Geez, finally the embargo is lifted.
https://www.motortrend.com/cars/chevrol ... 2A3C64DDCC
Chevrolet told us moving the engine back a few feet, adding 35 horsepower (give or take), and employing a dual-clutch transmission would make the 495-hp C8 Corvette Z51 quicker to 60 mph than the 755-hp C7 Corvette ZR1, despite the C8's considerably worse power-to-weight ratio. Plus, they said, it would come within a tenth of a g or two on the skidpad while wearing all-season tires. Oh, and it'll do all that for half the price, give or take.
That's quite a target to aim for. With launch control engaged and 61 percent of the weight on the rear tires, the C8 Corvette Z51 shot to 60 mph in a staggering 2.8 seconds on the way to an 11.1-second quarter mile at 123.2 mph.
Damn, look at it go!
Witness the C8 Z51's 23.3-second figure-eight lap at 0.90 average g
Unfortunately that is way off the 22.3 second target I held up.
As you'd expect, much of the advantage is in the launch, but you'd be surprised just how much. The quickest C7 ZR1 ran a 10.8-second quarter mile at 133.1 mph, just 0.3 second quicker. So great was the C8 Z51's launch advantage that the C7 ZR1 barely got ahead of it by the quarter by running 10 mph faster.
And what of the other big number? Breaking 1.00 average lateral g on the skidpad is an accomplishment, but it's easier when you have summer tires rather than all-seasons, and the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S included in the Z51 package is very much a summer tire. With it, the C8 Z51 pulled 1.04 average lateral g on the skidpad—which is actually less than a C7 Z51, which pulled as much as 1.11 average lateral g on the Pilot Super Sports that preceded the Pilot 4S.
How did that happen? With grinding, infuriating understeer, as testing director Kim Reynolds was bemused to discover. This is the C8's default move at its limits, even as a mid-engine car with the Z51 package. Why do this? Because of what happens if you turn off the excellent stability control and Performance Traction Management computer.
Put simply, the C8 is no drift car. Try to correct the understeer with a nudge of throttle, and you get more understeer. Give it a lot of throttle sans ESC, and you'll likely end up backward. Be extremely patient and roll into the throttle correctly, and the C8 will dig in and push hard off the exit of a corner. Give it too much gas, though, and the rear end is happy to step out. The line between a nice power-on drift and a spin is razor thin.
Which explains the understeer. Moving the engine (and thus the weight balance) to the center decreases the polar moment of inertia, making a vehicle more prone to spinning. Understeer makes it harder for the vehicle to get sideways and reduces the chance of a spin. The Corvette team is more than capable of tuning the car for a more balanced demeanor, which makes us think this was intentional.
Two mechanical downsides are the brake by wire feel (and the brakes themselves are less impressive than they should be I think, though 97 feet from 60 is not exactly a bad performance), as well as terminal understeer. That tuning was done on purpose likely due to the dynamics of a car like this. Not surprisingly it needs to be driven differently with such a fundamentally different chassis setup. This is also a brand new platform and will likely be refined over time to bring back more neutrality but in a safe manner. Hopefully this process goes a lot faster than it did for the rear-engine 911 which seems to have taken decades to master. And people thought the 911 was great the entire time.
Also the car may end up feeling a bit over-refined. For the money the heavier optioned cars will go for, I can't say this was a complete mistake. The people getting a performance bargain (which is basically any C8 customer, but especially on the low end of the price range), I can't imagine they have much to complain about. This seems like a real every day super car, probably at least as disruptive as the original NSX was.
There is a certain feel that front engine RWD provides and this is going to feel different than any muscle car, whereas previous Corvettes could sort of turn on muscle car mode (albeit very low to the ground and still made for handling) at will, though with the stickier tire cars, I think you were already very restricted in street driving already. I mean the C7 Z51 pulled 1.11g, cited above, so you were not exactly drifting that thing around on your way to work. Same goes for the handling/sticky tire versions of the Mustang and Camaro.
Then again, if your muscle car criteria is brutal launches, this thing already checks that box.
Although isolating brakes may be a shortcoming, the C8's isolating ride on long cruises is a highlight. The magnetic dampers, set to Tour mode, ride like a luxury sport sedan. Impacts from expansion joints, crumbling pavement, and railroad crossings are heard far more than they're felt. Even big impacts struggle to rattle the cabin. Twisting the drive mode knob up through Sport and Track settings stiffens the ride and increases the amount of vertical motion for occupants, but even at its most inflexible the ride is never punishing.
It's just one element of an unusually coddling interior for a Corvette. No longer can we chide Chevrolet for cheap materials, mediocre build quality, and unsupportive seats. Our 3LT trim tester was loaded up to nearly $90,000, and you could see and feel where every penny went (except maybe the cupholders). The GT2 seats offered excellent support under hard driving and equal comfort the rest of the time. The leather is the best quality we've seen in a Corvette, and the cabin is quiet enough to whisper across at 80 mph. The steering wheel places your hands in awkward positions during cornering, but we appreciate the clear view of the instrument cluster it affords.
The other side of the coin is a disconnectedness from the raw performance of the car. The engine is rather quiet for a Corvette (though it retains that distinctive small-block roar), and the transmission is so smooth in Tour mode that you don't get a sense of just how fast you're going, at least until you brake.
Similarly, it neither looks nor feels like a sub-3-second 0-60 sprint, but the numbers don't lie. There's never a big shove of torque; the engine's delivery is always exactly the same. You just gain speed, as simple as that. The dual-clutch transmission is exceptional for a first try, a game effort to match Porsche's benchmark PDK. The steering is precise and accurate but could stand to give you more road feel.
Overall, and even with any shortcomings, I think this takes Corvette to the next level for sure.
Some highlights from the spec sheet:
- 3,622 lbs. I was shocked when I saw 3,3xx but later we learned this was dry weight. This is basically exactly what I expected the car to weigh. To be honest if the base price became like $80k to pull 300 lbs out of it, I am not sure I could justify the business case for that if I were GM. So I get it. I am not sure if higher trim models in the 6 figure range will lose the weight, either, due to fundamental chassis decisions/architecture.
- WEIGHT DIST, F/R 39/61%. This will take some getting used to.
- 0-30 1.0 sec. lol