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From a Non-corvette guy written for my Audi buddies where I spend most of my forum time. BTW this is my 66th car (and 3rd Corvette) so I've been around the block a few times:
Well....2100 miles on it now. Mostly local country driving but a few local trips and one big one to QDM. Town, country and mountain driving...
Overall MPG 22.5 per my Fuelly logging. I haven't even redlined it yet as I just don't drive like that. Conservative 120 top speed seen to date (effortless)
Light Mechanical mods done to date:
AFE Intake system
Z51 spec sway bars and shocks (Bilsteins)
The car is so good out of the box, I doubt I'll do more..
Problems and issues: NONE
The infotainment interface sucks...Wish it was as good as the Beetle.
All that said, it's a very compelling machine. Handling now with the Z51 stuff is brilliant. Firm but supple. Very controlled and satisfying day to day. I'm really liking how this has come together. I've always been a fan of relatively light springing with good bar and shock control. These Z51 mods have been perfect IMO and extremely cheap at $600 for the set-up..
Powa: awesome as you would imagine. Likely 475 now with the intake mods. Lottsa torque which you feel every day
Quality: 20K into production they pretty much have this first year model figured out. No issues, no failures, no squeaks, rattles or anything else that would be typical first year issues.
Transmission: The 6 speed paddleshifter is really quite good. Not a DSG, but quick and responsive. Driving modes change the shift parameters nicely and put the car in the mood you choose (Tour, sport, track). I am very pleased that I made this choice. In tour mode it's like a rocket sled....Smooth and fast. Throw it in sport of track and it's responsive and crisp with blipped downshifts and higher RPM upshifts. Not your daddy's automatic for sure. It is a pleasure in any mode.
Handling: The car feels light and agile. Turn in is excellent and chassis control beyond reproach with my mods. Very satisfying to drive fast on secondary roads. It did great in the mountains and I hadn't even added the shocks at that point. Consider it's the same weight as an average TT and you'll understand.
Tires: The new Michelin Runflats are excellent. Big improvement from earlier generations. I'd buy em again.
Brakes: More than excellent. This is my 4th car with 4 pot Brembos (2 Porsches, Mustang, and GTi). It really doesn't get any better. Smooth, progressive with great feel. I've been a fan of these...I continue to be.
Interior: Leather and aluminum....Worlds better than previous generations. Seats rival my old Sparco's for support and feel. Lots of power adjustability including side bolsters. Ventilated function blows air nicely up your **** for a nice feel!!. It's a pleasant place to spend your time.
Styling: Aggressive and modern. This is all very personal, but I like the look..It is definitely a head turner as there are still few out there..
Anyway, It's punching all my buttons at the moment. I suspect it will for some time to come.
It was a fun project, but in the end it was just a C6...Nothing really special like the C7.
Naturally (as well all know) the C7 is a far better car in every respect. While I liked my '08, I only kept it 1.5 years and moved on to other things. I suspect the C7 will be around longer as it does what I like so well.
Great looking car and good review. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. We are just about parallel with time, miles and impressions. I placed my order in January hoping to get my car about halfway into the year's build, and to have it by spring. I picked up 16075 on March 8 and it has been rock solid on all fronts. Hell, I even like the infotainment system!
Can you add a sentence or two comparing to your '08? Like your '08 stock and after all your mods? TIA
I traded a modded '08 coupe on my C7. The only similarity is the name. The C7 is so much more refined in every way there really is no comparison. The biggest noticeable difference? The interior; C6 was all plastic and cheap while C7 is all leather and aluminum (my C6 was 1LT and the C7 is 3LT so the comparison might not be absolutely fair, but GM finally got the Corvette interior right.)
I have the identical impressions with my 'vert. Just like you, I had a C6 first. I really liked the C6, but definitely not the same car as the C7, not even NEAR the same league. You know, I never keep a car more than 2, maybe 2.5 years. I think I will have this one much, much longer.
06-25-2014, 06:39 PM
C7: 3 month review....>
