Ingenieur

the euro mags have been giving better and better reviews to 'vettes
EVO C6 Z06 4.5/5
Not that this is a simple point-and-squirt machine. This hepped-up Corvette might not be the last word in sophistication, but it can be hustled along tight roads and thrown around with enormous confidence. Like any super-powerful car, however, you need to learn what it can do before exploiting its potential.
The Z06 is also surprisingly practical, with a good ride, luggage space and a comfortable cabin. A 'daily driver', as Chevrolet has it.
More like a superhero really, especially for under 60 grand. Shame they're all left-hand drive.

sportauto, 5th gear, et all are warming up to them
so far the limited euro reviews on the C7 are even better

Ingenieur

C7 5th gear http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/c...ive-2013-08-19

OK...
First up is the all-new interior. This is probably the biggest improvement to the car. Instead of feeling like you are sitting in something made down to a price, it now looks, feels and operates like it's been built to a modern standard. Replacing the previous nasty plastics, it's now all soft touch, good looking stuff accented with real leather, aluminium and carbon fibre.

$64,000 question - what's it like to drive?
In a word: stunning. What the 'Vette team has managed to achieve with the C7 is nothing short of astonishing. You basically get three cars in one. It will comfortably cruise all day, mopping up bumps, sipping fuel and generally letting you go about your business without getting in the way. You'd be happy commuting in it. Equally it has the performance - and luggage space under the rear hatch - to handle long journeys with ease. But the really special bit is, without touching anything more than the chassis set up dial, you can take it to a track and have hours of fun, too.

So should I buy one then?
If you've ever thought about a 'Vette, now is the time. By thoroughly updating the car the C7 team have vaulted to the front of the wave of modern two-seater sportscars. There really isn't anything else on the market that does as much as this car can do for even twice the price.

SL65amg

can anyone confirm what motor trend is now saying :

the next cts v which should come out in 2016 will have a twin turbo version of the corvette stingrays 6.2 liter V-8? if so that would be a devastatingly fast car for sure....

also it is now said that an even more powerful version of this engine will power the next ZR1.

supposedly, the all new next C7 ZR1 will be even lighter than the new Z06 but also have somewhere between 725 to 765 horsepower biturbo.

furthermore, does anyone have any more info on this upcoming Z06 X version which will be a lighter more extreme version of the new Z06 which is supposed to be the equivalent of how benz does a black series or how ferrari does a speciale or scuderia version of some of their cars.

Fastnine

I already know my days are numbered for the SL65 being that true Monster power so i have already plan ahead and will have a 1000hp GTR to compete with these new monsters GM is turning out LOL i have a 2 year plan
I had to tell myself when i got the 65 that its not a drag car its a luxury ride however its very hard not to get baited into the HP wars when you have a car with that much power to start with.

Nanook

I can't wait for the TT ZR1 to replace my Big Bird

SL65amg

yes i understand because what with the new Z06 being so fast (3 second flat or high 2's car? 1/4 mile in high 10's?). the harder core Z06X being even faster, and the next ZR1 being even faster than that (and maybe an even badder ZR1X model?). ....only God knows how much faster these cars are gonna get....other manufacturers are definitely going to step up their games also accordingly.....performance cars are gonna just keep getting faster and faster for sure....

Nanook

Yes yes...tis a great time to be a speed junky

Super_Jim

Define "middle"

I have a C6, the insurance is less than my 4X4.
My insurance broker told me it was an old man's car.
My AMG E63 is less than either and it cost 2 times what the truck cost and has 82Hp more than the vette.

The vette makes an excellent second (or third) car. It's faster, handles better, sounds better, gets significantly better mpg and is funner to drive than the AMG E63. It's cheaply put together, uncomfortable for long rides and only fits two.

bmoney12

Doesn't sound like there is going to be a ZR1.

http://blog.caranddriver.com/corvett...r-development/

Dr Chill

The new C7 Z06 (especially in this new gray color) has me back on the corvette forum boards again. I haven't had a Vette for 5 years and despite having owned a Porsche Cayman S and Turbo S, Audi S4, Audi S6, and the C63 since selling my 600+ hp C5 Z06, I find myself even more excited again about gettng back into a Z06.

I have 2 friends with C7 Vettes and despite very comfortable seats and excellent interior materials quality, there are still obvious uneven exterior panel gaps and uneven body panel alignment on both of their cars. These type of defects would never be found on any car leaving an automobile factory in Germany, and yet they still plague the Corvette. I hope this gets straightened out before I get my C7 Z06.

gthal

I disagree on this comment

I had more issues with my C63 coupe (squeaks, rattles, seat issues, suspension issue, etc) than almost any car I have owned. Early C7s had these issues but as of late they seem to have been largely resolved and relate mostly, IMO, to very early production teething issues.

