vetteLT193

It's not all of it but most thought the base car would come in around Grand Sport numbers. We have been told for years that going to a rear mid engine would increase performance and you don't need those big tires to go fast around corners, etc. etc. etc... But the current Grand Sport smokes this thing in every category except... drumroll please... straight line acceleration. What in the literal hell. The one big performance jump is in in a straight line???

So the new Corvette is supposed to totally raise the bar at a bargain price... it will sell for MSRP of 60k (or more if dealers mark up) add in Z51 and you are sitting at 65k when you can buy a Grand Sport today that is faster around a track for under 55k. And you can get a Z07 GS for the same sale price as a base C8 and it will kill it around the track in all areas except straight line performance. With less power. And you can still get a manual. And the current FE/hatchback setup is actually a better platform to be a 'GT' car, easier to work on and maintain as well. If that isn't disappointing then I don't know what is.

I'm really hoping Chevy just whiffed it big time on the suspension setup because on almost every account they literally already build a better car that sells for less money.

charliebrown2

I'm getting a C8 LT1 with the Z51 package. The only "disappointing" thing for me was to hear this from all three of the major magazines, they described the Stingray as "quiet and smooth, with Motor Trend likening its highway ride quality to that of a luxury sports sedan" However, I assume replacing the C8 exhaust (or 3rd cat) I'll be able to achieve the exotic sound the C8 should have while accelerating or shifting gears.

2021 C8

The same conclusion that I'm coming to.
Best of both worlds.
Sound logic.

JerriVette

Ji actually very much respect multiple perspectives in Matt Farrahs review in youtube....as it often creates a balance to interpet.

i actually believe that was Matt Farrahs best youtube reviews ever and Ive followed his fine efforts for quite some time.

A lot of what many journalists do is motivated to generate a following. More reviews by other automotive journalists with multiple perspectives would do well for the industry...

Most longer term auto journalists are getting killed by lack of advertising these days because of all the new youtube pieces...”the five things I love about xyz car....then a week later....the five things I hate about xyz car...

advertisers have left print media in the wind...

autoweek a fifty year publication I followed has just this past week had its print publication closed dowm.

Many journalists are for the most part contract piece workers mow a days...

the days of editorial staff are either long gone or disappearing.

id cut them some slack across the board...

overall the reviews of the c8 are excellent...im glad to have read on the forum today some testing data was literally dine with their street alignment and not a track alignment..

that explains some of the handling foibles of understeer at the limit many of use werent expecting in a track review of GM s new rear mid engine corvette z51 fe4.

im good at hearing many of the details to explain and understand when comparing apples to apples.

great forum

Kappa

Have you seen a head to head comparison between the C8 and C7 GS yet? Because I haven’t.

PerKr

So, basically it is still a corvette and the performance is what would have been expected of a C7 successor regardless of whether it was mid engine or not? Not at all surprised really. We saw the same hype for the C7 that we have had for the C8 and in the end the improvements over their predecessors were not all that revolutionary. Just evolutionary and much of the improvement in general performance has been down to tyres. That said, going mid-engine is a revolution to the concept. And finally having a DCT is a big deal in itself. And the hybrid, which needs to come with this generation, will be a really important step in the evolution (even the survival) of the corvette.

EasyLivin

Right... I was hoping to hear how you could feel every expansion joint in the road through your spine while wrestling the steering wheel to find that perfect line as you enter the off ramp, while adjusting the sound system to try and overcome the exhaust and tire noise because the base C8 is more of a race car you can drive on the street than a street car you can take to the track because no one deserves to have better all around performance than the previous car without a little pain and anguish...

Very Disappointing....

All kidding aside... I enjoy a raw visceral car as much or more than anyone here having owned many but it just doesn't have to be that way anymore to get astounding performance....

Richard G.

Sitting in the C8 at Carlisle, touching the car and seeing several colors was exciting to me.
No one I talked to or the people that I saw said anything negative about the C8.
Just my observation and my "2 cents". I want one !!

911Hunter

I was expecting the C8 Z51 to beat the C7 GS, but that wasn't the case. C7 GS owners can still sleep good since they still have a better handling car and probably more enjoyable to drive, and the plus of having the option of a manual transmission for better driving involvement.
I wasn't impressed by the C8's reviews and on how it just won on the track VS the prior C7 Z51 by a very small margin, taking in consideration that the C8 has better technology, ME, DCT, better tires, more HP.
And not having a strong V8 sound presence, poor brakes feeling, excessive understeer handling.

Not what I was expecting.

kaplana08

This that the other thing. I am buying mine and I will enjoy it. Best bargain under the sun.Some folks just look for negative.

meadowz06

Matt Farrah is a CLOWN. His views mean absolutely nothing to me. I know more about Corvette's than he will ever forget.

CRABBYJ

GM Corvette Marketing Is in control not GM Corvette Engineering. Thus incremental product improvements, i.e. a succession of newer C8 models moving forward and for the most part already developed or at least well along. It’s just where do they want to be on this chart at any point in time.

jefnvk

So, people are shocked that a $60k car performs a little bit better than the previous $60k car, but not as good as a $250k car? Odd. Almost as if unrealistic expectations were piled upon this thing.

No, you've been told that GM has done all it can with a FE setup. Big difference.

wvanepps

Until I see an AWD FE Corvette with torque vectoring then I say they did not do all they could with an FE design. The Nissan GT-R has been doing sub 3 second 0-60 for forever due to it's all wheel drive system.

Racer X

This makes me sad.

robertaj

I think folks need to understand that the car is amazing given its price point... it not the greatest Porsche killer just yet... but its also 1/2 the price of what it is competing against. .... once the other models come out ... I think those will beat up on the rest of the supercars, but also come at a 150k price point.

Kappa

Might as well build the Corvette on the Alpha platform because that's the only way you'd be able to fit that equipment in a front engine Corvette. It would weigh 4000+lbs and you'd still be in here trolling.

ElisTwoCents

Car sounds amazing. No Corvette has ever been perfect, I take it you don't own one? I have 3 at the moment and they are all short somewhere, while each excelling in their own way.



If one wants to hold on to memories of yesteryear and the Corvette Ghosts of Christmas Past that's fine, the rest of us will rejoice in the giant leap that was taken forward.

pdiddy972

How is it a giant leap forward if it's performing lower than a C7 GS? Didn't the C7 base equal or beat the previous generation GS?

Where are all these benefits of rear mid-engine? All I see is better 0-60 and worse handling.braking/weight. Doesn't feel like an improvement to me.

wvanepps

You seem to consider any disagreement with you as "trolling". Ok whatever.