Top Gear Magazine (UK) Has Full C7 Writeup
10-17-2013, 05:30 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Top Gear Magazine (UK) Has Full C7 Writeup
I am holding the hardcopy October issue of Top Gear Magazine (UK version). It is a thick, glossy "20th Anniversary Massive Collectors' Issue".
On page 108 they start an 8-page spread on the 2014 Stingray. Five pages are pictures-only, so there isn't really all that much text. It is a follow-on to Pat Devereux's earlier "First Drive" writeup from July or August. Not much new if you read that piece, but I can't find a link to the article online and I haven't seen anybody else mention it on the Forum.
I am one of the old-timer hardnosed types who believes in copyrights, so I am not going to scan the entire article and post it here or retype the entire thing. But in the spirit of Fair Use commentary upon published works, I'll pick out a few representative quotes.
The article title is "Barbed Wired: It's the birth of a new era, as the Corvette - a Yankee flawed hero - gets a tech makeover to fight back against the dominance of old-world sports cars" - which is a reference to the title shot of a Velocity Yellow Z51 photographed in a barbwire-fenced field near some of California's prototypical oak trees and rolling hills.
Pat starts us off with his positive opinion in the first sentence: "It's taken 50 years to get there, but the Chevrolet Corvette is now a car the world can really appreciate, not just the US."
Later he writes: "...the Corvette has broken through the 'Good for a US car' phase and into the 'awesome anywhere' category."
He gets his facts right about the frame being lighter, while the overall car is a bit heavier than the C6. He also acknowledges and summarily dismisses the taillight controversy. Most of the article is spent summarizing the technical features we are all well-acquainted with. The only factual error I spotted was that he says you get an extra 5bhp by ordering the Z51 package, instead of attributing that boost to the NPP exhaust. He is certainly high on the Z51 and recommends it as a must-order configuration.
Pat is extremely complimentary about the interior: "There's not even a hint of the low-grade plastic finishes from the C6." And, "... let's move into the cabin, which is an altogether more pleasant experience than ever before."
He quickly mentions and dismisses the leaf-spring nonsense that Jeremy likes to go on about, saying that "it works well enough to not be an issue" even on some very rough road driving he tried.
He sniffs haughtily at the "six-speed carryover automatic gearbox for US buyers only, but you absolutely mustn't go near this unless you are physically unable to drive a manual. That's partly because the auto belongs in a different era to the rest of the car, but also because the seven-speed manual is a key part of the C7 show."
His final paragraph summarizes his strong satisfaction with the car: "There will always be the haters who dismiss cars like the Vette as poor relations to the European and Asian equivalents. But, on the strength of this quick drive, they'll have trouble justifying it this time. Chevy benchmarked the new Stingray against the Porsche 911, and it's got damn close in lots of areas. It might have taken 50 years to get here, but with the C7, the Corvette Stingray has finally arrived."
On page 108 they start an 8-page spread on the 2014 Stingray. Five pages are pictures-only, so there isn't really all that much text. It is a follow-on to Pat Devereux's earlier "First Drive" writeup from July or August. Not much new if you read that piece, but I can't find a link to the article online and I haven't seen anybody else mention it on the Forum.
I am one of the old-timer hardnosed types who believes in copyrights, so I am not going to scan the entire article and post it here or retype the entire thing. But in the spirit of Fair Use commentary upon published works, I'll pick out a few representative quotes.
The article title is "Barbed Wired: It's the birth of a new era, as the Corvette - a Yankee flawed hero - gets a tech makeover to fight back against the dominance of old-world sports cars" - which is a reference to the title shot of a Velocity Yellow Z51 photographed in a barbwire-fenced field near some of California's prototypical oak trees and rolling hills.
Pat starts us off with his positive opinion in the first sentence: "It's taken 50 years to get there, but the Chevrolet Corvette is now a car the world can really appreciate, not just the US."
Later he writes: "...the Corvette has broken through the 'Good for a US car' phase and into the 'awesome anywhere' category."
