 rpm and beyond and that multi-mode exhaust lets out a deep-throated wail that will make your spine shiver. It is indeed a glorious rumble that no machine with sounds augmented by the audio system can ever truly replicate. When I recently drove a 2015 Mustang convertible with the EcoBoost four-cylinder, it could not even come close being as stimulating as this song. If AC-DC were a machine, this is the sound it would make.
Have I mentioned how much I love the sound of the Corvette at full-throttle? And this isn’t even the Z06.
While I would have preferred a manual transmission, GM’s new eight-speed is a wonderful piece of engineering. In combination with all the electronic controls on the engine, when cruising on the highway, it’s easily possible to match the EPA estimate of 29 mpg. That is if you can avoid lighting up that exhaust. I had a very, very hard time resisting that urge.
Back in the days of the C4, GM was able to generate huge lateral acceleration numbers on smooth test tracks with the help of a stiff suspension and big sticky tires. Structural rigidity was not one of the talking points of that car. Even back in 1993, the last time I drove a C4 after GM had added the massive rocker panel reinforcements from the convertible, you could still feel it flexing over rough pavement and the clamshell hood was all over the place. Corvette structures are now made out of high-strength aluminum alloys and even in top-down mode, the convertible feels solid and never exhibited any shuddering in the A-pillars.
That solid platform means that the suspension tuning can enable the wheels to move around, following the contours of the road instead of relying on the frame to do that. The result is combination of incredibly precise handling and ride that doesn’t feel like it’s pounding you into submission.
Like the best from Europe and Japan, Corvettes today are truly capable of being ultra-high-performance daily drivers. The C7 is a gorgeous (aside from that tail, but I can live with it), well-built, comfortable car that can go wickedly fast, stop on a dime and thrill your ears when you want it too. At a starting MSRP for the convertible of $59,400 it’s not inexpensive. On the other hand even at $73,455 as delivered, this is a bargain compared to any of those fancy competitors. When I was a youngster learning about cars, the Corvette was often deridedly referred to as the rolling shampoo bottle for its plastic body. If you must refer to it as such today, it’s very definitely filled with “product” from a high-end salon rather than the generic stuff from CVS.
Click here for full specs of the 2016 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible
