2005 Corvette C6, DUB Magazine, Issue 23
About 15 years ago, much to my adolescent awe, my father purchased a brand new 1990 Corvette ZR-1. Back in the day, the car was the proverbial shit; it shared magazine covers with Ferraris and Lamborghinis, boasted a then-astronomical horsepower figure of 385, and was heralded as the second coming of the great American sports car.
As my father quickly learned, living with a so-called bargain basement supercar was not all it was cracked up to be: getting in and out was awkward, the high door sills made the interior strangely claustrophobic, and the newly developed Lotus-engineered V8 spent more time than it should have in the shop. To top it all off, a factory recall led to a warranty replacement of the then-revolutionary, six-speed manual transmission. Selling the tire-shredding Vette was a sad, sad day in the Wasef household, though my disillusioned dad was happy to see it go.
I was later told that the ZR-1 came too early; the engine was the first 32-valve design ever in an American car, the six-speed was another early example of insufficiently tested, too-far-ahead-of-the-curve technology, and quality control wasn't reigned in until later models.
With that personal history, it was a strangely familiar moment when the sixth and latest generation Corvette was dropped off at my doorstep. Sure, the car is radically restyled and mechanically different than the ZR-1 (I did think to myself, "This is not your father's Corvette" more than once,) but more significant than the car's obvious enhancements was the realization that now, in 2005, the sports car world is an entirely different beast. Horsepower wars are running rampant, with midlevel Ferraris now approaching the 500 hp figure, and top-of-the-line AMG-powered Benzes even surpassing 600 hp. Since the ZR-1 era, the revered Porsche 911 has adopted water-cooled engines that, coupled with the brand's notoriously low curb weights, produce phenomenal performance figures. How does the new Corvette stack up? To find out, I hopped in, turned off the stereo, and let the music of the 6.0 liter V8 take over.
With a sticker price starting at only $44,000, my test car cost almost $25,000 less than the ZR-1 did fifteen years ago. My C6 was equipped with the Z51 performance package, which includes more aggressive gear ratios, a transmission cooler with the manual gearbox, stiffer dampers and springs, larger stabilizer bars, and larger cross-drilled brake rotors.
The Z51 option produces sharper-than-stock handling, and though the Corvette is 5 inches shorter and 1 inch narrower than its predecessor, it still has unapologetically large dimensions. Regardless of its expansive proportions, grip is phenomenal thanks to tight suspension and thick 245mm front and even thicker, 285mm rear tires. The stiff and jouncy ride quality would be more manageable with a driver adjustable suspension, though the optional F55 Magnetic Selective Ride Control uses magneto-rheological dampers to detect road surfaces and adjust stiffness accordingly.
Acceleration is torquey and satisfying, with a definitively American exhaust rumble. Horsepower is an impressive 400, and with a curb weight that starts at only 3,179 pounds, it's significantly lighter than the prior-generation C5. Zero to 60 mph is reached in only 4.1 seconds with the Z51 package, 1/10th of a second quicker than the standard C6. Top speed is 186 mph, the highest ever for a Corvette.
Living with the new Vette is surprisingly comfortable, in spite of the still bulky exterior proportions. Its styling is an appealing combination of muscular curves and delineating lines, flaunting the first exposed headlamps on a Corvette since 1962, and the lowest drag coefficient of any Corvette, .28. Optional bells and whistles abound, among them keyless access, a heads up display that includes a g-meter and tachometer, and of course that notorious lifesaver, OnStar.
Driving the C6 is both raw and civilized, powerful yet manageable considering its vast abilities. The C6's performance prowess is so significant, in fact, that it does a stellar job of distracting from the car's most disappointing shortcoming, its cheap interior. Something's gotta give at this price range, and in this case it's the semblance of a luxurious cockpit. While GM describes the panel and door materials as "cast-skin foam-in-place trim that looks like a leather-wrapped, padded panel," don't let the fancy PR-speak fool you; the C6's interior is a let down, albeit a completely forgivable one considering that almost nothing in the $44,000 price range can touch its performance.
Subpar interior trim aside, the C6 is a stunning evolution of Corvette lineage that eclipses prior generations-- even once king-of-the-hill models like the ZR-1. Chevrolet must be doing something right with the C6, as they've created a package that's entertaining to drive and easy to live with, all of which is wrapped in some very sexy sheetmetal. Though long-term reliability remains to be seen, initial impressions of the C6 are promising. Hardcore Vette lovers must be beware, though, that an even more potent, 500 horsepower Z06 model will be coming out quicker than you can say, "I didn't think it could get any better."
Basem Wasef
info@basemwasef.com
323.791.8560