Idea of Future Stop-Start Engine Tech for Corvette Gets Mixed Reviews
It seems that General Motors’ decision to forgo one high-tech feature on the new 2014 Corvette Stingray out of fear it would hurt the car’s image might have been a smart move.
According to some of the opinions expressed here, on the Corvette Forum, the idea of adding the fuel-saving stop-start engine technology to the Corvette takes away from the heart and soul of the sports car.
“People don’t buy Corvettes for fuel economy,” wrote Kdepew, a Junior member on the Corvette Forum. “Adding fuel saving functionality that detracts from the driving experience doesn’t make sense.”
“Anyone who is thinking stop/start is a good idea and has never experienced it, you may want to think twice about giving it passive approval,” noted Speednet, a senior Corvette Forum member. “Even if you think, ‘hey, that’s OK, I can always turn it off,’ think again. Most cars utilizing stop/start will always start with it enabled, meaning you have to turn it off every time you start the car. And you WILL want to turn it off.”
Some Corvette Forum members, however, don’t seem to mind the idea.
“As long as its operation is nearly imperceptible, sounds like a good thing actually,” wrote Guibo, a CF member.
“I’ve driven my share of rental cars with Stop/Start and have a Camry Hybrid with it,” noted senior Corvette Forum member, BlueOx. “I never even noticed it in normal traffic. I’m sure if you have a manual you’d just be a little into the gas anyway.”
The 2014 Corvette equipped with the standard 6.2-liter V8 and the new seven-speed manual transmission is rated at 17 mpg city/29 mpg highway, according to the EPA, which is an increase in highway fuel economy of nearly 12 percent compared to the 2013 model.
However, with federal regulations mandating that each automaker needs to increase the fuel economy of their vehicle fleet 4 percent annually through 2025, GM might not be able to avoid adding the technology in the near future, which many Corvette fans seem to be coming to grips with despite being strongly against the move.
“We may all be living and enjoying the last few years of great performance (at least all-engine, non-hybrid performance),” wrote OnPoint, another senior CF member. “We’ll look back on this time down the road and realize just how good we have it now. Let’s enjoy our non-hybrid V8 Corvettes. May not be long until they’re gone.”