He gets his facts right about the frame being lighter, while the overall car is a bit heavier than the C6. He also acknowledges and summarily dismisses the taillight controversy. Most of the article is spent summarizing the technical features we are all well-acquainted with. The only factual error I spotted was that he says you get an extra 5bhp by ordering the Z51 package, instead of attributing that boost to the NPP exhaust. He is certainly high on the Z51 and recommends it as a must-order configuration.
Pat is extremely complimentary about the interior: "There's not even a hint of the low-grade plastic finishes from the C6." And, "... let's move into the cabin, which is an altogether more pleasant experience than ever before."
He quickly mentions and dismisses the leaf-spring nonsense that Jeremy likes to go on about, saying that "it works well enough to not be an issue" even on some very rough road driving he tried.
He sniffs haughtily at the "six-speed carryover automatic gearbox for US buyers only, but you absolutely mustn't go near this unless you are physically unable to drive a manual. That's partly because the auto belongs in a different era to the rest of the car, but also because the seven-speed manual is a key part of the C7 show."
His final paragraph summarizes his strong satisfaction with the car: "There will always be the haters who dismiss cars like the Vette as poor relations to the European and Asian equivalents. But, on the strength of this quick drive, they'll have trouble justifying it this time. Chevy benchmarked the new Stingray against the Porsche 911, and it's got damn close in lots of areas. It might have taken 50 years to get here, but with the C7, the Corvette Stingray has finally arrived."
10-17-2013, 05:36 PM
#2
Melting Slicks
Thanks for the post...good write-up!
10-17-2013, 05:37 PM
#3
Racer
Thanks for that. Interesting take on the auto after hearing those kind of comments early on here in the forum, but once people had them and drove them, they mostly felt it was a fantastic auto.
10-17-2013, 05:52 PM
#5
Drifting
Member Since: Jul 2013
Location: Grand Rapids area MI and Palm Coast, FL
Posts: 1,398
Received 199 Likes
on
116 Posts
I have an auto and it is great. I can't manual shift quite as fast or nearly as flawlessly as the auto. My wife very much appreciates the auto the 2 hrs per year she gets to drive the car! (-0- so far so I better give her a chance--maybe "soon")
10-17-2013, 06:49 PM
#7
Team Owner
What is funny in the article is that the 7 speed manual transmission that he says "is the key part of the C7 show" is the same ole transmission used in the C6 except it has an additional overdrive that has nothing to do with performance.
How many here are dumping their C6 solely because the C7 has an additional overdrive gear that adds weight?
How many here are dumping their C6 solely because the C7 has an additional overdrive gear that adds weight?
Last edited by JoesC5; 10-17-2013 at 06:52 PM.
10-17-2013, 07:07 PM
#8
The Consigliere
Member Since: May 2006
Location: 2023 Z06 & 2010 ZR1
Posts: 22,247
Received 5,444 Likes
on
2,270 Posts
Thanks for the post.
Good stuff.
Good stuff.
10-17-2013, 09:05 PM
#9
GM could have re-worked it for a slicker action. It also rev matches and that can have an impact on the sporty feel of the car. He could also mean that in this day of more and more performance cars going to automated gearboxes, the ability to change manually could be a refreshing choice for purists.
10-17-2013, 11:27 PM
#10
GM could have re-worked it for a slicker action. It also rev matches and that can have an impact on the sporty feel of the car. He could also mean that in this day of more and more performance cars going to automated gearboxes, the ability to change manually could be a refreshing choice for purists.
My son and I proceeded to drive it on 2 lane roads, upshifting and downshifting the entire 500 miles back to Charlotte, NC. Now, after 1800 miles, it is buttery smooth and shifts like a champ, very quick, comfortable and easy. I've gotten used to the spring tensioners and have no trouble finding 5th, 6th and 7th. I am very pleased with the 7 speed at this point.
Apparently, some break-in was required.
