montoya

So as promised, here is my detailed review of my new Grand Sport after almost 3,000 miles. For those of you who missed it, here is my delivery and cross country journal: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...y-journal.html



Review:

Exterior: I am pleasantly surprised at the quality of the exterior. All the BS about poor panel gaps etc. are a thing of the past. I never saw the paint on my car, but of those I’ve seen it’s been excellent. I also have grown to love the look of the rear of the C7, something I didn’t like before purchase. Of course, the overall look is great- somehow classy and sophisticated, while still muscular and aggressive.

Interior: Very good. Is it Porsche quality-no, but still excellent. There are some things I think could be improved, like the quality of the stalk ***** and having rain sensing wipers. The stitching and leather quality again is not up to Porsche standards, single seam stitching vs. French seams on the Porsche. I also have a seam on the top of the dash that is wavy too, so that is unfortunate. The quality of the leather on the steering wheel feels a little too plastic for my taste- I plan to change it out to suede soon. Seat comfort is very good, although on longer drives the bottom seat cushion somehow gets harder (competition seats). Really not a fair comparison to my GT3 with competition seats that had no adjustments, but the on the GS competition seats I could find a comfortable driving position easily. You had to adapt with the comp seats in the GT3.

Ride/Noise/Vibration/harshness: This is a big win for the GS, as the interior noise is greatly reduced from the GT3. This is mainly in the transmission of road noise from the tires. It’s not a huge difference but big enough to make daily driving tolerable compared to intolerable in the GT3. This Is on our rutted roads in the PACNW which have such a gravel like texture that is really a noise generator, especially with performance tires. For example, on my short 10 mile drive to work, the roads are so bad that I would simply just turn off the radio in the GT3 since to hear it at all the radio would be near maximum volume. In the GS I can actually hear the radio over the road noise. I won’t comment on engine note- IMHO both are excellent but different entirely. No question the sound of a flat 6 at 9000 rpm is unique and not comparable. Ride quality is better in the GS, more compliance and range of adjustability. Both are really sophisticated track cars, not rally cars, so both are not great dealing with really bad roads. I give the edge to the Vette as I have yet to have it skitter over bad pavement while that could happen with the GT3. Highway cruising the edge goes to the Vette as the GT3 was never comfortable unless the road was completely smooth.

Infotainment- Just no comparison. The electronics in the GS are better in every way. Voice command actually works, Apple car play is great and PDR is on another level. The weather data is a real plus as well. Having said all that there is a serious deficit with no HD radio. Sound quality is much better with the GS too. The GT3 stereo sound is pretty poor.

Steering feel- This is a big plus for the GT3. The GS steering never gives the quality of feedback in comparison. It feels a bit numb and artificial to me. Effort increases with the different modes almost too much and never ‘feels’ like the effort comes from the forces acting on the front wheels. It’s not so bad you don’t know what’s going on, just seems overly filtered or numb.

Handling- Just great. Like the GT3 the harder you push it the more you are impressed. I give the edge here to the GS due to its suspension compliance. The GS is much better at dealing with mid corner bumps almost like magic. There is a turn on my favorite road where the bump at apex always throws my sports cars off line. In the GS this bump almost disappears and the it doesn’t get thrown off. Amazing and probably the same feeling I’ve read on track reviews where the GS can jump apex curbing at will. If it wasn’t for the steering feel the overall impression of handling would be a huge plus to the GS, but the numbness of the steering dampens the overall experience. Still it’s like a difference between the characters of two fine wines. Both are great in their own way.

Engine and Power- This is GT3 all the way. The flat 6 is on another level and combined with the PDK acceleration is superior. The GS feels a little weak in comparison but the LT1 certainly has plenty of power, just a little less than the GT3. In the rush to redline the GT3 is truly magically especially as you reach 9K. The GS is more a brute force sledge hammer in comparison. Here’s where there is a real significant difference, although as seen in track comparisons it is not as significant in real performance on the track. However in the stop light grand prix the GT3 eats the GS for lunch everyday. I would characterize the LT1 motor in the GS as brutal and effective, but not sophisticated.

