njedwardz

Hey all,

I'm sure there have been plenty of discussions on these topics, but I think they could provoke some interesting ideas.

To start, I have a 2013 base C6 A6 1LT with a set of headers, an intake, and a tune (about 430 rwhp).
My dad has a 2014 C7 A6 3LT without Z51 or anything performance related; no mods.

Now, to start with, pretty much every review of any auto corvette (C7 included) pans the transmission as being slow-shifting. WHAT? Now, I haven't driven a 911 recently, but I have occasionally driven a Panamera with a PDK, and frankly, my C6 with a light tranny tune shifts faster and significantly harder than that does (and I don't have to replace clutches all the time). My car was about the same way before any mods were made. My dad's stingray is a slightly more refined version of mine.
So, what are these reviewers driving? I'm amazed that anyone could look at the 6L80 and say that it's slow or just a typical automatic. Do I miss complete lock in first and second gear like I'd have with a DCT or straight up stick? A little, but not enough to complain that the A6 feels disconnected from the road or anything.

Also, I've seen reviews/articles on the internet talking about how all of the "economy" features, or even the traditional pushrod design "rob the engine of performance". If you think the LS/LT series of engines is "robbed of performance", clearly you've never driven one. ~500bhp and ~28 mpg doesn't sound like "robbed performance" to me.

So, what's up with all this? Why the bashing of features on a corvette that really don't need improvement? I think reviewers are afraid of saying "yeah, this $50k vette is legitimately as good as/better than this $100k <insert exotic performance car here>". Could my car use a little refinement? Sure. Not enough to make me feel bad about not getting a Porsche though.

Looking forward to everyone's input/opinions on this.

LedZepper

Maybe some people are compelled to disparage things that are popular with so many others. I learned a long time ago that it's not important to impress everybody else, so just focus on impressing yourself.

As for the Corvette? The pushrod engine is more compact than an overhead cam. The leaf springs are light, save space, and enable the car to sit lower. Etc., etc. The fact that these things are still around after several generations means that the engineers judged them to be the best solutions to balance performance, cost, reliability and maintainability. Maybe for some people, a $120k 911, or $280k Ferrari, or a $1M whatever just HAS to be better than a $70k Corvette. Maybe they are, but my Vette is the super car that I can afford and enjoy everyday.

fyreline

by LedZepper: "Maybe for some people, a $120k 911, or $280k Ferrari, or a $1M whatever just HAS to be better than a $70k Corvette".

I think this is the key. In some features or specific areas of performance, those mega-buck cars are superior to the C6 (and to a much lesser degree, the C7) Corvette. People who spend that kind of money don't like it when that damned Chevrolet has little or no trouble keeping up with them . . . Or even worse, it slips by them. As in most things in life, the important question isn't COST, it's VALUE. The reality is, you cannot buy more world-class performance for less money than a Corvette. Period.

This will never sit well with those who MUST have that prancing horse, or charging bull, or Porsche jacket/medallions/shoes etc. I remember years ago talking about this with a friend who was wealthy enough by far to drive whatever luxury car he chose. He had owned everything up to and including Rolls-Royces. Eventually he started buying a loaded Cadillac Fleetwood every other year. His reasoning was that he could have 95% of the luxury-car experience in the Cadillac at less than 1/3 of the price of the Rolls-Royce . . . And there were certain features of the Cadillac he even liked better. Yes, there was that "certain something" about owning a Rolls-Royce . . . But he always found that most people were just as impressed by a new Cadillac, he was just as comfortable, service was both easier and cheaper to get (and less required, in his experience), and for his money the Cadillac was a better overall car.

To each their own, I guess. Porsches and Ferraris are fine cars, but performance-wise the Corvette (especially the C7) is every bit their equal. It makes it increasingly difficult to justify the prices those other manufacturers charge, and increasingly embarrassing for their owners when they realize they are paying an awful lot more than they have to. At that level, it's more of a boutique car. Is a $4000 Gucci purse from Rodeo Drive actually "worth" it, as opposed to the nicest purse you can buy in a "regular" store at the mall? To some people, it is. And that's fine.

BWF07

Until the C7 came out, not many auto publication ever gave the Corvette it due. They always wanted to compare it to vehicles that cost 2 and 3 time as much. Now don't get me wrong, but if I were in a financial situation that would allow be to purchase a 458 Ferrari I would. We have a member in our club that happens to own 2 Ferrari's a 2011 and just picked up a C7. Actually he ordered C7 coupe and picked it up a few weeks after they started shipping them. turned around as soon as the roadster were available and traded in the coupe for the roadster. He actually loves driving either Corvette as much as his Ferrari's.

fyreline

I guess that's the point. All the extra expense to buy a Ferrari over a Corvette doesn't necessarily buy any more performance . . . It buys that prancing horse, and for some folks, it's worth it. It's their money, so it's their choice.

Arclight

Apples and Oranges. People that can afford to spend $250K or so on an exotic do so because they CAN. The question of "what car offers the most bang for their buck" never came up. I am not in that position.

My last car was a 2009 Mercedes C63 AMG, it was awesome-but not trouble free and I would NEVER own one off of factory warranty. I purchased a 2013 GS 3LT and absolutely love it. In 2001 I had the displeasure of owning a 1999 Porsche 911 (first year of the water cooled 911,the 996). After Porsche had performed over $22K of warranty work it was time to get out.