I'm not suggest that German quality isn't good but it is far from perfect too. I think the Europeans have a reputation that isn't always deserved relative to reliability. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying German quality isn't good but it isn't perfect either and not a heck of a lot better than other manufacturers.

Dr Chill

The issues in your C63 you describe are not the same as the obvious fit/finish and inadequate quality control issues that the Corvette still suffers . I have personally witnessed this on the only two C7's I have been lucky enough to drive or closely examine. I don't think a German car company would release a car to their customer with a trunk that doesn't line up on one side or a fender that has a 5 mm step off on one side where it meets up with the bumper while the other side sits flush. These defects were obvious to me and I wasn't even looking very closely.

Ingenieur

The quality of the euro brands has been decreasing and the US brands increasing...they are about equal now



2013 U.S. Initial Quality Study Results

6/19/2013
Porsche Leads Brand Rankings, Two GM Brands among Top Five
Porsche ranks highest among nameplates included in the 2013 IQS, with an average of 80 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). GMC ranks second with 90 PP100, and Lexus ranks third with 94 PP100. Infiniti (95 PP100) and Chevrolet (97 PP100) round out the top five. Overall initial quality for the industry averages 113 PP100.

BRAND RANKING
Average problems per 100 vehicles of whole line:

• Porsche 80
• GMC 90
• Lexus 94
• Infiniti 95
• Chevrolet 97
• Acura 102
• Toyota 102
• Honda 103
• Jaguar 104
• Hyundai 106
• Kia 106
• Mercedes-Benz 106
• Audi 108
• Cadillac 108
• Buick 109
• Chrysler 109
• Lincoln 113
• INDUSTRY AVERAGE 113
• BMW 114
• Volvo 114
• Smart 115
• Land Rover 116
• Jeep 118
• Volkswagen 120

Merc63

I love pulling up next to corvettes.


But these new ones are starting to worry me.

Jons95c36amg

My C63 has 32k miles and it is flawless. Built solid with no rattles or squeaks. Never went to the dealer for warranty work. Also my Clk55 has 84k miles and no rattles or squeaks. Still solid for a 12 year old car. My bros 2011 Stang 5.0 has rattles. He also had a 2011 Cobalt which made noises.

gthal

I'm not suggesting quality wasn't high in my C63... because it was... I'm simply suggesting that all manufacturers experience issues and the C7 has come a long way. Some of the very early cars did have issues but it seems reports suggest that isn't happening any longer.

jarjoug

Can't wait to see your gorgeous car on the street.

gthal

Me too

Halifax is only getting 2 Stringrays in 2014... one being mine... so there won't be many around for a year or two.

I'm thinking of picking up a C300/350 4matic too for bad weather/winter. I miss my MB.

JRSJR65

All I can say is drive it and decide ... My experience with GM quality automobiles; well I test drove a new Camaro last year what a total POS that car was. I rented a C6 Corvette last year another cheaply made total POS BUT it was so much fun to beat on and drive...155+! I own a GMC Denali truck, great truck overall but for a "top of the line" GM product sorry its crap. LOL my dash is already cracked, interior is flat out cheap materials kind of like my C63 joke of an interior!

callmiro

Callaway Stingray





Corvette tuning specialists Callaway released a single teaser shot showcasing the supercharger kit the firm was working on for the C7 Corvette Stingray. Well, last month, the company’s tuning kit for the new Corvette was released with it being dubbed the SC610.


As you may have guessed, the 610 in the name refers to how much power the new kit delivers. This additional power comes thanks to an Eaton supercharger, new intercooler, high-flow intake and stainless steel sports exhaust and joining the 610 hp at 6,400 rpm is an impressive 556 lb-ft of torque at a relatively low 4,500 rpm. To put this into perspective, that is 155 hp more than the standard naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 powered C7 Corvette and 96 lb-ft of additional torque.

callmiro

Z06 Idling....the rear of that car looks so donkey...completely absent of any design sense....just a big wall of plastic

callmiro

GM 8-Speed In Corvette Z06 Shifts Faster Than Porsche PDK; Here's How


With the new 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 that was introduced this past week at the Detroit Auto Show, GM raises the threat level to the bragging rights of virtually every other supercar in the world.


