I own a 2006 c6 Z06. I've had it for the past 3 years and really enjoy it. A good friend of mine recently bought a 2014 laguna blue z51 3lt 7 speed corvette. He let me borrow it and drag race it this last weekend including a 120 mile drive down to Tucson. Overall I think Chevy did a good job but I'm mixed on if I would own one.

The styling is great in person. I love the looks. Car is blue with exposed CF rood, black mirrors/spoiler and black wheels. It really stands out. Interior is great. The materials are good, and the layout is nice. The dash/screen are great. The stereo/nav is slow to respond at times which hopefully gets fixed with a software update. I would click up and down on the favorite buttons on the steering wheel and at times get a noticeable lag. The screens are easy to read and good size.

Performance was good. Handling is top notch, brakes good. Straight line performance is decent. My z06 makes 1000+rwhp so it felt tame compared to that but for a bone stock car it had some pep. Hopefully the aftermarket finds an easy way to get 200rwhp more out of it then I could be happy. It felt a bit slower than my 2012 GT mustang that has intake/tune and track times confirmed that. Overall though it is a great car from the factory. Clutch was a bit tricky at first but not bad at all once you get use to it.

Now the bad part is I don't think it was that comfortable. I'm 6'2" 250lbs and have wide shoulders/back. The seat bolsters were way too aggressive for me. The middle of my back couldn't even touch the seat. The c6 seats don't have enough support and for me the c7 ones are too aggressive. After an hour in the car my back hurt and I was looking forward to getting out of it. Now for all the smaller people this isn't an issue, so really this is just for larger people. I wish they had a plush comfy seat with the same materials and left the aggressive bolsters for the competition seats. I would buy one if this was fixed but for now this is a deal killer for me. Other complaint would be the roof line seemed lower than my c6. I adjusted the seat every way and still found the roof line low. It was hard to see stop lights when first in line and that just annoys me. I could live with it though.

Overall 8.5 out of 10. Needs more power (for me) and I wish it was more comfy for bigger people but other than that it is great. Wife wants to order one asap. She had nothing bad to say about it. She isn't a car person at all but said this car is awesome and wants one as soon as she can afford it.

 

Lose weight if you want. C7

 

Coming from a 1,000HP car, I can understand why you would say that

 

Fair review based on your experience. Hard to compare a modded or power-added C6 to a stock C7 though.

Oh and your wife has good taste... in cars!

 

Yea it is smaller. I'm guessing that my salesman was about your stature. I felt for him as he shoe horned himself into the passenger seat. I thought surly he does not have it all the way back......... unfortunatly he did.

Plus I think the counsel is a little higher which tightens it up too.

 

"A good friend of mine recently bought a 2014 laguna blue z51 3lt 7 speed corvette. He let me borrow it and drag race it this last weekend including a 120 mile drive down to Tucson"

WOW can I be his friend!?!?
Thanks for the honest feedback. And yea, your wife has good taste!

 

What were your drag times?

 

Lose weight, thanks for the advice. Geez some people are rough around here. I'm not fat at all.

Yes I have good friends.

I'll add on a few more comments:

7 speed I'm mixed on. Had it in 7th cruising down. I think they should have made the other gears tighter. I know they did it for gas mileage but a closer ratio would have been nice. Once again that is my opinion, I know others will like it as is.

The eco mode I couldn't' stand. I could feel it going from v4 to v8. Felt like hitting a rut in the highway. I put it in sport mode for all the around town driving. I wish it would default to whatever mode you left it in last.

Rev matching is super cool. Loved that feature but they should have just put a switch/toggle over by the hud controls instead of the paddle shifters just for that.

The 3lt bose definitely had some boom. Good stereo.

Wife wants a white auto with black interior. Before people keep commenting on her good taste, she has a candy red 2012 mustang right now that she loves so I guess her taste are evolving.

 

See my post in the tech section. Best was 12.9@110.

 

A very good friend had his C5 totaled and is looking to buy a C7 Z51. Another person posted on this forum that has ridden in a Z51, reported that the Z51 without the mag suspension is very harsh riding, much worse than a c6 Z51.

My friend is in his 70's,as is his wife, and won't be tracking the car. but likes the Z51's looks over the base C7. He doesn't want a bucking bronco, since the car will be primarily a cruiser, on long trips.

Did the Z51 you drove have the mag ride, and if not, what was your impression of the ride compared to your C6 Z06? My friend has ridden in my 09 Z06, so he knows how it rides, for a comparison.

I see that you weren't impressed with the seat's comfort and my friend is also a pretty large guy, but only around 5-9, so also interested in the seat comfort at the shoulders as some have reported that they base seats get mighty uncomfortable after 45 minutes or so, in their shoulders.

Thanks

 

No mag ride. It was a lot smoother than my c6z and my wife even commented on that. My c6z has DRM bilsteins and non-runflat tires which helped but the z51 was still smoother. That being said, it wasn't a soft/smooth ride. If I order one or the wife gets one it will have mag ride.

At first the seats didn't bother me, and I thought their maybe some adjustment, but after having the car for the weekend I got to say I'm sad that they are like that. It seems they went overboard. Then again, a lot of people are going to fit perfectly. All my friends besides one fit in and had no issues with the seats.

 

Haha... yeah, I'm like you. 6'4, 225, big but not fat... I sat in all of the '14 Stingrays that were opened up at Bloomington and, although the interior space seems about the same as my 2010, the seats are very race-like for the big-guy. Lots of pressure on the sides of my lower and upper back and shoulders.

Maybe GM will engineer a "larger-frame" seat for us big men who love Vetttes, but can't deal with the cockpit seating.

For you guys who have the perfect 6' 170 frame, I'm sure you'll love the seats!!!

 

I had a standard suspension 13 C6 GS and now the C7 with the standard suspension. I believe the C6 rode about the same as my C5 with non run flats........ but the C7 rides much better then the C6. Even my wife confirms that, in fact you offered it up w/o being asked.

Base suspension works well.

But there soon will be cars to test drive so if it is important wait and do your own evaluation.

 

100% agree with I would wait to test drive or find a nice friend like mine who will let you borrow a car if things like seats/suspension could be an issue.

 

Nice review

 

What an uneducated statement. Loosing weight isn't going to help with broad shoulders.
Having met UnReal this weekend, I can vouch for the fact that he is not fat.
His opinion is that the seats don't fit him.

 

I'm 6'2" and 215lbs and my Vette feels small.
It felt more comfortable when I was 195.
Need more Gym and less table time.
These cars are not really built for very large people.

 

I agree^^^. And that was a very good review with good points and bad. Thanks.