I took delivery of my car last week and I’ve been putting miles on it in between the rain showers here in Austin. So today I took it out for approximately 200 miles west of Austin in the hill country with lots of winding and curvy roads. Central Texas residences here understand what it’s like to drive west from Marble Falls on Park Road 4. I then drove RT29 to Llano then I’m further west to Castell which is next to the Llano River. The roads were fantastic and we were able to drive a variety of speeds with zero traffic into the curves and out of the curves. First I did not see any of this reported mid corner understeer. The way it handles is hard to explain but I like it more than the C7.

One thing I did notice because the driver is now 16 1/2 inches further towards the front, the whole car seems to rotate around the driver instead of the other way around. I had a C3 and it always seem like the front wheels were way out in front of the car. I have a C7 now and it drives very similar but with a C8 driver being so much further further forward, it’s really a different feeling being right on the front wheels.

I love the instrument panel with all the temps and other information right there. I love the Magride shocks to be able to have is soft for cruise and tight when I’m driving very aggressive. The DTC was very smooth and performed very well but it did hiccup a couple of times at low speed transition from idle to moderate throttle. I didn’t do any paddle shifts. It always seemed to find the right gear but it did hold the rpm a little high unexpectedly after goosing the throttle. There is little exhaust and engine noise. They really insulated the bulkhead. I wished I could hear more mechanical and exhaust sound. The NPP does add more exhaust sound but it still isn’t that much. Probably GM was handcuff with the drive by sound regulations.

The stereo can really blast. I’m not a fan of the wall of buttons and it does limit where the passenger can rest their left elbow. it’s also too easy to accidentally change the passengers temp setting because it’s the last button. We did it twice. The cover over the mode dial is just plain irritating. I wish I could remove it. The shifter switches are easy to learn, so they are not an issue. I used the front end lift a few time and it only takes a few seconds. There are some minor squeaks from the top or rear engine cover. I’ll lube the seals and bumpers with the GM silicone grease to see if that fixes it.

The nav system still sucks. No difference from the C7 that I see. But Apple Car play worked flawless.

I like the C7 seats more than the C8 seats. The drivers left bolster really digs into my thigh. My C6 and C7 don’t do that and my legs and *** are not big.I think the seat was made with too much foam there, so I’ll be pulling the seat and fixing it.

 

What kind of seats are in your C8 ?

Thanks for the first impressions.

 

nice update from another central Texas member.

Thanks!!!

Manny

 

I ordered the GT2 seats, Z51, Magride, and 2LT.

 

Thanks for the review!

What seats did you get? GT1, GT2, or competition? GT2 felt great when I sat in them. I would be afraid GT1's wouldn't have enough support for canyon bombing runs.

 

Did you find the Navi on the C8 can zoom + or - faster than the Navi on the C7?

 

Yes

 

Thanks for the review! Your driving impressions are exactly that of a ME car and I probably would have described my GT4 the same way

I'm worried about the car being too quiet... likely will need and exhaust upgrade!

 

Good write up. Have you owned/driven at length any other mid engine sports cars? Just curious to give your impressions verse those cars as well.

 

I have not. The C8 handling feels very neutral. In a couple of corners I went it too hot and simply cranked the steering wheel over and it went around with no drama. One corner I felt the rear step out a little but no oversteer. Maybe the e-diff worked in my favor.

 

That’s cool. For the reviews I’ve read it has understeer if anything. I did feel the magazines might have been dramatic. Glad your impressions of it are good. Which C7(s) did you have?

 

I doubt the reported understeer will show up at the speeds attained in corners on the streets/highways. Spirited driving is still well below the entry and midcorner speeds seen on a track where the driver is taking the car to the limit. Even an econobox front wheel drive car can corner better then most drivers are able to drive them.

Bill

 

Thats kind of what I meant by dramatic. “It has terrible understeer” should really read “it handles great but does have significant understeer when tracking and putting it near the limit”.

 

Thank you for a very well written review of your first impression. Please keep us posted of your second impression once you have some more time in the driver’s seat as many of us are still living life vicariously through lucky forum members like yourself. Thanks again.

 

I plan to use Waze with Apple Car play. All built in car navigation systems suck.

Great to hear actual owners give their honest opinions!

 

I would like to add a comment about the rear view mirror. There is a toggle switch to flip it between regular mirror and rear camera screen. If you need reading glasses (like me), the camera screen will not be in focus but the regular mirror will be.

The sun visor have a small label on the one side when folded up position and a large label when folded down. People with C7 complained about the ugly warning labels on the visor. The smaller label definitely is an improvement but a big label is there when you flip them down.

The power outlet for the radar detector is under the glove box. You can’t reach the mute button there or if you attach the detector on the bottom forward part of the windshield. For my C7, I made a my own custom mount that attached to the rear view mirror, so will do that again on the C8. I plan to market then to the Corvette catalog companies.

The C8 has more driver and passenger space than the C7 except on the C7 you can throw stuff behind the seats. You don't have that on the C8. Well, there is not much storage space inside the cabin, however. That's what you get with a mid-engine design. The glove box is larger but the console storage is a little skimpy. That's where you plug in the USB cable for Apple Car Play.

The doors are thick and so are the door sills. In my parking area, its tougher to open the doors and get in/out with the scoop trim sticking out. Seems like a lot of wasted space.

 

my friends Caddy has the rearview camera in the mirror. I hate it, my eyes need a second or two to adjust to it unlike the mirror.

 

I love Park Road 4! Was just there last week in my C3. Ranch Road 1431 is also fantastic although parts are under construction, badly needed passing lanes are being built.

Thanks for taking the time to write up your thoughts, we have one ordered, but with the plant closed, the wait will be even longer.

 

The recommendation from the engineers is to: keep at it. Yes, you can disable the LCD. Several of them had some trouble getting used to it at first, too. But there's a "break-in" process for your brain. Keep at it and you'll break your brain (in). Once done, you probably won't want to use a normal mirror again. :-)

 

In previous Vettes, the driver, sitting in his (or her) seat, is a pendulum with about 18" between the drivers butt and the center of rotation. Thus cornering forces the driver into the seat back even with no acceleration.

In the C8, with the CoR coincident with the drivers butt, you no longer have this additional set of forces miscommunication with you: It is thereby easier to read what the car is communicating.

This is one of the magic parts of mid-ending cars.