Chevrolet Corvette C8 2020, Estados Unidos
Fotografia
High
expectations are a bitch. Whether you're anticipating Adele's next album, Ron
Howard's next movie, or Christian Yelich's next at-bat, it's only human to feel
a little deflated if it doesn't turn out just the way you'd dreamed it would.
And, so, the deflation potential is high with the new mid-engined 2020 Chevrolet Corvette.
From the
moment that rumors surfaced that the engine in the next C8-generation Corvette might
move behind the seats, the presumption that the car would be a breakthrough, a
revelation, and a revolution has followed it like a moon shadow. Now it's here.
And it does look more like a Ferrari than a Corvette, with the same
cabin-forward proportions as every hyperfast, megadollar exotic on the market.
And we've driven it extensively. So, has Chevrolet built a
supercar for the masses—an American Ferrari—or simply a better Corvette? The
answer is yes—but with an asterisk. It's complicated.
We did our
judging by spending a week in a C8 equipped with the $5000 track-capable Z51
Performance package and optional FE4 magnetorheological dampers (an additional $1895),
the hottest version available at launch. We drove it on the road. We
track-tested it to scrutinize its performance capabilities. And we timed laps at
Grattan Raceway outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in both the
C8 and a similarly equipped C7-gen Z51 Vette to see whether the mid-engine
model's claimed handling advantage over its front-engine predecessor is real.
After all that
poking and prodding, we have concluded that the new C8 is spectacular, amazing,
and supremely capable. Maybe even revolutionary. And we've also come to the
realization that, despite its long list of compelling attributes, it's still
not quite everything we had hoped it would be. Like we said, it's complicated.
Whatever the
world's expectations for the C8, Chevy had its own. Yes, the company wanted to
appeal to younger buyers who once tacked posters of Lamborghini Countachs to
their bedroom walls. But the Corvette, once again called the Stingray, was
designed to occupy the same place in the market as before. Some 50 percent of
Corvette buyers purchase the entry-level model, which is why a base C8 goes for
just $59,995—hundreds of thousands less than the McLarens, Ferraris, and
Lamborghinis it resembles. Nor did the Corvette team want to shock its loyal
owners with a car so alien that they couldn't abide it. "First we designed
a mid-engine car," a Corvette team insider told us. "Then we had to
turn it into a Corvette." That's the framework within which to judge the
new C8.
Untangling our
feelings about the C8 Stingray starts with examining its performance, which
definitely lives up to expectations. With 60.6 percent of its mass over the
rear tires—the C7 Stingray had a roughly 50/50 front-to-rear weight
distribution—the C8 is ferocious off the line. Note that our heavily optioned
test car weighed 3647 pounds, 195 more than a 2019 C7 Z51 we tested. With the
dual-mode performance exhaust that's included in the Z51 package, the 6.2-liter
LT2 V-8 in the C8's tail makes 495 horsepower (base cars without that exhaust
make 490). That's up 35 ponies from the C7 Z51's engine, which keeps the
pounds-per-horsepower ratios of the two cars virtually equal.
Aided by its
quick-shifting eight-speed dual-clutch automatic—the only
transmission available—and a well-calibrated launch-control system,
the C8 rips off zero-to-60-mph runs in 2.8 seconds. That's 1.1 seconds quicker
than the last C7 Z51 we tested with a manual transmission. The C8 even betters
the zero-to-60-mph runs of the quickest 650-hp C7 Z06 and
755-hp C7 ZR1 that
we've strapped our test gear to, both of which lose the struggle with grip in
low gears. Yes, they are traveling faster than the new Vette by the end of the
quarter-mile, which the C8 does in 11.2 seconds at 122 mph, but the point is
made: The mid-engine configuration pays off from a standing start.
The C8 stopped
from 70 mph in 149 feet and hung on to the skidpad at 1.03 g with quite a bit
more understeer than we were expecting, considering our experiences on the
road. Neither of those chassis metrics are improvements over the C7, which
stopped in 139 feet and circled the skidpad at 1.06 g. Partial blame can be
cast at the C8's weight gain. However, the full extent of the latest Corvette's
handling superiority would play out during hot lapping at the racetrack.
