The field testing staff of Popular Science
had the pleasure last week of devouring track turns at the famed Spring
Mountain Motor Resort in Nevada with the new Corvette Stingray, and auto
journalist Dan Carney first made sure to lock the seat belt in place and then
powered the seat forward into the correct position, preparing for a quite
powerful liftoff. The team's test vehicle was equipped with the 3LT premium
equipment package, Z51 performance package, and magnetic ride adjustable
shocks.
As soon as he pressed the Start button, the
495-horsepower, 470 lb-ft LT2 6.2-Liter small block V8 roared vivaciously to
life, with a sound that Dan compared immediately to the “Ferocious blast of NASCAR
thunder.” In this mid-engine C8, the compact pushrod V8 is located behind the
cabin, and the passenger can even see it if they twist a bit in their seat. The
anchor of the center console is a rotary selector wheel that keeps the driver's
hand stable during the adjustment of the knob.
Dan excitedly selected Track mode, then dialed up
Sport 2 to activate the electronic stability control mode. He put the car in
Drive and edged toward the pit exit, to start doing laps with the lead driver
ahead of him. Once you are on your way, the computer-controlled dual-clutch
transmission can shift itself like as ordinary automatic, or you can use the
column-mounted shift paddles to take manual control.
The Pilot Sport 4s tires come with the Z51
performance package, as well as aerodynamic upgrades and an electronic
limited-slip differential. As he powered through curves, Dan noticed the grip
beginning to build, and he was able to push the car even harder by the second. After
he got used to the overall feel of the track, Dan put the stability control to
the test, and during turn-ins and braking could not quite make out times when
the computer would intervene.
He felt that the Stingray's Brembo brakes were
impressive, firm, and had just the right amount of friction without an abrupt
grip. The mid-engine layout also gives the car a character with an entirely new
sense of balance, that the outgoing C7 simply can't evoke when being tossed
around at high speeds.
Earlier models were also criticized for the delay
between the paddle and response from the
gearbox, and engineers for this model wired the
buttons directly to the transmission’s shift controller, allowing the shift
requests to proceed straight to the needed destination for the quickest
shifting possible. This miracle of modern engineering that introduced itself to
the world in a large California airplane hangar this summer keeps on wowing
experts worldwide and has finally reached the ranks of its much pricier
European track icons!