You buy what you want and can afford. If you can justify dropping $120K for a new 911S-go ahead. Trying to argue performance vs. price vs. prestige is a waste of time.

Buy what YOU want. IMO, a Corvette is a supercar that the average working man can aspire to and afford. A Ferrari 458 ? Seriously,like I said Apples and Oranges.

jimb100

First off, I like Corvettes. My 08 vert is my 4th one. I like performance but I don't like having too much money tied up in a car. I like other things, too.

Facts are facts. A twisty 2 lane road with lots of ups and downs is tough for a vette. The car feels big. Throw in a little bumpy pavement and, unless you are a professional driver, you need to slow down.

Some more expensive cars can be driven faster, more comfortably, than a C6.

Some cars have better materials, fit and finish. You can pay a lot for that step up in quality.

As I said, I like the Corvette for what it is but there are good reasons why there are cars that cost more.

olefam

I have to agree with Jimb100. Very few of us will ever take our Corvettes, Ferraries, or 911's to their limits. Those other very expensive super-cars MAY help their owners drive faster more safely. But where are they driving? I love going to the track for a day of fun. But what I have seen is that the 60-year-old fellow in a new Ferrari does not drive any faster around a course than the 25-year-old person driving around the course in his C5. Hell - truth be known, I scare the **** out of myself if I get a little too enthusiastic in my GS. The point is, a very expensive car may offer a very slight edge in performance. But the skill of the driver determines whether that edge can be taken advantage of. Materials, workmanship, etc. are all valid reasons to pay more for a car. But for me, I have no complaints with my GS coupe. And I couldn't imagine myself paying twice the money to get tighter seams or softer leather. Personally, I am very grateful that Harley Earl designed the Corvette and that Zora made it a true sports car.
Glen

BJC_Z06

The Corvette was, and still is, my dream car. I am glad that the C7 did not top the C6Z06 (like the C6 did to the C5Z06), because I can still say that I drive the baddest boy on the block.

One note of opinion. There is no comparison between a C6 automatic and a Porsche PDK transmission. I am not sure where that comparison came from.

brywood

FYI - you are less than 365 days until the next "baddest boy" comes out...2015 ZO6 (mini ZR1)...enjoy as you have one hellava nice ride.

njedwardz

I made the comparison. I've driven a Panamera with a PDK quite a few times. It's nice, but doesn't shift as quick as my A6. Maybe that's because it's a 4000lb V6 sedan hatchback and they might have tuned the PDK down a bit on those. It's also a lot rougher starting out than my car is (it kind of dumps the clutch after the first 5-6 mph). As I said, I haven't driven a 997 or 991 with the PDK; it's probably a bit different.

Also, I've read in a few places on this forum that people dislike the A6 with the base 2.56 rear end because "6th gear is too tall" or something to that effect and they feel that they can't accelerate properly to pass people in top gear. Again, WHAT? Maybe my car is just dramatically different, but my car PULLS in 6th (and every gear under it). I've never had a reason to downshift on the highway to pass someone (I've done it for fun though ha). This was true before I modified the car in any way, and it's definitely true now that I have a couple things done.

I guess my point of all this is that I'm amazed at some of the things people say about these cars. A lot of the negative things that are said make me think that the "reviewers" have NEVER driven a C6. Idk, maybe the transmission shifted really slow and slipped a lot in the pre 2013 cars and they just magically refined it right before I bought one (doubt it). Maybe the pre 13 cars had no torque under 2k RPM and they changed the stock cam, intake, headers, etc. just for my year (also doubt it).

Main point: I love the Corvette, I love the C6 (and C7), and I wish they would get the coverage they deserve as being truly incredible pieces of engineering.

KayJay

Many major publications, such as Road & Track, Autoweek and Car and Driver, have highly praised the C7 and have stated that it is a performance bargain. So have various TV programs that have reviewed the car. The consensus is that, yes, a Ferrari, Porsche or certain BMWs may slightly outperform the C7 but certainly not in proportion to the price differences.

corvetteflier

Car&Driver compared the '06 Vette to an '06 911S and the Vette won outright, and blew it away when price was factored in. The C7 just beat the 911S again when price was factored, but didn't win outright, although it was close performance-wise. I love the 911S but could never rationalize the huge price difference. Won't even go to a 458 or F12. What bugs me, as good as the C7 appears to be, the constant denigrating of the C6 in comparison. The C6 was and is the best performance value out there, period. The C7 seems to be better in some areas, although it has a lower top speed, which doesn't get much press. The new 911S is also much better than the '06 version. So what? When I consider the $7k I didn't spend on a '14, it makes me love my '13 even more.

njedwardz

I agree completely! A lot of people asked me why I didn't wait 2 months and get a C7. The primary reason was that I didn't want to start modding a car that had just come out. I had my grand plans for a sound system upgrade that I would do to whatever car I bought, plus I knew I would want the exhaust to be louder and everything to be tuned a bit faster. All that being said, I knew there wouldn't be any parts, OEM or aftermarket, available for some time on the '14's. The $10k that they were taking off of C6's was a huge bonus (but I still got a 1LT because then I could afford headers, intake, speakers, etc.).

My dad's Stingray got backed into while he was parked at a friend's house (someone hit the driver side door, rear QP, side skirt, etc.) in Novemberish. The car is still in the shop. I can't imagine how long it would take to get replacement engine parts or new computer systems if something important broke!!