And while performance numbers are still months away, there were plenty of interesting details released with GM’s Z06 announcement—like an all-new ‘LT4’ engine, as well as a new, GM-designed eight-speed automatic transmission designed for exactly this application.


That new ‘8L90’ transmission, designed completely within GM, by a dedicated team, is a traditional hydraulic automatic—solenoids, valves, planetary gearsets and all—but GM says that it provides the super-quick shifts of dual-clutch boxes, yet with more smoothness.


The eight-speed automatic is actually quicker-shifting than the PDK gearbox in the Porsche 911, GM officials say; and that’s a transmission that engineers benchmarked for the project.
“Almost a custom transmission”


Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter pointed to some tough packaging challenges. There wasn't any existing dual-clutch gearbox that could take the torque of the engine and would fit in the space permitted.


“It's engineered by GM, internally, and many of the parameters were focused on this car,” said Tadge Juechter, at a pre-show event. “So it's almost a custom transmission.”


“We wanted a transmission that provided everyday drivability and compatibility with cylinder deactivation,” Juechter explained, while they also wanted the speed of a DCT. “When you run in four-cylinder mode, a torque converter is really your friend” in everyday cruising conditions, he said.


The transmission will be used in other applications, Juechter confirmed, but many of the attributes of it were driven by the parameters demanded of the Z06 project.


Also of note is that the transmission offers up to a five-percent fuel economy gain over a six-speed automatic used in the same application
Two-port ‘smart pump’ design a key to being lean and quick

2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 - GM 8L90 8-Speed Automatic Transmission

That’s due to a host of engineering changes and analysis of the transmission from scratch, looking at the most efficient path for torque flow. But when we pressed the engineer overseeing the project for the single most important design attribute, he pointed to the ‘smart pump’ setup, in which GM incorporated a binary operation with two inlet discharge ports.


To put it as simply as possible, this clever hydraulic pump system works a bit like the cylinder deactivation the Corvette already has. Under acceleration and aggressive driving, the transmission uses both ports and provides more flow to the clutch packs, to speed up shifts. And then at cruising speed it relaxes to a single port, which reduces drag.


One other key to help minimize drag and mechanical/friction losses for this transmission, which has five clutches and four planetary gearsets, is that only two clutches in any single gear are open at one time. That plays a role in speeding up downshifts, too.


The unit, overall, is the same physical size as the existing six-speed, with the casing and input shaft area designed to be compatible with the C7 Corvette’s ‘torque tube’ that runs down the center of the car and is essentially part of its structure. And thanks to aluminum and magnesium construction it’s eight pounds lighter than the outgoing six-speed. Yet it was designed to allow up to 1000 Nm (738 pound-feet) of input torque—which could suggest, perhaps, that GM could eventually sell them to niche ultraluxury makers with torquey turbocharged V-8s and V-12s.


Tall overdrive ratios? Check.


The new transmission offers deep overdrive ratios for seventh and eighth gears (0.86 and 0.65), while sixth gear is a direct drive. The new setup also allowed them to drop the base axle down to 2.41, from 2.73 (the latter will still be available as an option).


GM is still making decisions about shift pattern, shift points, and the the map for cylinder deactivation, officials said, so any announcement on fuel efficiency will be months away. And its operation in the Z06 would of course be tailored by the Corvette’s mode selector.


The transmission, as it was engineered, would to be able to go into any of GM's rear-wheel drive applications. We take that as a strong hint that this transmission may be headed into the C7 as a rare mid-cycle improvement.


While we’re curious to see where this transmission lands next, we’re eagerly awaiting performance and fuel economy numbers for the Z06. By offering a choice between a seven-speed manual or eight-speed automatic, the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 stands out among 600-hp-plus vehicles. Based on the suggestions of those involved in the project, we’re also expecting the Z06 to be one of the most fuel-efficient supercars on the planet.


http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1...-pdk-heres-how

JRSJR65

In the supercar HP/TQ battles I have often wondered why diesel engines aren't the front runners? I mean 5 years ago I had a truck with a highly modified Cummins engine in that made 900HP and torque numbers were completely off the chart.
Just wondering, is it the weight, emissions, black soot?

jarjoug

I leave the Cayenne in Lunenburg, but have a C250 4-matic. The car is awesome in the snow. Pick one, they are priced very well.

Ingenieur

narrow operating band
can't run a very high rpm due to the method of ignition
the engine itself can't accelerate as quickly as a spark ignited

why haven't they been used extensively in aircraft?