10-18-2013, 09:28 AM
#12
Instructor
Member Since: Dec 2007
Posts: 248
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
10-18-2013, 09:39 AM
#13
Le Mans Master
Thanks for the tidbits from the article. The comments about the A6 pretty much sums it up that GM will need to replace it as soon as possible. I hope they offer the new transmission for the Z06. 
Zackly! Especially Jeremy's opinion (to me) isn't worth 2 tuppence! 
10-18-2013, 10:15 AM
#15
new tranny in c7 run?
wonder if gm would change/upgrade the auto for the C7 during the model run? i would think that would be too much to do, UNLESS the z06/zr1 was so equipped (a-la-pdk?).
10-18-2013, 11:18 AM
#16
Burning Brakes
The Brits are among the most ego-centric, dim-witted people on the Planet, even though they write comedy well. (If you look in the dictionary for the word "ignoramus" you will find a picture of Jeremy Clarkson, although I will admit he is very funny. I just wouldn't ask for any advice from him on what car to buy.)
American engineers have NOTHING to apologize for. BMW could not build a car as good as the Chevy Cruze and sell it for anything less than twice the price. We put a man of the moon, (Apollo 11), landed a SUV-size rover on Mars, and just flew the first man-made object out of the solar system (Voyager 1). Anyone who has doubted our expertise or resolve has lost.
In that light, the GM 6L80 A6 shifts much smoother than anything Porsche or ZF have ever devised and can run routinely over 200,000 miles. Great for grand touring. With the updates and new control software incorporated in the C7, it can also shift as fast as all but the fastest DCT's, handle the power and torque of the LT1, and still go 200,000 miles. GM does not need to apologize for this transmission, and I would be surprised to see them change it out anytime soon, (except for fuel economy improvements).
10-18-2013, 11:27 AM
#17
Le Mans Master
Anyone with complaints about the NEW A6 in the C7 either hasn't driven it for more than 10 minutes, or is too stupid to figure out how to get the embedded software to shift it to their satisfaction.
The Brits are among the most ego-centric, dim-witted people on the Planet, even though they write comedy well. (If you look in the dictionary for the word "ignoramus" you will find a picture of Jeremy Clarkson, although I will admit he is very funny. I just wouldn't ask for any advice from him on what car to buy.)
American engineers have NOTHING to apologize for. BMW could not build a car as good as the Chevy Cruze and sell it for anything less than twice the price. We put a man of the moon, (Apollo 11), landed a SUV-size rover on Mars, and just flew the first man-made object out of the solar system (Voyager 1). Anyone who has doubted our expertise or resolve has lost.
In that light, the GM 6L80 A6 shifts much smoother than anything Porsche or ZF have ever devised and can run routinely over 200,000 miles. Great for grand touring. With the updates and new control software incorporated in the C7, it can also shift as fast as all but the fastest DCT's, handle the power and torque of the LT1, and still go 200,000 miles. GM does not need to apologize for this transmission, and I would be surprised to see them change it out anytime soon, (except for fuel economy improvements).
The Brits are among the most ego-centric, dim-witted people on the Planet, even though they write comedy well. (If you look in the dictionary for the word "ignoramus" you will find a picture of Jeremy Clarkson, although I will admit he is very funny. I just wouldn't ask for any advice from him on what car to buy.)
American engineers have NOTHING to apologize for. BMW could not build a car as good as the Chevy Cruze and sell it for anything less than twice the price. We put a man of the moon, (Apollo 11), landed a SUV-size rover on Mars, and just flew the first man-made object out of the solar system (Voyager 1). Anyone who has doubted our expertise or resolve has lost.
In that light, the GM 6L80 A6 shifts much smoother than anything Porsche or ZF have ever devised and can run routinely over 200,000 miles. Great for grand touring. With the updates and new control software incorporated in the C7, it can also shift as fast as all but the fastest DCT's, handle the power and torque of the LT1, and still go 200,000 miles. GM does not need to apologize for this transmission, and I would be surprised to see them change it out anytime soon, (except for fuel economy improvements).