While the C8's
performance places it within the bounds of the supercar class, character
matters as much as capability. It's here where your expectations will affect
how you feel about the C8. Make no mistake, if you want to haul ass down a
writhing piece of asphalt, this car will do it at astounding velocities, with a
viselike grip on the pavement and the haughty assuredness of a car born to the
task. There are six driving modes, and the FE4 damper package also includes the
Performance Traction Management system for fine-tuning the car's stability
control for track use. Switch into any of the more aggressive settings with the
awkward-to-use dial on the center console, punch the push-button shifter into
manual mode, and hang on. The faster you go, the better the C8 feels. The
steering cuts like a race car's, and the cornering limits are virtually out of
reach on the street—though steering feel and feedback aren't as communicative
as those from a Porsche 911 or
a McLaren 720S. Boiling out
of corners on full throttle, the big V-8 thunders like a NASCAR engine, and the
dual-clutch automatic delivers crisp shifts when you pull the paddles on the
back of the steering wheel.
Most of the
time, you won't be blazing twisty roads like a four-wheeled flamethrower; you'll
be wanting a car that's a little more Zen. Bimodal, everyday usability has long
been a Corvette trait, and the C8 continues that tradition. In Tour mode, it
transmogrifies into a laid-back daily driver, with a ride smoother than many
sports sedan's, steering lighter than a Malibu's, and an engine note that's
barely a murmur. The transmission eases through its eight gears unnoticed,
though it can be a bit lazy to downshift if you stab the throttle. Extensive
acoustic insulation has made the C8 not only quieter by three decibels at 70
mph than the C7, but just plain quiet. This kind of dynamic bandwidth is almost
unheard of in the mid-engine exotic realm.
There are
three seat options in the C8: GT1, GT2 (included in the 3LT trim), and the more
aggressive Competition Sport buckets. The GT2 chairs in our test car were soft
in the right places yet wonderfully supportive for amped-up cornering. This is
a car you can drive anytime, anywhere—including clear across the
country—without it tiring you out. Plus, it has useful space in
the front and rear cargo holds. So, go ahead, take it to the
supermarket.
But normal
driving also is where the C8 gets tripped up by elevated expectations. More
than a few of us were hoping for more character, more drama, and more
personality when we weren't hammering it. Ferraris and Lamborghinis snarl at
you like caged tigers even when you're just moseying through downtown. The
steering of Porsches and McLarens is more vivid than the Corvette's at low
speeds. We sometimes wished the new Stingray felt a little louder and brasher,
a bit more like the C7. Can a car that looks this angry actually be too
refined? That's where the asterisk comes in.
We have few
reservations about the new Stingray's interior, though. Our car, a
well-equipped example with the $11,950 3LT package, boasted supple, tautly sewn
leather on most of its interior surfaces, plus extras such as the $1500
carbon-fiber trim. You sit farther forward compared with the seating position
in the C7, though the view over the
deep instrument panel isn't as panoramic as it is in some other
mid-engine cars. The wall-like cabin divider that houses the climate controls
looks obtrusive but isn't. The odd squared-off steering wheel is, surprisingly,
as easy to use as a circular one, and it provides a clear view of the
programmable digital gauge cluster. The steering-column stalks are a bit of a
reach, and the glare on the rear glass sometimes hides what's behind you. The
electronic rearview mirror camera that's standard on 2LT and 3LT trims solves
this problem, though; it provides an unobstructed view of anything behind you.
Overall, this is by far the best Corvette interior ever.
The C8 also is
the most impressive Corvette ever. Deleting all the fancy gear on our test
car—it had all manner of extras that didn't make it drive better, including a
$1495 front-end lift mechanism to clear steep driveways and $995 worth of
carbon-fiber engine-compartment garnish—wouldn't change how we feel about it.
But it would drop the price considerably. For a base car with the Z51 package
and FE4 dampers, you're looking at only $66,890. This is nothing less than the
democratization of the exotic car.
And consider
this: The C8 Stingray is but the opening
salvo in Chevy's supercar revolution. It's a known secret that
several hotter C8s will soon follow, powered by high-revving, DOHC 32-valve
flat-plane-crank V-8s starting at 600-plus horsepower and ranging up to a
hybrid with nearly 1000 ponies. Those versions likely will deliver all the
snarl anyone could want.
That's the
future. This is now, and it's clear that the new C8 isn't just a better
Corvette, but a supercar for the rest of us—imperfections be damned. You'll
just have to readjust your expectations to suit.
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