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After 18 joyful months with the C63, I needed something else. I had fallen out of love, and just wanted a change.
I picked up my first corvette this morning - a 2014 Z51, 3LT, red on red, competition seats and transparent roof with 3700 miles.
Things I like:
Looks. The C7, particularly in the front is very dramatic and has striking lines. The C7s new looks are primarily what got me interested in a corvette for the first time, I'll admit it. I am not sold on the rear end, I think it looks a bit busy, but overall, the bodywork is very pretty.
Competition pack seats. They look and feel great. I am huge sucker for sporty seats, especially after the great seats in the C63, so these feel perfect.
Ride quality is very acceptable. I'd even say it's plusher than the C63, believe it or not. Even with the Z51 package, it's quite comfortable. Or maybe I have very low standards because before the C63, I had a Porsche that was lowered on Bilstein PSS10s and rode like a go kart.
HUD is terrific. I've never had this feature in a car before, so its a first for me.
The whole "active fuel management" switching between V4 and V8 is seamless and slick. They seem to have done a good job with this - it's clever, and I like that.
6 speed auto feels acceptable. This was the biggest gripe about this car that made me hesitate about buying it quite a bit. But from the short time I've had with it, it seems OK. Downshifts are quick enough and upshifts are slower (but similar to any other torque converter auto I've had)
Infotainment system is good and easy to use. I like that we can type in the entire address on the nav screen without having to jump through the "country, state, city, street" bs of the W204's old school nav.
The targa roof seems really easy to undo, I tried it just for the heck of it and had it off in under a minute. I have never had a targa roof so this would be another first.
Things I don't like:
The looks. Yes, I know I said that's one thing I like. But this is a very dramatic car. And the red over red is very conspicuous. In the 5 hours I drove around in it, more people nodded their heads or did double takes or said "nice car" than the entire time I have owned my past AMGs. I personally don't like that and think this attention grabbing will start to stress me out. That's also why I love AMGs, they just blend in anonymously with every other mercedes that no one pays any attention.
Chrome wheels. Definitely got to go. I will get them powder coated gloss black.
Engine doesn't seem very rev-happy. Revs don't rise and fall as fluidly as my AMG. Especially when you lift off, they seem to hang/hover for a while before starting to fall. Overall, the engine just feels a bit lazy.
Car in general doesn't feel as fast as the C63. Keep in mind I am comparing to my eurocharged C63 making over 500 hp. The M156 is one of the best motors of all time, so I knew well going in that a Chevy motor isn't going to feel as good.
Throttle seems to have VERY LONG travel. I really seem to need to mash it hard to get the car to show urgency. May just be a Corvette thing I need to get used to.
Heated seats don't seem to get too hot.
Its definitely much noisier in the cabin than the AMG and tire roar is very high. 80 mph feels like 80 mph, whereas the C63 had this dangerous ability to make 110 feel like 75. In that regard, the C7 feels much like my Porsche 996 did - its quite noisy and dramatic inside, and going fast for long periods is going to be hard work I think.
The tires chirp when making sharp turns or tight u-turns. Never had a car do that, feels weird.
I can't seem to just turn off the exhaust but still drive it in sport or track mode. I know the steering can be set independent of mode, but exhaust seems to be either mode dependent or always on.
Interesting! i test drove my first corvette 2 weeks ago just for the hell of it... it was a 2015 stingray z51 ( I think ) 7 speed manual. Though it was fun I still prefer my 09 c63 over the corvette.The big thing i noticed was the vette felt very heavy compared to my c63. I am guessing a Z06 might be a different story.
Beautiful car though, can't argue with the looks of a corvette, hope you enjoy it for awhile!
I had a 350/350 Corvette. Bought it after saving my USNR AcDuTra/drill pay for a year. Got a deal from a 'car guy' buddy...................$3250. Sold it 4 years later for 3X. Great memories.
But my M-B is smoother - looking, driving (and fueling).........just a little slower.
Congrats xxaarraa, the dog in the back pic :3. That red on red is a bit bright but like you said, sure to make people look twice. Post pics once you start modding it!
It should be just as fast as a stock c63 p31 imo n faster than a base c63
Saw a z51 make 2 good clean ( no wheels spin ) passes just yesterday, excellent track and DA. it ran mid mid 12s at 114-115 mph on both passes. However i don't know if it was a auto or manual i assume it was stock. Driver could have been not the best. Just reporting what i saw, not looking for drama :-)
Very nice. Congratulations! The thing that I LOVE about the Vette is the removable roof. You get all the sexy looks of the hard top coupe and still get to enjoy open top driving on those perfect days.
I was wondering if I was the only person who was looking at the Z51 for a new car. Your move makes this even more tempting after giving your pros and cons list. Congrats!
04-09-2016, 10:45 PM
