Blog Auto Review

 

When you think Corvette you think high speed, not high mileage, but if asked which youd rather have in your driveway, any Corvette or any economy car, even tree huggers would be hard pressed to stand in the economy car line.

The new Vette goes on sale in the third quarter of this year as the first all new Corvette since 2005 and the first to use the legendary Stingray name last carried by the second generation model that bowed in the 1963 model year and was offered through 1967.

Its mission is simple, get younger sports car enthusiasts behind the wheel because the Vette has gotten to be referred to as an old mans car, even though old means an average age of only about 55. Still, Corvette needs to attract those younger sports car enthusiasts who migrated to European nameplates like Porsche and Audi as Vette went 9 years without a major redesign as GM focused on survival rather than sizzling style upgrades.

The 7th generation of the American sports car icon boasts a 6.2 liter, 450 h.p. V-8 capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 m.p.h. in less than 4 seconds and achieving more than 1G of force in high performance cornering. Yet thanks to an active fuel management system it will throttle down to four cylinder mode when coasting or cruising when it doesnt need maximum power. The new Vette as a result will exceed the 26 m.p.g. highway rating of the current model — making it the most fuel efficient Vette to date.

Stingray will offer a choice of 7-speed manual or 6-speed automatic with steering wheel paddle shifters.

Both high performance and high mileage benefit from a series of weight-saving measures, including a lightweight carbon fiber hood and removable roof panel; composite fenders, doors and rear quarter panels; and composite carbon underbody panels plus a new aluminum frame.

Inside theres two 8-inch configurable "infotainment" screens and a choice of two seats: one for optimum comfort, the other a "Competition Sport" option with special side bolstering to hold the driver in place during hard cornering. The cockpit also features five ride settings for varying driving conditions — Weather, Eco, Tour, Sport and Track.

A Z51 performance package will be offered with such goodies as electronic limited-slip differential, 19 inch run flat radials up front, 20 inch run flats in the rear, and an aerodynamics package designed to improve high-speed stability.

GM hasnt set pricing yet, but said it will be in the range of the current car, which starts at about $50,000, and wont have a dramatic increase.

The new Vette is being counted on to generate traffic and bring folks back into Chevy showrooms, where motorists are hoped to leave with a new car, whether Vette or Aveo as long as it carries a Chevy bow tie.