The Corvette may not be the most powerful sports car on the road today but it’s the best one America has to offer and it does certainly take the cake with many rivals. First the Corvette is much less expensive than the European offerings but comes in with as much or more power. Its dynamic handling, amazing suspension and livable cabin make it better even than the Dodge Viper that will have over 700 horsepower. The Corvette has such a history of being and awesome sports car that it’s hard for anything else to come close to the love and feeling we have when we see this symbol of American power screaming down the road.
Overall the Corvette at any level is the most power for the money you can get hold of. Even when you reach up to the top level Z06 which has the most power and costs the most, the Corvette is still a lot for much less than the highly expensive foreign models. For 2016 the Corvette add a new flat-bottom steering wheel, a power cinch feature on the trunk, along with a front curb-view parking camera, Magnetic Ride Control on the Stingray models and Apple CarPlay via the MyLink app.
You can’t talk Corvette and not talk engines right away and the two options for this awesome car are a variation of one engine. The base engine is a 6.2-liter V8 that brings in 455 horsepower or 460 with the performance exhaust installed and 460 lb.-ft. of torque which moves up to 465 with the upgraded exhaust. This engine is attached to a seven-speed manual eight-speed automatic transmission which are both high performing and perfectly situated to the car. This gives the Corvette a fuel number of 17 city/29 hwy mpg for the manual or 16 city/29 hwy for the automatic. In order to enjoy better fuel numbers there is a cylinder management system in place that shuts down four of the cylinders when not needed.
The top engine is the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 found on the Z06 model that brings in 650 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. of torque. With the same transmissions in place this will give you 15 city/22 hwy mpg for the manual and 13 city/23 hwy mpg for the automatic.
A car this powerful you want to be able to go to the track as soon as possible. With the awesome Magnetic Ride Suspension that is under the car and fully engaged steering this beast can really burn the rubber at the track and has been known to outperform more powerful offerings such as the Hellcat twins. The time to sixty mph is less than four seconds giving an awesome straight line performance. The suspension is adjustable for five different setting to give you the ride you want. If you choose the convertible model, you get the automatic roof which takes sixteen seconds to lower at low speeds, making for a very dramatic performance.
So what is standard on this beauty? The Stingray comes with the eight-way power adjustable magnesium framed seats, keyless entry, push button starting, a power adjustable tilt/telescoping steering wheel, the five Drive Mode selector, an eight-inch touch screen for the nine-speaker Bose audio system, Chevy MyLink infotainment system, a rearview camera, a removable carbon-fiber roof panel that can be operated remotely using the key fob.
When it comes to options the Corvette packs them into the power and performance first. The Z51 Performance Package upgrades the brakes, suspension, oiling system, tires, cooling system and adds an electronic limited slip differential. The Magnetic Ride Control makes it easy to go from an everyday commuter car to one ready for the track, while the interior upgrades add suede trim and a competition seat package. The Z06 should be opted with the Z07 performance package which adds the carbon ceramic and more sport hardware. The only other upgrade is to put in the eight-speed automatic transmission which offers paddle shifters, but does an awesome job shifting for you.
As for the costs, the base, Stingray model, comes in at a price of $56,500 with the convertible asking for $60,500. The Z51 package adds $5,000 to either version and the Z06 starts life at $80,500 for the coupe and $84,500 for the convertible with the Z07 adding about $8,000 to the price which means you can get the top Corvette for under $100,000, try that with the Porsche 911, Nissan GT-R, Audi R8 or Dodge Viper.
When you are shopping in this realm, a Long Beach dealer tells us, the Corvette is still the best value overall and makes a great choice especially with the top of the class dynamics, handling and plenty of power to plaster a smile on your face.
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