Gearbox- I love the the M7 so far. Not a real comparison to the GT3 since they are two different things. However, the clutch and shift action are really world class, no complaints during spirited driving. Perhaps 2nd and 3rd could be a little lower gear ratios as I found myself leaving it in 2nd around twisties a little too much. Cruising in top gear and downshifting is a little awkward and will take some getting used to. PDK in the GT3 for spirited driving is on another level, but for fun daily driving I’ll take the manual in the GS.

Brakes- In daily driving and spirited driving the Z07 brakes are crazy good. The GT3 steel brakes are also good, just a little less powerful. Modulation and pedal feel are equal in both. I haven’t felt any cold stop issues with the Z07 carbon brakes. They just work great all the time.

Overall- I’m impressed with GS so far and at half the cost of the GT3 it is a real bargain. Of course these impressions are still fresh off just buying the GS and can change over time, but the GT3 memory will fade too, so I feel this is as close to a back to back comparison as I will get.

I'll be posting this identical review on Rennlist, so comparing comments will be interesting!

dvilin

Excellent review very objective and no arguments from me. Thanks for taking the time to complete and share. Love the wrap job on your GS.

djnice

How does fuel economy compare?

kenownr

The wrap is just GREAT!!! Love the color!! Thanks for the candid review -tom

montoya

Thanks, it came out better than expected!

Much better on the highway, 20 vs. 24 mpg

You're welcome , thanks!

bigblock427

Congratulations on your new Vette. And thanks for giving us your opinion on the comparison between the two cars.

gurneyeagle

Thanks for the write-up. The car looks fantastic.


Congratulations on what be the first post where the "P" word was mentioned and some geezer didn't have a meltdown.


Enjoy.

sammyv

I like the wrap!

montoya

You're welcome!

LOL!


It's even better in person!

boraxman

I like both your threads...good reading and yes the wrap looks great!

Jimbob26

Great summary and seemingly non-biased. If I were buying a Porsche I don't think it would be the GT3, but something more comfortable as a DD. Like Turbo S. I hope to get one someday but will never part with my C7.

Thanks for the write up

Vetteman Jack

Very good write-up on your comparison of the two cars. Sounds like either on would be a hoot to drive.

OntarioOrangeC3

That looks great & pretty close to my C3 in 1972.

pdiddy972

I'd be interested to see if the Porsche won a race from 5-60 instead of 0-60. Some Porsches lose almost two seconds to 60 that way (not able to use their hyper-optimized launch control that keeps them out of their low-torque RPM range).

brooklync5

great comparison first decent read on the forum in a while. Love the wrap and color choice.

Maxpowers

I missed your first thread. Thx for sharing your experience. Driving a GT3 is on my bucket list!

Foosh

Montoya,

Thanks for the review, which rings true to me based upon my own comparisons. Most recently, when trying to decide, I had the opportunity to drive the C7 and a 991 Turbo back-to-back, and based upon that agree with you on all counts.

OVR60

Two different cars and two entirely different companies with different philosophy's. This is your opinion but not necessariiy that of others.

Hollingswerth

Will you comment on outward visibility and agility regarding your GS vs your GT3.

I have a new 2018 GS M7 comp seats on order. I've previously owned only small, modified Honda/Acura's & BMW's - which all had excellent visibility and were very "flickable." My one and only concern with the GS is getting used to the poor outward visibility and long front hood overhang......and how this will affect my ability to quickly see and analyze what is around me, and be able to be agile/toss the car around.

Thanks!

BTY - absolutely beautiful orange, and thank you for your excellent comparison write up.

Bavaria

I'd be curious as to how a ZO6 would measure up (and there would still be a significant price advantage). Great writeup. Thanks.